Bilstein 5100 Failure and Warranty Issue Help

[snivilous]

So I had one of my coilovers rip apart this weekend, I wasn't even going hard, just driving up to a hiking trail that had a million Subaru's on it... They are the Tundra 5100s a bunch of us run and I had the silver Eibachs that Toytec sells that a lot of us also run...

I contacted Bilstein and they asked for the vehicle make and any modifications, I figured it was best to be honest and not claim they were installed on my dad's 1st gen Tundra. So I told them it was a 2001 4Runner, had a 3" lift resulting from the springs and on the lowest setting of the shock, what tires I was running and that I had extra weight.

They came back and said the shock wasn't designed for my vehicle or lift application and they can't warranty them... Any suggestions? Should I try to go through Down South Motorsports (who I bought them from) and say they were on our Tundra and blew out? I understand I'm using a different shock, but as I told the lady the suspension is properly bumped and droop limited so to not over extend or compress the shock not to mention I'm running a shock for a much heavier vehicle. And how can they not be designed for my "lift application"? They are meant to have adjustable lift...

Does anyone have any advice? Because I'm kinda pissed that my shocks--that tons of people run the exact same setup--which are meant for a heavier vehicle had a catastrophic failure going down a typical mountain dirt road and now the "lifetime warranty" doesn't apply, and I don't even have a years worth of wear on them.

Thanks for any help. :smow:

 

[NateMob]

Lots of people have snapped them like that, if you are going to play hard you need to step up to a real coilover. Stock bilstein application shocks suck. Plain and simple, 5100s, 5150s, Tundras, none of these are a performance damper or setup. I went straight to mid travel 2.5" bodied coil overs because i know they are built around and designed to handle the rigors that i knew i would subject my truck to. Same reason i got rid of my 5100s and 5150s in the rear, they simply aren't worth their price to run on our trucks. This won't be a popular post and i know everyone and their mother is going to pipe up saying they love their setup, after all this is just my opinion so i am just pointing out what i see is a popular setup because its (usually) readily available and cheaper than a real coilover.


In other words, hurry up with your long travel. Call back and tell them they were on your tundra.

 

[steezemcqueen]

Contact DSM. Dealing with Bilstein direct usually doesn't do much good from my experience.

 

[ARC]

Lots of people have snapped them like that, if you are going to play hard you need to step up to a real coilover. Stock bilstein application shocks suck. Plain and simple, 5100s, 5150s, Tundras, none of these are a performance damper or setup. I went straight to mid travel 2.5" bodied coil overs because i know they are built around and designed to handle the rigors that i knew i would subject my truck to. Same reason i got rid of my 5100s and 5150s in the rear, they simply aren't worth their price to run on our trucks. This won't be a popular post and i know everyone and their mother is going to pipe up saying they love their setup, after all this is just my opinion so i am just pointing out what i see is a popular setup because its (usually) readily available and cheaper than a real coilover.


In other words, hurry up with your long travel. Call back and tell them they were on your tundra.

This post is popular with me. 5100's are not an offroad shock they are a leveling kit shock for various vehicles. Plus anytime you are using a product other than in it's original designed manner a manufacturer is not likely to stand behind it.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Mine are leaking after I bottomed out hard last December in Death Valley.

They are still much cheaper to replace than a Fox / other shock and even those are often rebuilt after a few years (1-3?) of moderate offroading.

 

[Brique]

Wow, learn something new everyday. I thought the 5100s were an off road shock.

 

[K-Tanz]

Sorry for the resurrection of an old post but I had my 5100 fail in almost this exact way today. It's uncanny how similar the failure is. I'll be saving cash for some coilvers so this doesn't happen deep in a trail somewhere.

 

[calimobber]

Just to add more info for people even on an old post. Sadly bilstien doesnt back up their warranty at all. My buddy bought the 4600 for his tacoma and just drove a bumpy road in death valley in the winter when it was cold. The shocks were only like 2 months old and they failed.

Bilstien said Death Valley is too extreme of a place and the shocks not ment to work in such hot conditions, buy shocks with a resivoir. Even though it was cold and winter time.

They still seem to be a good deal but just know the warranty doesnt mean shit.

 

[TRAILBUS]

This is sad to hear. Bilsteins have been a decent shock at a decent price for many years. They are popular with so many makes and models on and off the road. I hope these incidents are flukes and not a common occurrence. Maybe the quality control just isn't there anymore...