Bilstein 5100 garbage!!!!

joey185

joey185

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wasn't even in 4 wheel drive yet. We were headed up the mountain to play and hit a bump ( about 20 mph ) and heard a ping followed by a thunk. Clip broke and the strut collapsed. Really really crappy. Having it towed and need to decide which coil overs to get. Probably King.
 

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This is normal height. I did like them , but obviously not for off road. I remember when we did it that I thought I can't believe that the clip is the only thing keeping the strut up.
 

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Sorry to hear about that Joey - I have about 40-45K on my 5100's and have been really happy with them considering what they've seen. Have definitely seen large bumps and whoops at much faster than 20 and have held up fine.

I think this is an isolated issue with the product or installation.
 
Thanks, Im sure ill get it figured out. It was going to be temporary thing until I got adjustable coil overs. Very strange, but maybe it was installed wrong. Not sure, just bummed, no wheeling today.
 
joey185 said:
This is normal height. I did like them , but obviously not for off road. I remember when we did it that I thought I can't believe that the clip is the only thing keeping the strut up.
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Sorry to hear about your issue but on another note, nice looking 4Runner. I really do like the new red color along with what you've done to your hood. Yeah, better get a solid coil over set up for wheeling.
 
The height retaining clip definitely broke loose! Damn! Better it happened before you took off. Maybe it was improperly installed and kept hanging on by luck until today! And of course, maybe defective but 5100s get great scores around here so if it is, I would just get them to warranty another one. Or buy one, warranty that one and keep as a spare for the trail.
 
I'm honestly not here to rub it in your face, because what happened sucks and thankfully you were not at highway speeds when it happened; but if you do plan to install a replacement 5100 strut, make sure to give the retainer clip a quick turn after it's in it's final position. This helps to insure that the clip is fully seated in the groove...if it isn't seated properly, the clip will not spin easily because it would be grabbing the shock body. Even the slightest misalignment of the clip and the groove would cause it to slowly walk out overtime :(

Also, I'd take the other side off to double check the clip as well just for safety's sake. Good luck and I hope you get this issue resolved!

When installed properly, the clip as actually very strong, I believe Bilstein claims that the seat would bend and break off first, before the clip gives out, lol.
 
Thx for the info, will look at other for sure. We were only going about 15-20 mph and hit a dip in the road( dirt road) , drove it back down but don't think I can drive across town so I've got a tow truck coming in morning.
 
joey185 said:
Thx for the info, will look at other for sure. We were only going about 15-20 mph and hit a dip in the road( dirt road) , drove it back down but don't think I can drive across town so I've got a tow truck coming in morning.
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Hopefully you are taking it to that "very good" 4WD shop and having them fix it and pay for the tow also. Good luck and the 5100's are actually very robust in off road conditions. When installed correctly lol.
 
Have to admit this thread now has me a little nervous. Not about the 5100's being good shocks but about getting the install right. I'm hopefully getting mine done this week. Of course they come with the retainer clip in the lowest position. The instructions mention using the "proper tool" to adjust the clip position and make sure it turns freely afterwards. What is the proper tool? I doubt I have it but if I do, I may just move the clips myself before handing them off for installation. Then again I may actually have what is needed. I used to wrench my own Harley and swapped out the rear shocks and the entire lower front end myself and bought the tools that were needed for that.
 
joey185 said:
wasn't even in 4 wheel drive yet. We were headed up the mountain to play and hit a bump ( about 20 mph ) and heard a ping followed by a thunk. Clip broke and the strut collapsed. Really really crappy. Having it towed and need to decide which coil overs to get. Probably King.
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Really,sorry that happened to you. Thankfully nothing looks damaged. I would like to say that it was most likely an install error, But i hate accusing people. Its possible the clip or groove was machined incorrectly as well. While unfortunate, i would not call the product garbage. This is the FIRST failure like this i have seen( without searching). We have probably installed thousands of 5100s over the years and have never seen any fail like this.

Call bilstein and i imagine they will send you a new shock.







T4R_Finally said:
Have to admit this thread now has me a little nervous. Not about the 5100's being good shocks but about getting the install right. I'm hopefully getting mine done this week. Of course they come with the retainer clip in the lowest position. The instructions mention using the "proper tool" to adjust the clip position and make sure it turns freely afterwards. What is the proper tool? I doubt I have it but if I do, I may just move the clips myself before handing them off for installation. Then again I may actually have what is needed. I used to wrench my own Harley and swapped out the rear shocks and the entire lower front end myself and bought the tools that were needed for that.
Click to expand...

A pair of snap ring pliers is what i use, granted there are many different types, you will see what you need when you get the shocks.
 
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