Bilstein 6112s leaking after 60k miles - warranty?

[cheeser]

After performing a few maintenance tasks on my 2016 Trail, I noticed both of the Bilstein 6112s leaking per the pic.

I’m checking with Wheelers Off-road on the warranty aspect, but assume I need to pull these off and send to Wheelers for eval. Since the vehicle can’t be down for an extended period, I may need to purchase another set to swap in.

Based on the difficulty in Bilstein warranty replacements, I’m tempted to swap in a Dobinson IMS setup as I don’t want to give Bilstein anymore money if it’s unlikely they’ll warrant them.

Just curious what others have gone through in warranty claims?

 

[BADCUDA1]

I looking at updating the Struts on my 08. I'm pretty sure Bilstein's were lifetime but I haven't looked further because I really wanted new springs to if I can just order complete assemblies.

Got to the Rancho's they offer a complete strut with springs and lifetime warranty but haven't done any review search yet.

 

[Bmnorm2]

After performing a few maintenance tasks on my 2016 Trail, I noticed both of the Bilstein 6112s leaking per the pic.

I’m checking with Wheelers Off-road on the warranty aspect, but assume I need to pull these off and send to Wheelers for eval. Since the vehicle can’t be down for an extended period, I may need to purchase another set to swap in.

Based on the difficulty in Bilstein warranty replacements, I’m tempted to swap in a Dobinson IMS setup as I don’t want to give Bilstein anymore money if it’s unlikely they’ll warrant them.

Just curious what others have gone through in warranty claims?

I may be misinterpreting this, but the infographic Bilstein provides seems to indicate “leaking” is normal and doesn’t require replacement. Have you noticed degradation in the performance of the shocks?

Understanding BILSTEIN Warranty Procedures and Policy - BILSTEIN Off-Road

Scroll down a page or so and look at the infographic. You can always email them and ask about it too. They seem to have a well structured process and system for warranty claims.

 

[cheeser]

I may be misinterpreting this, but the infographic Bilstein provides seems to indicate “leaking” is normal and doesn’t require replacement. Have you noticed degradation in the performance of the shocks?

Understanding BILSTEIN Warranty Procedures and Policy - BILSTEIN Off-Road

Scroll down a page or so and look at the infographic. You can always email them and ask about it too. They seem to have a well structured process and system for warranty claims.

Thanks for the info. I haven’t noticed degradation in shock performance, but it’s hard to tell for sure if leaking over time. I’m also paying attention to any odd noises….strap in a gopro . If I had to pull the shocks out to physically check them out, I might as well replace them.

I laughed when the illustration notes leaking oil can be considered normal…guess they’re waiting for all of it to leak out.

 

[osugsxr]

recently had 5160s (no warranty) leak at 65k miles and replaced with 5100s (lifetime warranty) ...Currently at 75k miles with about 70k on the 6112s . The 5100s in the rear were only a 45 minute DIY job to install. Once the 6112s start leaking Ill replace with dobinsons ims.

Id go ahead and upgrade to a new set of shocks if you plan on taking it apart. For the bilstein lifetime warranty Id like to see feedback from those who have used it before.

 

[BADCUDA1]

Yeah!
That strut is LEAKING and has been! Its not going to fix itself and there is a very limited amount of fluid in the shock.

My 08 w/the OEM struts and shocks are not leaking w/150,000 + miles and seem to be working fine. But appear to have some spring sag after 15 years on the ground.

So with that in mind if that is Bilstein policy I'll probably scratch them off the list.

 

[Pedro367]

Got to the Rancho's they offer a complete strut with springs and lifetime warranty but haven't done any review search yet.

I'd probably stay away from Rancho. They are barely a notch above stock struts and are not monotube. They used to be twin tube, but now they are tri-tube I guess. They are a low cost option for an adjustable shock, but I wouldn't put them on anything that does anything beyond street driving. They are essentially a "suped up" white body shock with an adjuster. Monotube shocks like Bilsteins and Foxes are much less prone to cavitation, fade, and overheating. Rancho is cheap for a reason, but will ride fine and be an ok factory replacement if that's your goal. I'd still go with Bilstein 5100s, regardless.

60k out of a set of aftermarket performance shocks to me doesn't seem that bad. I'd just replace them and try to sell these for a few bucks. Or, just continue to run them until they go. Bilsteins are notorious for leaking.

 

[Every Day OutDoors]

I don't know how long you guys expect shocks to last but lifetime warranty I consider under soccer mom conditions in a perfect environment. Considering I live in mn (middle of the rust belt) and off road quite a bit my 6112's have around 85,000 miles on them and 4 winters and are still performing like they did when new,I consider that a dam good buy at $750 for shocks and springs that far outperform the crap the factory put on. I am planning on replacing them this next spring and will either go with the bigger Bilstein (can't remember what the name of them is) or dobinson mrr

 

[El Dusty]

I don't know how long you guys expect shocks to last but lifetime warranty I consider under soccer mom conditions in a perfect environment.

This needs to be reinforced for a lot of 5th Gen owners. Non-rebuildable shocks are a wear item especially if you are hard on them. You may get 100k from some sets if lucky, cheaper sets obviously less. When their time comes buy another set and swap them. You may qualify for one warranty replacement if they fail early but they have exemption clauses for offroad use, modifed vehicles, not adequately cleaned or serviced shocks.

If you buy re-buildable higher end offroad shocks expect to service them every few years or 40-60k miles or sooner. If you dont service them on time you are asking for trouble and a bigger bill down the road.

Im about to service my toytec Aluma 2.5s after replacing them once under warranty and servicing the front bushing sets already. PITA and kind of regret buying them because they have only made it 40k and now 25k between services.

 

[4skrunner]

I feel like that’s solid mileage for a performance shock. I’d be happy with that…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BADCUDA1]

I'd probably stay away from Rancho. They are barely a notch above stock struts and are not monotube. They used to be twin tube, but now they are tri-tube I guess. They are a low cost option for an adjustable shock, but I wouldn't put them on anything that does anything beyond street driving. They are essentially a "suped up" white body shock with an adjuster. Monotube shocks like Bilsteins and Foxes are much less prone to cavitation, fade, and overheating. Rancho is cheap for a reason, but will ride fine and be an ok factory replacement if that's your goal. I'd still go with Bilstein 5100s, regardless.

60k out of a set of aftermarket performance shocks to me doesn't seem that bad. I'd just replace them and try to sell these for a few bucks. Or, just continue to run them until they go. Bilsteins are notorious for leaking.

You maybe correct but my 4R is a DD Tower and would only see off road if I missed a turn more than likey. But as you stated if the Bilsteins are "Notorious" for leaking sounds like they have work to do but if your pounding then off road then I can see them wearing faster than on road.

 

[cheeser]

I don't know how long you guys expect shocks to last but lifetime warranty I consider under soccer mom conditions in a perfect environment. Considering I live in mn (middle of the rust belt) and off road quite a bit my 6112's have around 85,000 miles on them and 4 winters and are still performing like they did when new,I consider that a dam good buy at $750 for shocks and springs that far outperform the crap the factory put on. I am planning on replacing them this next spring and will either go with the bigger Bilstein (can't remember what the name of them is) or dobinson mrr

As they’re advertised with a lifetime warranty, then that’s what I expect. If the lifetime warranty comes with the expectation of soccer mom conditions, then include that in their product marketing…I’m sure that would go over well.

I understand Bilstein doesn’t want to warranty an item that’s been abused in off-road racing conditions, but I have to assume most of us are not using like that…primarily on road use, with the occasional trail.

In the end, I’m the one going through the time/expense (shop or myself) of replacing shocks…I just want Bilstein to replace as their obviously failing via the leak.

 

[honda250xtitan]

buys race truck parts, complains when race parts act like race parts.....theyre a big body monotube shock


it sucks, but monotube shocks are under more pressure than a twin tube. so the leaking is a bigger risk. for the money, i dont think you can beat them. i absolutely hammered on mine, and i got mine used. getting airborne ended up causing a leak like you posted. i still have them as backups for when i rebuild the Kings. :shrug:

 

[cheeser]

Not aware of any race car parts with a life time warranty, or of anyone running 6112s in a race. Wasn’t this same basic shock also used in the early 4Runner Pros?

Agreed….parts fail over time…another reason for the warranty.

 

[mrblah]

bilstein will honor the warrantee, but there is a catch. You have to send in your busted shock and they will "rebuild it" and send it back to you.... so unless you have another shock lying around, your vehicle will be out of action for however long it takes for them to fix it. Also they don't pay for labor if you don't work on your own truck. So because of this downtime, the warrantee is absolutely useless.

As for kings and other aftermarket shocks, they only warrantee if for approximately 1 year, but at least when you have it rebuilt, it only takes a day at your neighborhood offroad shock to rebuild. The rebuild isn't expensive, its the labor that is.

there is no free lunch.

 

[MAST4R]

Yeah, some not very informed opinions here.

Just because a factory shock has not leaked after a lot of miles, or any other twin tube, it does not mean that it actually works properly. These shocks stop working well WITHOUT leaking. Not hard to figure out why factory shocks are usually of this design. It sure ain't for performance.

Monotubes are by contrast, "honest" shocks: they let you know immediately when they are done (due to the high pressure as mentioned above).

As for the Bilstein 6112, it is properly defined by Bilstein as an "adventure" shock. Paired with the standard springs (which are NOT 600 as vendors advertise them but less), they are NOT suitable to higher desert speeds. Ask me how I know. When you pair them with the stiffer springs, they work fine but it is a bit of a cheater performance setup because it is the springs that do the hard work. But it works.

Unlike the 5100, the 6112 can actually survive the punishment and with the stiffer springs, it is killer value.

Now, do you need 6112 on pavement? With the softer, standard springs, it is ideal for pavement and dirt roads. But you cannot expect it to last forever.

And the same is true of any other monotube, including the premium Dobinsons offering. It will leak eventually. I am pretty sure I can make the basic 5100s leak in a day or two, just in the desert around Phoenix. A 2.0 shock is ok for pavement, dirt, and rock crawling. But in the desert...been there, done that, too.

My 6112 are pushing 40,000 miles so I am not sure I will wait to 50k before I replace them, considering what mine have experienced. Nothing beats them at value, that's for sure.

The Dobinson setup is probably the other great value setup so no reason not to try that one either. But reservoirs would be crazy on a rig confined to a sad life on pavement

 

[cheeser]

bilstein will honor the warrantee, but there is a catch. You have to send in your busted shock and they will "rebuild it" and send it back to you.... so unless you have another shock lying around, your vehicle will be out of action for however long it takes for them to fix it. Also they don't pay for labor if you don't work on your own truck. So because of this downtime, the warrantee is absolutely useless.

As for kings and other aftermarket shocks, they only warrantee if for approximately 1 year, but at least when you have it rebuilt, it only takes a day at your neighborhood offroad shock to rebuild. The rebuild isn't expensive, its the labor that is.

there is no free lunch.

Thanks for the info on the Bilsteins…mirrors what the vendor has told me.

As for other rebuildable aftermarket shocks, trying to find a local shop to rebuild can be a pain, and still have to pay for the rebuild but cheaper than new.

Either way, still no free lunch as noted. Looks like I’ll just buy another set of fronts and send these out for warranty. I may wind up having a fresh set of fronts if/when we have to do this again in another 60k.

 

[MAST4R]

If you are doing anything more than the Alpine Loop and similar in CO, you may want to consider the 6112 on the stiffer springs. Yes, the ride on road will be stiffer, sportier, but the nose will actually stay above the rocks and not dive on them at the worst moment. Ditto for Moab.

 

[Pedro367]

As they’re advertised with a lifetime warranty, then that’s what I expect. If the lifetime warranty comes with the expectation of soccer mom conditions, then include that in their product marketing…I’m sure that would go over well.
.

Yea, I get that. But, keep in mind suspension is still a wear item that eventually goes out. Having a shock blow in the first year or two may justify a warranty claim, but 60k out of a set of performance shocks is a pretty normal service life, IMO. Bilstein may help you out with a rebuild as the other guy said, but I wouldn't expect anything more. If it were me, I'd just be ordering new shocks, probably Fox, and moving on.

 

[cheeser]

After 5+ weeks, I heard nothing from Wheelers or Bilstein, so I contacted Wheeler again to check on the status of the warranty claim.

Bilstein has decided the seals are leaking through normal "wear and tear" for this mileage (actually 80k) and decided to deny any warranty claim...even they are supposed to be covered by a "Lifetime" warranty.

I fully understand shocks/struts wear out over time and need to be replaced or rebuilt, and a manufacture needs to protect themselves from individual claims for those times equipment has been abused. I'm not saying my installed struts should have lasted forever.

My issue is with Bilstein offering a "Lifetime" warranty by denying a claim for mileage when there is no stated mileage limit and the struts don't illustrate signs of abuse. They should simply state up front they only warranty them for x miles or a time limit.

Bilstein's claim of a "Lifetime" warranty is essentially worthless unless the shock/strut was broken/snapped where they would probably claim abuse and deny as well.

Off to purchase another set of struts...obviously not Bilstein.