Front struts (6112s) are leaking, recommendations please

M

Mo's TE

New member
Hi everyone, apologies in advance I know there are many threads around Bilstein shocks on this forum but I ask if you can bear with me

I have a 2015 TE, shortly after purchasing the truck I upgraded the suspension to Bilstein 6112s coil over's set to 2.5" lift in the front and 5160s in the back with 2 inch toytec superflex.

The 5160s started leaking a weak later and I managed to got a replacement from Bilstein. Some time later their damping ability started to diminish, so I replaced them with fox 2.0 recently and I'm very happy with them. Now the front struts are leaking or just started to leak and obviously they will need to be replaced soon.

In know the ideal thing to do is to install a fox 2.0 in the front but they are rated 0-2" lift while the truck is set to 2.5, which means I need to go for 2.5s COs which are priced at apprx. $1,200 plus shipping (I live overseas).

Honestly, I'm not in a position to spend that much money since the TE needs few other parts such as new stab. links, tie rods and tires. So I thought of replacing the struts only. I can find any vendor selling the 6112s struts only as they come as a set struts and springs which I don't need. Hoping that you guys can point in the right direction here OR suggest a replacement strut that would fit the 6112 springs. Do Bilstein sell repair kit?
 
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How many miles on them? sucks they're leaking but its bound to happen eventually. Rogueoffroad had some in stock recently.

IIRC they aren't rebuildable officially. I believe theres a couple guys who have taken them apart though. 5100's or dobinsons with new springs will probably be the cheapest route.

arehman11 said:
Look into Dobinson, they seem to be much higher quality
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lolol twin tube technology from the 80's??

J.F. Sebastian said:
Have seen way too many problems with 5160's and 6112's lately. Screw these things, Bilstein is not an option now for me anyway...
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LOL :thumb3:
 
My 4th gen's Bilstein 5100 bought in 2010 are still on the vehicle when I sold it last year with no signs of leak, I put 90k mi on it.

Somewhere during 2011 or 2012? When Bilstein expanded their company I think, they where even changing product part numbers, thats the time when their quality down slide. New products where introduced, leaks where reported in internet forums, and they are even dump by TRD last year in favor of Fox.

If you are looking at 5100's buy those old stocks in ebay, craigslist and other liquidation sale. They can be identified by their old part numbers and comes with unpainted Alloy Spring Seats.
 
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honda250xtitan said:
How many miles on them? sucks they're leaking but its bound to happen eventually. Rogueoffroad had some in stock recently.

About 80k miles give or take 99% on pavement so I’m not complaining about the 6112s they served me well.

Thought about 5100 but I’m worried that ride quality
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Black friday sales will start around november 1st, if you can hold out till then, you could save some coin. maybe put the stock coil overs back on until then? perhaps with a space if you have a lift?
 
osugsxr said:
how many? do you have statistics on failure rate ? thanks
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Let's just say I've seen a lot more leaking reports out of the remote reservoir Bilsteins than any other manufacturer and I'm not all over the internet looking for trouble... This is my impression from reading this and that.
 
Mo's TE said:
About 80k miles give or take 99% on pavement so I’m not complaining about the 6112s they served me well.
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That sounds like a good amount of miles before they started leaking. Reading the title of your thread, I made the assumption your 6112s were newer and already leaking.
 
Thanks to everyone feedback and advise, I'll wait until black Friday before I pull the trigger. I've settled down on either 5100 or Eibach shocks both are reasonably priced for people looking for a budget friendly lift.

Sorry if the title was confusing, the 6112's took a lot of beating and only started to leak after 80,000 miles which very good even by OEM standards. 5160 wasn't as good which is strange, I've been using Bilstein shocks for many years on BMWs and never had a problem.
 
This sucks for me. I had finally decided on 6112 for front and 5100 for rear and now I read they are both problematic? Seems like it doesn't matter the supplier you can find bad. Granted, I put 15k in three years and off road is limited, but that may increase with 4tr. I dont like buying twice.
 
Swipter said:
This sucks for me. I had finally decided on 6112 for front and 5100 for rear and now I read they are both problematic? Seems like it doesn't matter the supplier you can find bad. Granted, I put 15k in three years and off road is limited, but that may increase with 4tr. I dont like buying twice.
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Pretty sure his case pretty rare.
Go with 6112 and 5100. They are still one of the most reliable setups on the market and they will last you a long long time without maintenance.


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Mo's TE said:
Hi everyone, apologies in advance I know there are many threads around Bilstein shocks on this forum but I ask if you can bear with me

I have a 2015 TE, shortly after purchasing the truck I upgraded the suspension to Bilstein 6112s coil over's set to 2.5" lift in the front and 5160s in the back with 2 inch toytec superflex.

The 5160s started leaking a weak later and I managed to got a replacement from Bilstein. Some time later their damping ability started to diminish, so I replaced them with fox 2.0 recently and I'm very happy with them. Now the front struts are leaking or just started to leak and obviously they will need to be replaced soon.

In know the ideal thing to do is to install a fox 2.0 in the front but they are rated 0-2" lift while the truck is set to 2.5, which means I need to go for 2.5s COs which are priced at apprx. $1,200 plus shipping (I live overseas).

Honestly, I'm not in a position to spend that much money since the TE needs few other parts such as new stab. links, tie rods and tires. So I thought of replacing the struts only. I can find any vendor selling the 6112s struts only as they come as a set struts and springs which I don't need. Hoping that you guys can point in the right direction here OR suggest a replacement strut that would fit the 6112 springs. Do Bilstein sell repair kit?
Click to expand...

A used set of LC Prado or FJ coilovers should be readily available around you. They are very similar to the T4R
 
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