Ok, well, today, I had enough. I pulled out my Bilstein rears and replaced them with Sachs Advantage (what FCP sells now if you ask for Boge Turbo Gas).
Similar price, great ride, easy install, good quality, made in Germany, and the key factor:
THEY DON'T MAKE NOISE!
I tried re-tightening my Bilstein Economy (Touring Class) rear shocks. Figured something must have been loose. No change. Going down the road, sounds like DIGGITTA DIGGITTA.
Went through all my other rear suspension parts. Initially, yes, I had bad torque rod bushings. Replaced the bushings, tightened up the rear dramatically, particularly some noises of axle movement and possibly even driveshaft u-joint binding, when engine-braking. And it still went DIGGITTA DIGGITTA over every tiny bump.
I dunno what the hell is wrong with these things but I don't need them. They made the same noises on my 87 that I sold- no, it's not the same shocks, I bought a new pair. These were installed in July.
At least FCP is good enough to honor the warranty. I still had the original boxes, and they liked that, so the supplier can track them back to the batch they came from. Hopefully someone will start a class action suit against them or something. Not that I'm out any money, unless my time counts for something. Maybe I should be reimbursed for pain and suffering. Believe me, I suffered over every bump and manhole cover.
I heard someone remark "They won't admit they have a problem" regarding these shocks. I can't believe they're letting such a troublesome product out the door! This is a quality company! They've got a great reputation, and in this business, that's all your company has. I don't want to bad-mouth Bilstein, believe me. But the annoyance factor on these units is very very high. They are not what I expected.
Meanwhile, I'll be riding around with my Sachs shocks (which cost more by the way), enjoying the peace and quiet...
--
Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: 92 244-M47-208K ::: Bilsteins, Turbo swaybars, Virgos, Lowered, Group A wing, Tach, 6-Disc, Satellite Radio, Keyless Entry ::: Coming Soon: B-Cam!
|