CGTSX07

So I was going to raise up the rear suspension a little and found this on the driver side....i've had these coilovers for a little over a year or ~20,000miles. does this mean the shock is blown?

MMsTSX

the oil? is that what you're talking about.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Looks like a mess you got there....yeah that is most likely shock oil indicating a leaking seal on the damper shaft. You'll need to get that rebuilt. We can have it done for about $120-140 it'll be good as new.




And just in case someone knows the other dude who has a leaking shock at 22K, no conspiracy theorists need post. Just cuz 2 people out of hundreds have had leaky shocks ar ~20k doesn't mean its a Tein trend. Its now.

Marcus

CGTSX07

so I guess the next question I have is, is this safe to drive on? the TSX is my daily driver so I can't exactly just leave it in my garage for a couple weeks until I get it repaired...

Newcleannow

i have the shock at the same position blown at 22000 miles.

PACman

Marcus,

Is that $120-140 per shock? If there's no leaking and otherwise running fine, is there a recommended time or mileage period when the shock should be rebuilt?

MMsTSX

I'm hoping for 75k miles from mine.
That's the plan in my head anyway.

At 75,000 have them all rebuilt.

Wish me luck getting there.

PACman

75K eh? My Tein are almost there too.

MMsTSX

That's what I was shooting for.

Well, am shooting for.

I only have 4k on my car now, about 3k are on these
coilovers, so I have many, many years to go still.

This car will only travel about 5k miles a year, so....

CGTSX07

what's actually funny (not funny at all really) is I saw your post, realized i was at the same mileage, and told myself i hope that doesn't happen to me...and it did...

ck123

Thank goodness i bought Koni shocks..lifetime warranty

what you can do is, wipe it down extremely well, drive it for a few days and see if it is oily again. If it is, shocks needs to be rebuilt/replaced.

This is one reason why i didnt go with Teins, they only have 1 year warranty.


give Tein a call, they might honor it for you since it is just over a year with only 22k miles on them

CGTSX07

I wiped it down...but I figure if it has expelled that much oil, it is already bad.

kaikai114

I thought Koni's will eventually need to be rebuilt as well, since it's also dual tubing design, unlike the monotube design like the Buddy Clubs I had before.

Correct me if i'm wrong though, I think Koni also charges $100-$150 per shock to rebuilt...

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

Yes it will be fine for now. Eventually all the fluid will leak out and it will get bouncy in the rear. If you are in the 1 yr warranty TEIN will replace. If not, you could even purchase a new rear shock for about $230 or so so you don't have downtime.

On average TEIN shocks should be rebuilt by about 60-80k. Honestly, though, in 5 years I still haven't had a local customer come back with a leaking TEIN shock. I've had to sell a few individual shocks for ppl who got in accidents but that is it.

MMsTSX

a third person just popped up too.

on the other forum.

left rear for him too.

godfather2

lol, it might take you 10 years to hit 75k miles

cali4tsx

i say 14 lol

chuson

CGTSX07, your shock is gone. It happened to my BuddyClub RSD in spring @ the rear passenger side, oily grease all over the suspension like yours. If you look @ your other corner they will not get greasy no matter if the road is dry or wet.

It's about $150ish for my replacement shock. Since it's my daily I have no choice but drover, drove super slow, avoid all pot hole, even tiny crack on road to make sure I won't bend my rim. I pumped my tires psi a little as well to cushion the rim.

csun2004

I thought tein makes good quality coilovers
in the past few weeks your the 3rd person with this problem. Maybe you guys should contact Tein

CGTSX07

so to give everyone an update, a month later I finally have my shock back from TEIN. I sent it to them with hopes they would cover it under warranty since I wasn't too far out of the period. I got the call from them a few days later after spending $35 on shipping to hear them say no dice and it would cost close to $175 to rebuild. they told me the turn around time would be 2 weeks.

well that was a lie and I got my shock back a month later, meaning I have been without my daily driver since I sent the shock in. luckily, I have been able to car pool into work and borrow a car on the weekends. otherwise, I would have been royally screwed by Tein. Lesson learned, I should've just bought a new shock since their rebuild was pretty much the same price as a new shock.

next time this happens, I think I will be getting a new set of coilovers, but from a different company.

godfather2

^ what a terrible experience, i would have expected more from tein. that was a lot of money for one unit too! the worst of it all -- probably having to mooch rides off others (don't you just hate that)

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

damn, that sucks. you'd think companies like tein would understand the sense of urgency a consumer has, especially if it's a blown shock on a car you drive. it's not like we all have spare coilovers and time to swap them out.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

1- you should have gone through the dealer you bought from to ensure that it'd be fixed under warranty.

2- I know tein can be slow from time to time, but if you had a month downtime, then 2 weeks of that was shipping (assuming you send to Tein in CA). Not sure if all that is the case, but it is some perspective for you.

3- Tein would have royally screwed you by losing your shock or something like that. The fact that you need to provide your own transportation is not really their responsibility. You'd have been screwed but it really would not have been Tein's fault.

4- You are LUCKY that you have Teins. Many other dampers would be in worse shape after as many miles, and you'd be stuck buying a complete new set of dampers.

5- $35 in shipping one way? If so, sir you got ripped off somewhere.

Its a little surprising hearing complaints about what generally amounts to a successful service experience, save for the fact that a warranty claim was not pursued appropriately (by you, if indeed it was due) and that there was a delay in getting the parts back (an impact yes, but a week is not long in the grand scheme of things in this market).


I've been there and worked directly with Tein engineers and I can tell you they are not only professional and honest, but they have a ridiculous work load. Until Tein was here, the only other mainstream rebuildable shock was from Koni...and they too just as long and cost just as much.

Marcus

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

HOWEVER, if this continues to be an issue, I will be having a discussion with Tein about whether or not an updated set of instructions or specs or parts are needed to prevent future failures.

CGTSX07

I purchased them from you. You posted in this thread and said it would be $120-$140 to rebuild. I was only a few months out of warranty and had low miles on the shock so I thought there might be a chance that it would be covered. I was obviously willing to pay for the rebuild if they would not cover it.

The month was calculated from the time they called me verifying they received the shock to the time I got it back.

They should not specify a turnaround time of 2 weeks and actually take a month. Even you said the turnaround time would be 1-2 weeks. I initially planned for two weeks. Luckily, I was able to arrange plans for the other two weeks I was left waiting.

That is what I thought which is why I purchased Teins in the first place. I did not think a shock would blow after only 20k miles of street use. My car has never been tracked and no pothole triggered the shock to blow. My suspension was also installed by an experienced mechanic.

USPS priority. I wanted to get the quickest turnaround time possible. Living on the east coast and shipping to the west coast also does not help.

that is great and all, but I am just sharing my experience which was unfortunately not as great as others might have had. also, if someone needs to send in their shock for a rebuild, they can at least see my experience and instead, just purchase a brand new shock. not everyone has the luxury of waiting a month for a shock to be rebuilt.

deznium

Just wondering what you mean by re-built? do you mean buying a new pair every 60-80k miles? Also, do you have to rebuild the TEIN CST as well or does this situation apply only to a few TEIN suspensions?

chuson

Well, at least you got a shock in a month.

One of our local member MugenPWP had a set of Tanabe coilover and recently one of the shock was blew. Call up Tanabe and see what can be done, not expecting warranty and stuff but just rebuild the blew shock or buying a new one. NO. They said their quality were the BEST hence NO replacement parts needed. Therefore, he can do nothing except pick up another set of coilover. It was even listed on the website lol...

BuddyClub turn around time is much faster than TEIN, from the day I called them to confirmed the blew shock, I have everything back in a week. Then the shock they sent me was a newer version which needs a different adapter, I called in again and they managed to send me that part for free too. Good reliable company~

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

They disassemble the shock and repair, overhaul or service it.

http://www.tein.com/service/index.html

Every shock will, over time, need service. No suspension is excluded, regardless of brand or model.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

That Tanabe claim is....well, retarded. Even the best damper needs to be rebuilt after a while. They just wear out.

Buddy club doesn't rebuild either though. Yeah its a lot faster to toss something in a box and ship it than to rebuild it.


But that is my point. As much as it seems inconvenient to have to wait for the rebuild, it really is an indicator of a better product that even CAN be rebuilt!


Rebuilding involves disassembling the shock absorber, replacing all the oil seals or worn parts, changing or adding oil as needed, re-pressurizing the gas charge, etc. It is a refurbishment. Buying a new pair is not rebuilding...that is replacing.

I don't agree with the 60-80K. Some have needed rebuilds sooner and some later. It depends on the driver and the conditions. I've had one guy go well over 100K and he tracked his car constantly. But then we have seen some people (obviously, having problems sooner than that). The type of system you have really does not make much of a difference. CST, SS, etc....again, it is your use that it more important of a factor than the build of the part. Also where you have the height set and if you have changed the springs out can impact the life also.


Buying a suspension and thinking about the future life of it is an important consideration. That is why we like to offer the Tein which IS rebuildable and the company has components in stock. In the long run this is much better than other bands can offer. People with 5 year old Basics can still have them rebuild now for less than the cost of a new kit, and in the end the function is as good as new.



CGTSX07, all I can say is, why didn't you hit me up? Yeah I replied to the post, but I don't know who you are or what sale that is or when it was. Next time you have a problem with an item we sell CONTACT ME! It might not go faster, but it can possibly work out better for you. We have a better shot of getting warranty done if needed, and most of the time we pay return shipping for you.

Did Tein tell you what the problem was?

Marcus

deznium

Does this situation apply to stock suspension as well? as in disassembling and repairing/servicing after 60-80k miles?

MMsTSX

no.
you cannot service or repair stock suspension.
you have to discard it.

and yeah, that's about right. about 75k miles and it's done.
then you have to buy new.

just like any and every other car.

is this your first car?

deznium

yes, that's why i have so many of these silly questions...
i didn't even know that you have to buy a new stock suspension after 70k miles or so... thanks for the info. I'm assuming the stock ones aren't that expensive right?

chuson

I think you get his message wrong. MMsTSX meant typically any stock suspension will start to show wear and tear after 70K, from minor spring sagging to blow shocks anything will happens. Now, it all depends on your driving habit, road condition, and how much abuse you put on them. Alot of people can get away after 100K, some will blow it within 50K. If you take care of it, I have no doubt it can pass 70K. Stock suspension parts are EXPENSIVE, unless you are getting used parts.

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

Thus, the reason I said:

On average TEIN shocks should be rebuilt by about 60-80k.

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

It really depends on where you live and how you drive. If you live in NYC and/or drive like a maniac (maybe track the car too) then your shocks/struts are likely to need replacement on the lower side of the mileage. However, there are customers with Honda/Acuras that have well over 100K on their stock suspension with no issues. You typically won't get spring sag until 150-200K+. So it is more that shocks/struts need to be replaced and they aren't serviceable and if they were I doubt it would be cost-effective. It's less costly to replace them with some TOKICO HP's.

deznium

Thanks.. on an average how much does it cost to re-build the TEIN suspensions?

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

Here's the list of prices.

http://www.tein.com/service/index.html

The OP posted it cost him about $175 so I assume that including an overhaul, revalving and some other hardware.

CGTSX07

^^yup, they had to replace the piston rod also. they said there was a scratch on my other one

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Well that's why it took longer. They don't usually stock shafts. That was EMS from japan!

aaronng

How much was that end of the car lowered? It could be that the SS cannot withstand extreme lowering by the lower spring perch, same as what happens why you lower too much on the OEM shocks. That's the reason why I prefer CST/Flex/Monoflex over SS and Basic.