Bilstein coilover problem. Any ideas?....

[todzilla]

So I've had my white 2014 FiST with Bilstein coilovers since June and I love it, but I've got a big problem. Both front struts are shot!

Back in August the right front shock was leaking and there was a creaking sound when you turn the wheel. So I got a right front strut mount and bearing and a full alignment and it seemed to help. And I was told to keep my eye on the shock to see how bad it started to leak. The sound improved so I thought all was okay, but now within the last week there is a very pronounced thud almost like there is no more shock absorption on the front left corner, and it turns out the front left shock basically is out of fluid so both shocks are shot

So the problem is because I've got a set of four coilovers, I just need the front two replaced as the back two are perfect, but of course you can't buy a set of front (only) Bilstein coilovers. Unless I'm wrong they're only sold as a set of four and a cost somewhere around $1,500 to $2,000 plus install. I bought the car used and they probably been in the car for 6 years (I currently have 146,000 km)

So my question is this. Would I be able to put just to lowering springs in the front and two decent front struts that can handle a lowering spring? I know they would be mismatched from the rear but as long as they have a suspension drop then it shouldn't make a huge difference (the rear are set as low as I can get them but of course I would bring them back up so the car sits level to match the new front setup)

Is this a smart thing to do and is it cost-effective? I am up on the west coast in Vancouver, Canada. Getting any kind of reasonably priced aftermarket 'tuner' parts definitely isn't cheap up here so I'm sure I'll be bringing it up from the US.

Any advice you can give me or anybody experiencing the same problems please chime in! Cheers

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Why not get Replacement Bilstein Struts for the front and just transplant the current springs...bearing plate...etc. instead?

 

[SteveS]

https://www.tdotperformance.ca/2014..._multi[0]=5778&part_type_filter_multi[0]=7992

You just need to know if you have B6 or B8 currently and get the same. You just need the strut. Transfer the springs and parts over, as Typhoon said. Bilsteins are not "coilovers" the way the term is used nowadays. Though they do have the spring coil over the shock, they are traditional struts without the ability to adjust preload and ride height. They don't come with a special spring. You can use the OEM spring or an aftermarket spring with them.

 

[SteveS]

https://www.bilstein.com/us/en/products-and-services/warranty/

You might also check to see if you can get warranty service from Bilstein, as most of their products have a limited lifetime warranty.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Everyone is missing that he might have the B14 actual coil over kit from Bilstein.

 

[CarGuy]

Everyone is missing that he might have the B14 actual coil over kit from Bilstein.

He still should be able to get them serviced through Bilstein, correct?

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[SteveS]

If they are the B14s, and he's the original purchaser, they are still under warranty. Even if he's not the original purchaser, I'd contact Bilstein's support department about the availability of replacement parts or rebuild services.

 

[todzilla]

Hey guys thanks for all the feedback.

So just to clarify they are authentic b14 height adjustable coilovers. The $2,000 kit. I called Bilstein head office down in the US and they said there is a place in California that can rebuild them but it involve me shipping them there and back and leaving my car out of commission for weeks.... Not feasible. And the warranty apparently only goes to the original owner so I'm out of luck anyways. One way or another I'll be paying.

So my options are to get some (2) Bilstein B8s (or competitions equivalent) and a decent lowering spring, although of course they're only sold in a set of four. And then I would replace the front coilovers with a strut and coil replacement.... Or basically like it was from the factory. Not ideal but probably my most cost-effective course of action. I would just need to raise the rear coilovers up to match the slight difference in ride height from a lowering spring in the front.

The Bilstein rep also told me that having them dropped down to the maximum allowable ride height could have accelerated the failure of the front struts.... In fact he was kind of surprised they lasted this long!? Five or six years. Yikes. But yes, they are dropped down to I believe the lowest setting. It probably wouldn't have been my choice but I bought the car that way.

A final option is to find somebody selling a set of the original factory springs and shocks, but I'll cross that bridge if I have to because I do like to have a bit of a drop and if the rears are in perfect condition, there's no real point replacing them and going back to OEM.

If anybody knows of a company that sells just the front two coilovers (unlikely, I realize...) let me know.

Here's how it looks..

 

[CarGuy]

How about this. Find a used stock setup (fronts or front and rear) to use temporarily so that you can send the fronts in for repair. Ive seem many people selling their stock setup, struts and springs. I would definitely be raising the ride height for both the front and rear so as not to damage the rears too.

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[SteveS]

You can get B8's one at a time. But CarGuy has your best solution from the standpoint of cost and keeping the B14s. Find a set for cheap you can swap in temporarily while you send the front B14s off for repair.

Just keep in mind that the price at the link I gave above (if you check the box for suspension lowering kits) is $1550.98. If the cost of getting the substitutes and the rebuild and shipping approaches that, you could opt for a new set and having factory warranty from Bilstein.

 

[todzilla]

Okay it looks like I found a solution. Miraculously there was another white 2014 up here they got in a wreck 😭... And it also had the Bilstein set up, and they have pretty low mileage on them so I managed to get both fronts for $300 Canadian. So when it's all said and done it'll probably end up costing around $500 installed so I guess I can't really complain?.... Other than the fact that 'lifetime warranty' isn't really a thing!?

Thanks for all the feedback by the way! Still loving the car

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^It was not wrecked anywhere in the front clip/suspension area, correct?

 

[todzilla]

^^It was not wrecked anywhere in the front clip/suspension area, correct?

I don't believe so? The car won't be going in till Wednesday to have the replacements put in. Is there any reason I should be concerned that that's a possibility?

 

[CarGuy]

Don't forget to adjust that suspension up a little so the same thing doesn't happen again.

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[todzilla]

Don't forget to adjust that suspension up a little so the same thing doesn't happen again.

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Yeah I'll definitely be bringing it up a couple of fingers. 😄

 

[M-Sport fan]

I don't believe so? The car won't be going in till Wednesday to have the replacements put in. Is there any reason I should be concerned that that's a possibility?

IF it was hit hard enough from the front, direct side, or angle side the coil over mounting bracket, or top mount could be wacked.

At least visually check them out.

 

[todzilla]

IF it was hit hard enough from the front, direct side, or angle side the coil over mounting bracket, or top mount could be wacked.

At least visually check them out.

I actually just saw a photo of the car and it was a rear-end collision. The right rear side got munched pretty bad but the whole front is pretty much intact. So they should be good to go!