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THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHHow long should shocks last?
Reported or suspected cause
cuz the springs are 18 years old
Reported cause
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Read evidence and context
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Reported cause · Original poster
I do realize that a shock can fail early, but I'm certain my rear height issue is cuz the springs are 18 years old.
Leading evidence: 'cuz the springs are 18 years old' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'cuz the springs are 18 years old' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Replace anyway wyit' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
The bump rubbers, mounts, bearings and bellows all still looked good but replaced anyway wyit.
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Suggestion
Spring dictates the height, so if ride height is your issue, replace the spring.
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Suggestion · Original poster
I think I need to replace my stock rear springs first, see if that brings the rear up the 12mm it needs, and see how it rides after that.
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Suggestion
It also depends on weather conditions but here in SoFL, where they don�t salt the roads and it�s sunshine year round, my first set started to weep oil at 92k miles.
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Suggestion
It also depends on weather conditions but here in SoFL, where they don�t salt the roads and it�s sunshine year round, my first set started to weep oil at 92k miles.
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16 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
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Generation: 20261027T033922Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
It also depends on weather conditions but here in SoFL, where they don�t salt the roads and it�s sunshine year round, my first set started to weep oil at 92k miles. The bump rubbers, mounts, bearings and bellows all still looked good but replaced anyway wyit.
One of mine leaked at 130,000. I think the 2003 144,000 mile ones I have are original, but can�t say for sure.
I had a Mercedes w126 500se that had original bilstein rear shocks with 295,000 and I replaced them with an aftermarket because surely they had to be bad. The aftermarket shocks were so bad the originals went back on and remain to this day.
The bilstein shocks seem to be stout units.
But I gotta ask.....
So if you have Ohlins, or Fox, or Penske, (or any other high quality rebuildable damper) not only is it recommended that they be "refreshed" at some mileage/time interval, (far less than the life of the car and nothing to do with blown seals) but they also explain that the fluid loses its viscosity as well as breaks down with contamination of internal materials.
Surely the oem dampers aren't immune to incremental degradation of their performance?
Correct, they are not immune to it. I guess the hard part is being able to tell when they're so degraded that it warrants replacing them.
For my car, I put brand new stock Bilstein's on all four wheels about 3 yrs/30K ago. I think I need to replace my stock rear springs first, see if that brings the rear up the 12mm it needs, and see how it rides after that.
My OE shocks were crap by 80,000 on this car. No leaks, just done. They were fine for toodling around, but rebound and compression at near full stroke was not proper at all. My previous 996 was ok at 45,000. Replaced them with coils though.
Seems like after 60-100k miles you will noticed a drop in performance and should be able to feel a difference in most driving. But all of this of course is dependent on many factors such as road conditions, weather/climate and etc.
That's the consensus, and I'm half way there at 30K. I do realize that a shock can fail early, but I'm certain my rear height issue is cuz the springs are 18 years old.
Yes, springs sag over time. My 2002 measured at 140mm with the spec at 157mm. The spec is +/-10mm, so, even if it started at the low point, it's still lost 7mm.
