I spoke with Koni today and they told me to post up or talk to Sam Strano. Sam was not in today so I will call monday, but I'll post up and hopefully can be helped.

I had strut mounts go bad 2 times previously (Monroes they were) in the last 6 months and have just broken another set recently.

I broke the pistons on my first set of Koni DAs but it I heard after the fact that they are more succeptible to damage so I then I got a pair of SAs at the beginning of April and now the chrome rod is bent on the drivers side.

The worst part is I have a very short commute to work and back and little else in between.

I have the eibach pro kit springs and 1le front sway bar as far as othe suspension mods. The car has really not felt truly right for a while and this is saddening and costing me stress time and money.

My mechanic says its because its an aftermarket setup that the car can't handle and Koni says there has to be a problem with the installer I go back to the mechanic and he says that koni is trying to fight the warranty because thats what parts companies do to save from giving out free stuff. Koni says back to me after I tell him that the chrome rod is bent that he can't believe it since I was not in an accident and have not hit any curbs and says that the eibach pro kit is one of the more conservative lowerings and there is a definite red flag with the install. He goes on to tell me that although the broken rod is not covered in the warranty that he feels bad and would provide a new shock for half price once everything is figured out. I'm in the middle of all this and its very frustrating right now that the more I think about things the more I want to get a new car with a warranty. Thanks for reading and listening and please post up if you can help with anything or have had a similiar situation. Thanks in advance.

 

Hmmm, that's odd. This is the second post I've seen about a busted Koni in the past couple of weeks. I hope these are isolated incidents. Question: Don't Koni's have a lifetime warranty? What is up with having to pay 1/2 the price for a new shock?

 

Konis have a lifetime warranty against defects. Bent rods are usually indicative of impact damage or a botched install.

Your mechanic saying that it's an aftermarket setup that "the car can't handle" makes me question his mechanical knowledge and ability.

What happened to the mounts themselves? Did they tear out in the center? What did Koni say about your DAs' broken pistons?

 

It sounds like an installer problem. There are a lot of people with Koni's and the Pro Kit.

I've had my set of Koni's for a while and I never had a problem

 

Zillions of Koni's, few with any issues. Nobody breaks shock mounts. Then again, I don't know what supposedly broken about them, and they are quite simple and it's rare even one fails, let alone 4 on the same car. Add up broken shocks, broken shock mounts all on the same car, and I too think you have a major installer issue.

I wish I could be more help, but I can't see the car.

 

One of my front koni's failed, but I have not had any problems with shock mounts (91k miles) or bent rods?? They just failed internaly and it was not an installer issue. I did them myself for the third time on this car, never forgetting any parts or having a previous failure on bilsteins.

A bent rod indicates some stresses that the rod should not ever see. I have never heard of any mount failure on any fouth gen. f-body before. They are very well designed when installed properly.

***Is the mechanic using the lower plastic spring retainers. If not, the spring could slip off the housing causing damage. Or are the koni adjuster top hat washers and stock top rubber/steel piece that sits above the shock mount and below the top shock bolt being used. Without that piece...and people do fogret them...the shock mount could be damaged.***

greg

 

Prob install problem. Yes Koni has a liftime warranty and they hold up to it good. Iv sent in one of my Sa's that was blown and they replaced it hassle free.

 

I busted my old Das and couldn't have them replacedbecause I bought them secondhand cheap. I know I learned my lesson with that one. I bought my SAs at the end of march and had them installed in April and my strut mounts are being torn and ravaged apart from the force. I'm going this week to a reputable suspension place for an unbiased opinion and having things made right. Once I let my mechanic know exactly where he messed up. I'll update you guys of my situation as it unfolds.

 

Make sure the aduster is not at full stiff. This will make the car ride rougher than it should, cause you suspension to jack down and could potential cause undue stress and damage to parts.

Most people end up at about 4-6 sweeps (1/4 turn = 1 sweep) from full soft.

 

By the way, I just got a letter from koni saying they are refunding my advanced replacement cost and honorring the warranty in my case. I wish they explained what the problem was. I may call tech. support to get more info.