Hello all
last night when I was backing my car out of the driveway I heard a loud cracking sound like something broke or snapped. I was too afraid to drive my car so I jacked it up and this is what I found!

What you are looking at is my left front wheel looking straight into the wheel well. And as you can see, the part of the droplink that attaches to the coilover is dangling freely. The metal that connects the droplink to the coilover has been completely ripped off!

I've posted a similar thread on the 997 forum but then I realized that there isn't as much experience with the non turbo owners. I also remembered drkbrent's experience and had found his thread to be very informative so I've decided to post here. My biggest concern is whether or not Bilstein will honor the warranty. I've had them on my car for 18 months and had a very experienced shop (who I believe have installed Bilstein on many other fellow 6 speeders here in SoCal) install them.

So really one of my questions is what do I do now??

 

what you are seeing here is where the droplink used to attach to the coilover. My finger is over where the "metal tab" used to attach to the coilover and as you can see it was ripped off.

 

My Buddha, did you run into a hippopotamus or something? I've never run across anything like this.

Probably a good idea just to flat bed car to tuner, then call Bilstein California help line Monday morning. Have receipt ready and be ready to email or fax it to them. They are helpful & quick with warranty claim if you are original owner. Hope you bought yours new from authorized dealer? Good luck!

 

For your wallet's sake, I hope you get this resolved quickly and painfree from Bilstein.
While not a catastrophic failure, this seems to be yet another weak link in this horrible system.

If they don't honor your warranty (and I wouldn't be entirely surprised if they didn't), cut your losses and either go back to OEM or another aftermarket company such as KW. I'll never let one of these opportunities pass to let everyone know Bilstein's customer service is terrible and their product is utter garbage.

Can, I realize that you've been very happy with your Bilstein experience. But you seem to be in the growing minority as more and more unhappy customers come to the surface.

 

Real bummer indeed! I would talk to the place that you bought the parts from and show them this:
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...-advisory.html

 

Here's my situation. I purchased these online from an authorized dealer but had a local shop install them. Should I contact the installer or who I purchased them from to get this covered under warranty???

 

Question please, how long has this been in your car, because it makes a difference. Is it brand new?

1. If the Bilstein is newly installed, ask if the dealer you bought from would consider this a manufacturer's defect and send you a replacement system. This is best case scenario.
If this is brand new, IMHO 99% of problems are because of installation error. So really, it is likely an installation problem but still see if Bilstein dealer would call this manufacturer's defect.

2. If the Bilstein is old, then I think it would go like this: your car to local installer, installer to tell you what exactly is broken, and if that piece alone instead of whole shock absorber needs to be replaced, then call Bilstein. Bilstein might send you a replacement piece right away, or ask you to send them the broken piece first (or the whole shock absorber depending on what is broken) for inspection before sending out replacement.
I would definitely ask the warranty person to send you replacement piece first, because you need car immediately etc. They might even though they are not obligated to.

Bottom line is best for you to call Bilstein CA directly: 1-858-386-5900.
If you bought this from AWE, depends on the situation (old/new?, what is broken?) you might want to ask them to get involved - AWE has inside connection. The warranty people I've dealt with were knowledgeable and helpful (provided you bought new from authorized dealer).
I feel for you - suspension problem is always a PITA. Good luck.

 

I have the same installer as you so I'm hoping it's not an install issue. The coilovers have been on the car for 18 months. I'm hoping that this will be covered under warranty and that I can have a solution which will allow me to get the car back quickly.

 

Junk assed parts. They should give you a full refund and pay for the install. Imagine if you were driving down the highway with your wife?
They may be the porsche oem supplier, but clearly the AM stuff is second rate. I would junk them all together and go with the new motons. jmo

 

Oh no. Another happy bilstein story. Yep. Agree with Chris on this one.

 

what's your opinion of the urgency of the situation? ie is it safe to drive the car around the city until i decide what to do?

 

If it's broken like your pic, do not drive the car, more damage will ensue.
GL
c

 

Don't drive the car - besides the fact that it's broken, *why* is it broken?

Text Tom the picture this morning (PM me if you don't have his cell), see what he has to say. Then call Bilstein.

 

Upgraded my drop links to the newer curved ones, no more creaking sounds with turns. The geometry is much improved up front with AWD cars with the curved drop links. I strongly recommend upgrading!

 

Was just about to post this - Alex beat me to it

This is my second car with Bilsteins, so I'm with Canaga - had no issues what so ever and do stand behind the name (I hope for a long time to come...*gulp*)
I think it come down to installing them correctly.