Bilstein 5100 Failure, anyone else?

Hi guys,

So I am running the classic budget lift, Bilstein 5100s on all four corners and a Toytec 3 Leaf AAL in the rear.

I haven’t been on so much as a gravel road in the past month, and suddenly yesterday after a short highway trip my passenger rear 5100’s seals blew and the shock is done.
I have never overloaded my truck and yesterday it was only carrying my canopy and front runner rack, nothing crazy.

They have seen probably a 60/40 split over their life of pavement and gravel, so nothing particularly intense. Just some washboard, when the roads get rained out, and worn out in the fall.

I had my local shop order in some Fox

$977 2.0 IFP Fox 2.0 Performance Coil-Over Front Pair compatible with 2005-2016 Toyota Tacoma

2.0 IFP Performance series as that is what the recommended for the type of light trails I run and budget, and they seem to be pretty well liked here on Tacomaworld.

I only have maybe 35,000km kilometres (~21,700 miles) on these and am now extremely disappointed in their quality. I have never loved the performance from them, but was happy for how affordable they are. But now after having quality issues I would not recommend them and will be changing out our my front suspension to Fox 2.0 or something similar come spring/summer 2020.

Has anyone else had issues with Bilstein 5100s failing early, or other issues?

Does anyone have a recommendation other than the Fox 2.0 Coilovers for what I should switch my front suspension too? Preferably something else similarly affordable.

And because this is worthless without pics, here are photos on the drivers and passenger shocks comparing the two as they currently sit.

Edit: Cannot get photos to upload from mobile. So I’ll post them after work this evening.

 

I don't have a 2nd/3rd gen but I will comment on a similar, yet opposite experience with these shocks.

I purchased both Fox 2.0 and Bilstein 5100's for the rears (I was changing up the load on my truck several times) and in just a quarter of the mileage you drove, I blew a seal on my rear Fox shock.

Could happen to anyone.

I'm pretty sure you can get that Bilstein replaced under warranty; I've been too busy to send my Fox shock in for warranty service myself.

 

Never, I have 5100s on my 2nd gen that have about 200K miles on them, and I still offroad that truck.

 

I had a rear bilstien's rod unscrew itself from the mount and mar the threads enough I had to remove the shock.
I had a front shock blow it's seal at the same time.
Both were 15,000 miles old with a fair amount of off road abuse.

This happened in Baja about 300 miles from the border the day before Christmas so I ended up just driving around bouncing like mad.

Edit: They were good shocks and for the price I can't complain. Like I said, they had some abuse.

I replaced them with OME which have done very well for the past 45,000 miles.

 

Not sure how much washboard you see but it seems that sorta terrain can destroy shocks extremely quickly: https://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/...yota-tacoma-trd-off-road-comparison-test.html

 

Thanks for the input! I’ll try to give Bilstein and call to see if they will warranty the shock as it would be nice to have a spare set around in case this happens again once I get my Fox’s in January.

Since you have had a similar experience, do you think I need to worry about driving around for 2-3 weeks while they ship through the holidays.

More than I would care for. Basically every service and forest road around here is a washboard.

Once I am free of student loans in a few months maybe I’ll put some money aside for some nicer suspension.

 

Mine was pretty cooked. It was super bouncy especially with the rear shock being removed. Both were on the same side as well. I replaced it as soon as I got home.

If you're truck isn't crazy bouncy it might be okay. If it bounces too much it'll become a safety issue.

Good luck with those student loans...i just paid mine off a little while ago. It's a great feeeling!

 

It’s alright at the moment, I will just be driving around town until I have to highway it 80miles to pick up and get the shock replaced once it arrives.
Fingers crossed I can limp it around through the holidays.

Both being on the same side does not sound like fun. Nothing else was broken in the process of making it home was it?

Thank you!! I have been throwing money at it like crazy, should take me about 16 months total and I’ll be debt free!

Congratulations!! That has got to feel good!

 

Luckily nothing else broke on mine. I think it was about 700 miles to get home which I drove with the broken shocks all the way. In hindsight I should have replaced them with cheapies to get home.

Yeah, I reached complete debt freeness last year....feels super good.

 

How much of a lift did the Toytec 3 Leaf AAL raise the rear? You running the standard or extended length 5100s in the rear, or what is the Bilstein P/N on your rear shocks? Running too much lift on standard length rears might be your problem root culprit.

 

Don’t the Bilsteins have a lifetime warranty? I have 45k on mine zero issues. Any shock is capable of blowing a seal early.

 

If you do end up going back with a Fox coilover (highly recommended), I would suggest a 2.5 coilover with remote reservoir. Much more tunable, fully rebuildable and with hold up to the abuse you are throwing at them. In theory, should last you the lifetime of the truck if maintained properly.

The 2.0 IFP coilover is a not ideal: https://accutuneoffroad.com/articles/size-tacoma-4runner-shocks-need/

 

Some of y’all are not familiar with the lifetime warranty Bilstein offers.

The reality is you have to remove your shock and ship them to Bilstein on your dime, then after X days they will let you know if it’s a warranted failure or they’ll offer to sell you and ship a replacement (again, on your dime). Most of the time the “warranty” replacement is pro-rated, it isn’t a free shock. Either way, you pay for shipping there and back, and for a 5100 it isn’t worth it.

It’s a cheap shock. Buy a new one. Move on.