Shoutout to Lisa at Bilstein and John Kennedy

[richp]

Hi,

The front Bilsteins on my ride have worn out their bushings. The shocks are still fine -- just the bushings are bad.

I contacted John Kennedy -- from whom I purchased them six years ago -- and he put me in touch with Lisa at Bilstein customer service, via email.

I just got off the phone with her, and she is sending me replacement shocks. Yes, the warranty is lifetime, but the fine print excludes bushings. John provided proof of purchase, and they're going to go the extra mile and replace the complete units, rather than just the bushings.

Thanks to John Kennedy for good service on the end-user level, and Bilstein for having such a customer-friendly policy.

[More Power]

Bilsteins are the best shocks I've ever had on a vehicle. I've yet to wear out a set.

[richp]

Hi Jim,

Evidently mine were part of a batch that developed problems due to what turned out to be a marginal design. As some develop out-of-spec wear over time, Bilstein is replacing them with an upgraded version.

And John Kennedy jumped right in and did the necessary interface work -- he got Lisa in the game within hours of my email to him. A very satisfactory outcome on this end.

[Kennedy]

Over the years the Bilstein shocks have been fantastic and highly durable. The fronts on the Silverado/Sierra application have seen a high rate of issue with the lower eye bushings. The shock is the travel limiter on extension so when the truck is lifted or even on a hoist the bushing takes a lot of stress. We recommend a spacer set that we offer that slides over the shaft and moves the upper bushings effectively making the shock longer and helping reduce this stress. They are not always necessary, nor are they 100% effective, but they do help the majority.

Several years back the lower eyes on the front shocks were upgraded to a larger more robust size and a larger bushing. We still offer and suggest the spacers. They'll never hurt you and for the whopping $5 we charge with purchase of the shocks it's definitely not a cash grab.

Glad they fixed you up Rich.

[tufcj]

Mine did the same thing. I found my original PO number, and John provided proof of purchase to Bilstein. Bilstein actually called me, and I had new shocks at my door in about 3 days. The new ones do have a larger diameter and wider bushing retainer than the first set.

:D to John and Bilstein.

Bob
tufcj