Kevin Bacon 5 Posted August 30, 2003 Following my G68 error post earlier, I spotted another problem whilst cleaning my ISV out. My driver's side front Koni is leaking oil, it's only two weeks old :cry: It's leaking out of the adjuster and dripping down the threads into the top mount cup. I'm 99% sure it's not lubricating oil as I didn't put it there and neither did the garage when they fitted them. The passenger side is dry. No wonder the car has been twitchy recently. Do you guys think using an air gun on the damper would cause this as I've heard you must never use air tools on dampers? Where do I stand legally as I'm going to take a pic of the leak and send it to the fitter concerned? I'm losing faith in Koni.....3 years ago I had a set fitted to a MK2 and one of those failed within a month also. Are Bilstein dampers any good? Thinking of dropping the Konis and trying something else. Cheers Kev Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henny 0 Posted August 30, 2003 Every car I've been in that's been fitted with Bilsteins has handled beautifully, but BOY, has the ride been hard! If you haven't got any fillings to lose, then try 'em... If you have, then I'd stay away! :lol: This is my own personal experience and I've not tried 'em on a C so it may not be what other people have found when using them... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2cc 0 Posted September 1, 2003 Kev, are u saying they used an air gun on the top mount? I don't see how they could since you have to hold the centre post nut and turn the securing nut around it :? i.e. small socket big ring. Sounds more likely to be a seal failure & (dare I say) down to Koni? I've got TAs all round and have to say am very pleased with them (though they did supply the wrong springs initially). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spoier 0 Posted September 2, 2003 Nah you can get the top mount nuts off with an air gun, it's violent enough to get them off without using a hex key in the center Skye Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Edwards 0 Posted September 2, 2003 I'll second Henny's comment - too stiff (the Koni's that is - I've never actually met Henny, so I can't comment... :D ). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henny 0 Posted September 2, 2003 I'll second Henny's comment - too stiff (the Koni's that is - I've never actually met Henny, so I can't comment... :D ). Who have you been talking to??? :lol: :lol: :lol: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2cc 0 Posted September 2, 2003 Yes, that's all well and good for taking them off I agree, but we are talking here about fitting them - aren't we? On a serious note (if there is such a thing :wink: ) I disagree about them being too stiff - my aging back ain't what it once was & I think they're fine. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted September 3, 2003 I think Mike meant the Bilsteins are too stiff as he agreed with Henny. Conversely, I had some Bilsteins on my old E30 325i and they were too soft, must be application dependant. But onto the Koni and my second query.....Koni will be replacing the damper but am I within my rights to claim a second damper? I don't like the idea of not fitting dampers in pairs. Yes it's only 2 weeks old, but there is a chance the nearside one will pop if it's from the same batch. Tut, tut, Koni aren't what they used to be. I've had front TAs fail on me in the past. Kev Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Banana Man 0 Posted September 3, 2003 My mate had a set of koni adjustables on his mk2 gti the fronts started leaking after 2 months so he had them replaced under warranty and then 4 months later they started leaking again so he ditched tem and bought avo adjustables which he was more than happy with. I would have thought KONI would have cottoned onto this problem and replace the seals with higher quality ones as it must be costing them a fortune doing them under warranty all the time. Take them back to the garage who supplied them and get the offending item replaced FOC under warranty Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dazzyvr6 0 Posted September 3, 2003 i think you are well within your right to get koni to replace both of the front struts Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2cc 0 Posted September 3, 2003 I think Mike was referring to the Konis Kev :) Mike Edwards wrote: I'll second Henny's comment - too stiff (the Koni's that is - I've never actually met Henny, so I can't comment... ). But I don't like this thread coz now I'm going to be paranoid about it happening to me Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted September 3, 2003 But I don't like this thread coz now I'm going to be paranoid about it happening to me Don't worry about it, they come with a lifetime warranty so free labour and parts should the worst happen! Kev Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kevin 0 Posted September 4, 2003 i used konis on my last mk2 and after a month the fronts were leaking, someone round where i live was selling his konis of his raddo after they had been replaced twice by koni in two years but when i went to view them as they were going cheap the fronts were leaking again ! after being on for approx six weeks! kev i have standard replacement bilsteins on my raddo with apex springs and the ride is spot on, bought from e.c.p fronts were £28 and rears £18. not harsh at all in fact i think the ride is better than standard. regards kevin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rams 0 Posted September 4, 2003 Kev, I have Avo coilovers on my car and every shock is burst,my car is coming off the road this sat for them all to be sent away and sorted. I have enclose a letter of disapointment as I wanted to drive out to Trax this Sunday. I have told Avo that if they go wrong again that I will be sending them back. This is the second time they would have been reconned and im sure they fitted a different size piston thread as one side is definately higher than the other. If this is the case it will be done free of charge and I have asked them to give me new springs free of charge as compensation. I think you will find with most of the adjustable kits that the lower you go and the harder you set them the more problems you will have. When I get mine back I am going to keep the car low ish, not decked where I have to really watch how I drive but low enough to make it look good and ride well. Its just a bloody pain when you have to have the car off teh road for a week and it just looks so helpless on axel stands when the engine can purr! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted September 4, 2003 I think my other front Koni popped today aswell as the ride has all of a sudden become a lot more pliant....hmmm. I'm sorry but Koni are not in my good books at the moment. Kev Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rams 0 Posted September 5, 2003 kevhaywire, How low is the car? How stiff have you got the suspension? Is the front firmer than the rear etc> Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_mat 0 Posted September 5, 2003 Rams: you have a PM :) Cheers, Matt. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted September 5, 2003 kevhaywire, How low is the car? How stiff have you got the suspension? Is the front firmer than the rear etc> Err, 35mm front, 30mm rear I think, on H&R sport (green) springs. H&R springs are normally very pliant but they're not progressive wound, they just have inactive coils that make them 'look' progressively wound. They're firm but not overly hard. Koni just f'cked up the valving. I wouldn't be surprised if Koni are just rebuilding old returned ones, repainting them and shipping them out as new. At the moment, the ride is really good - but only because the dampers have burst. You can tell straight away when a Koni is shot because it makes phssshht noise over bumps, which it shouldn't do as it's an oil damper. Kev Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
