Tag Archives: inspection

Cleaning and Maintaining Your Suspension

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Alright, so plenty of you may still have a lot of time on your hands due to being stuck at home due to COVID-19, even though our country seems to be opening up to business as usual. But still, it is forcing many “non-essential” (man, that really doesn’t sound nice) businesses to remain closed, and many of you without much to do.

This really has led to a lot of our customers taking the time to do some vehicle maintenance, which is great since we highly recommend you check your suspension.

As we have mentioned in the past, we recommend periodic inspections of your coilovers. For customers in drier climates, typically twice a year is good. While areas in cold or very wet areas should inspect at least 4 times out of the year, or at least after the wet season.

Getting chance to fully disassemble your suspension would be great. This lets you get to all the individual components- bare shock absorber, spring seats/seat locks, springs, upper mount, dust boots, bump stops, eye ring bushings, pillowball mounts, etc. and give them a good cleaning, or replacement if necessary. Sounds like a lot of work, which it is. But for some of us, this can be a rewarding task and help keep your vehicle road-worthy.

With an adjustable suspension kit, so many movable/removable parts should be checked, like spring seats and seat locks- making sure they’re able to move freely on the threads and also finally torqued to specification. Making sure the threads on the damper bodies are clear of debris prevents the spring seats/seat locks from seizing in place. Some consumers believe that because we use aluminum spring seats/seat locks on a steel threaded body will lead to them seizing because they’re two dissimilar materials (galvanic corrosion). However, that is not the case. Our aluminum spring seats and seat locks are hard anodized (forming aluminum oxide on the surface), and our threaded damper bodies are either chrome plated (older models) or coated with our ZT coating (and based coated with zinc). This will prevent potential issues with galvanic corrosion. So, please check to make sure the threads of the damper body, as well as the spring seat/seat locks are clean. Lastly, a little bit of lubricant on the threads is actually important, not just to prevent seizing, but to allow proper torque application when tightening. Anything from a light distillate (WD-40 is very common and readily available), or even a little bit of oil, will work just fine.

Even with that said, wet/coastal areas, or areas with snowfall will require a bit more maintenance, and actual cleaning of threaded components, as salts can eat away at aluminum and steel, and even cause the metal surfaces to expand slightly causing seized seat locks. You can use car wash detergents to clean these threads, and dampers in general. Again, even WD-40, which will displace water and lightly lubricate components, works well (we’d just apply this after any type of cleaning you do).

Also, it’s a good time to check the overall condition of your coilovers coated (painted) surfaces and making sure there is no peeling, scratched off surfaces, etc. For our green powder paint, customers can touch up surface blemishes with spray paints that are commercially available (Krylon or Rustoleum enamel; Meadow Green paint color).

A full disassembly lets you assess the condition of all individual components for your coilover and check if any part needs replacement. Also lets you give it a good detailed cleaning.

Lastly, and as a note for you TEIN suspension owners, if you need any assistance with your suspension or need replacement parts, or need the torque specifications for coilover kit, give us a call at 562-861-9161 Monday-Friday (9a-6p PST), or email us at tus_sales@tein.com. We’re open during this time, and we’ll do our best to help you out!

What to look for when buying USED coilovers

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Many consumers may be mislead into thinking that picking up a used set is always a better deal than buying new. If you are interested in purchasing a set of used TEIN coilovers here are some tips on what to look for to ensure you know what your getting into.

The best scenario is to buy from a local seller so you can physically inspect the dampers before purchase. Many of the inspection points cannot be seen through camera images. Hidden damage can be costly.

Damper body damage. If the body has damage (dent or crack) this cannot be repaired.

– Damaged or missing threads cannot be repaired. Our threaded sleeve is welded onto the damper or in the case above is the threads are part of the shock body.

Rust. Light to moderate rust may not be too big of an issue but if the rust is excessive the dampers may require pre dis-assembly during service to determine if any of the rust has moved inside the damper. If the damper has heavy rust it is deemed not repairable. We will not service any item we feel has any safety risk.

Oil Leaks. Any type of oil leak is an indication that the oil seal is damaged and must be replaced which is an automatic overhaul (starting at $75 each depending on product model).

This is easily recognizable as an oil leak as dirt and grim has stuck to the leaking oil.

Piston Rod Damage. Light scuffs or scratched on the piston rod may be buffed out but  scoring,  pitting, or bent piston shafts would require a replacement. Replacement requires a new piston shaft and overhaul (Overhaul $75+ and Piston Rod $45+).

Large pit on the Piston Rod. Needs replacement.

Bent piston shaft most likely from a car accident. Piston rod needs replacement and possibly other internal components as well. During inspection make sure the shock body and lower bracket are not damaged.

Poor maintenance. Seized or corroded seat locks may indicate little to no maintenance to the damper (may require the locks to be removed by either force which may break the lock or would need to be cut off and replaced).

Damaged bump stops and dust boots would indicate low ride height on the coilover. This could break down the bump stop and dust boot over time and can lodge pieces from either part between the main seal and the piston shaft causing damage to the seal. (Replacement Bump Stops and Dust Boots start at $12 each).

Signs of poor maintenance means that you need to pay special attention to the piston rod for damage. Broken dust boots, bump rubbers and excessive dirt are indicators that the piston rod was not properly protected leaving it more prone for damage.

Pillow mounts. If equipped with pillow mounts check for wear and excessive movement. Damage to mounting plate is not repairable. The only three serviceable items on a pillow mount are the serration bolts, pillowball casing and camber adjustment bolts.

Missing Parts. Many times used items are sold incomplete. If the unit is damping force adjustable make sure the adjustment knobs are intact. Some kits include sway bar link rods, rear Height Adjustment Systems (HAS), brake brackets, camber washers, etc… Ensure that the kit comes with the hook spanner wrenches use to adjust ride height. Installation manuals can be downloaded from our homepage here. It is a good idea to take a look at the manual prior to inspecting a used kit for purchase  so you know what the kit should come with. Replacing missing parts can add up quickly.

Damping Force Check. With the springs removed you can compress the damper. There should be smooth movement both on compression and rebound. If the damper does not automatically rebound, it probably has a blown seal and is in need of an overhaul. If the damper is damping force adjustable, try it at full stiff and full soft. There should be a difference in resistance or speed of movement.

Remember when inspecting used products that every little missing item, or damage is money you will need to spent to repair or replace it. A set of dampers needing repairs can easily add up to a total price exceeding the cost of a new kit. The key is to be prepared and know what your getting into.

TEIN does offer inspection service at our two facilities. Inspection on dampers is free of charge just shipping costs would incur to and from the TEIN facility.