Buying Suspension Online - USA

[Gravey]

Hi Guys,

just wondering if anyone has any thoughts/experiences with buying suspension online?

I've been looking at Bilstein & Koni gear and have found I can save around 20% delivered. This would equate to saving over $300 on some Bilstein B8's and Eibach Pro Kit.

Some have warned me against doing this due to warranty issues with USA kit....is it worth saving a few bucks?

[noone]

just wondering if anyone has any thoughts/experiences with buying suspension online?

I'm doing it, but from UK.

You may find that there is someone here willing to help you and it may be even cheaper. Try posing in the 'Wanted to Buy' section of the Classifieds.

I'm not saying it would be cheaper, but there are a few places in the UK that can be pretty cheap.

http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/

http://www.venommotorsport.com/

If you buy direct and have any warranty issues, the time to get replacement is going to be long, it may not be covered outside the country of distribution and it will likely be at your cost to freight.

Food for thought.

[Whubbsie]

Hi Guys,

just wondering if anyone has any thoughts/experiences with buying suspension online?

I've been looking at Bilstein & Koni gear and have found I can save around 20% delivered. This would equate to saving over $300 on some Bilstein B8's and Eibach Pro Kit.

Some have warned me against doing this due to warranty issues with USA kit....is it worth saving a few bucks?

Email the store you are going to buy them from they will let you know whether or not the warranty will be honoured or not and if you will have to pay for freight in the event of any issues if they do.

I've heard stories that they will, that they won’t or that you can transfer it to an Australian warranty.

[Dub_Star_V6]

Adrian,

As we've discussed, prices from OS are fantastic but after reading about some other member's dramas regarding the lack of local warranty support, I decided to go through my local suspension specialist.
At least then I'll have peace of mind should I require warranty assistance.

I contacted KONI Australia regarding the items I wanted to ship from Germany, and was quite transparent about what I was after, who I was dealing with (Orange Tuning) and that KONI Australia's prices were far from competitive.

I was advised quite clearly that KONI would be unwilling to offer local warranty or after-market product support in the (unlikely) case something goes wrong or I have an issue with the dampers. It may also interest you to learn I received the same response form the local Bilstein office. So much for globalisation and customer service eh?

I understand this is because they are keen to protect their own markets (and margins), but to say I was disappointed is an understatement.

Frank at Orange Tuning was amazing about the whole thing and was quite understanding (and equally disappointed) when I had to cancel the order. He mentioned that "this is typical for those companies. They have very good quality and products but almost nobody want to take care about warranty complaints. If there would be any issue, [Orange Tuning] have to process all problems over Germany and that costs pretty much shipping."

Lots of VWWC members have had some great experiences with their overseas purchases and I'm sure you won't have any dramas. But considering the limited range of items I found for the 4Motion, I personally wasn't willing to risk it so went local to ensure full warranty support.

Caveat emptor

[Manaz]

It may also interest you to learn I received the same response form the local Bilstein office. So much for globalisation and customer service eh?

I had the same deal with Bilstein Australia - their quote was half as much again as what I could land the same product for from overseas, AND they told me to stop shopping around and stopped local retailers from offering me better pricing than they did.

I'm seriously considering getting some PSS9s in from overseas, they're *so* much cheaper than they can be had locally...

[Tim]

I think one thing to note here is that to my knowledge the local distributors of Koni and Bilstein and KW and all these brands are just distributors. They are not Koni or Bilstein or KW owned companies. This being the case why should they support a product that they have not imported? Its a bit harsh to crucify them for not offering warranty on something they didnt sell. It would be like buying something from Kmart and trying to return it to Target.

Purchasing overseas is always going to be risky with little to no support. But having said that, on some products you can make huge savings.

I purchased my Bilstein coilovers for close to half of the local RRP (a saving of close to $2000 at the time) After 75000k they were in dire need of a rebuild. $350 later they are good as new. I still consider myself to be well ahead. So yes in my case it has worked out well.

I dont think there is one simple answer to suit every scenario though. Certainly I wouldnt buy overseas if there was only say a couple hundred dollars difference in price.

[rayray086]

The prices most international distributors offer is too good to ignore, but I think this is why the "tuning scene" for VWs isn't well-supported right now. Most people tend to look overseas to buy their stuff and importing it in themselves. Low demand as well as personal importing of parts just mean the tuning companies at the moment don't bring in as many things which just amplifies the price.

I purchased my Bilstein coilovers for close to half of the local RRP (a saving of close to $2000 at the time) After 75000k they were in dire need of a rebuild. $350 later they are good as new. I still consider myself to be well ahead. So yes in my case it has worked out well.

Did you take them to a local suspension/Bilstein shop, or sent them back out to wherever you bought them from, Tim?

[Tim]

Got them rebuilt by http://quadrantsuspensions.com.au/ here in melbourne who are a bilstein & H&R importer.
Didnt talk about where i got them from or whatever.. Just dropped them off and said "rebuild please"

[Manaz]

I think one thing to note here is that to my knowledge the local distributors of Koni and Bilstein and KW and all these brands are just distributors. They are not Koni or Bilstein or KW owned companies.

Yep, and Bilstein Australia aren't the only importer of the Bilstein suspension into Australia, there's a group in Melbourne who import officially as well.

With the Australian dollar being as strong as it is at the moment, I'll likely source from overseas...

[oracle1]

I am definately going overseas

I'm definitely going overseas to buy a coil over kit, just wondering what the best quality item is. I like the german made stuff i think JOM is the brand, Im not worried about warranty if i can rebuild the unit from parts, I will simply wear the risk and do it myself.


Can anyone recommend a quality brand and supplier?

[Manaz]

KW, H&R, Bilstein all have great reputations, and are all developed in Europe I believe.

Some people like Koni, some do not. I've heard bad stories about Koni coilover springs binding on themselves.

In general, good quality coilovers aren't cheap. That said, the HotTuning coilovers that are available locally seem to have a decent reputation, and are quite affordable when compared to good quality shocks/springs (and cheap compared to other quality coilover setups).

[oracle1]

Hot tuning available locally?

I noticed the hot tuning in ebay, are they available locally they seemed to be the best of the cheaper models, any info on local supplier?

Of late I have noticed the better the quality of the website the poorer the quality of the product


thanks for the help guys

[gareth_oau]

withthe strong aussie dollar, and if youre buying a quality product, then overseas would have to be relatively low risk, and if something was to go wrong, you could put your huge savings towards the warranty related shipping costs, or just get them rebuilt locally.

you are saving so much that you could almost afford to buy 2 sets overseas!!

[Dub_Star_V6]

I think one thing to note here is that to my knowledge the local distributors of Koni and Bilstein and KW and all these brands are just distributors. They are not Koni or Bilstein or KW owned companies. This being the case why should they support a product that they have not imported? Its a bit harsh to crucify them for not offering warranty on something they didnt sell.

In which case, let's look at another example: I bought a Nikon DSLR in Rome and ended up having battery issues it. Contacted Nikon Australia who advised me where to send it to investigate and resolve the problem without any issues or discussions whatsoever, as it's covered under their international warranty, just like the suspension I assume? Four days later and it's been perfect ever since.

Nikon Australia don't even import the particular model in the spec I purchased into Australia, so therefore had no right to offer local warranty support for something they didn't sell me, nor offer for sale here. But they did. Which is why I keep buying them.

Bilstein and KONI (and their suppliers and distributors, for that matter) actually sell the items I was looking to buy from Orange Tuning, but told me (and Manaz, and others) they weren't interested in looking after me unless I bought the components locally. So this is hardly an isolated case.

They could learn a thing or two from Nikon in this case, because it seems to me they're not here to support either their brand or their customers. In addition to price, this lack of service and customer support are obviously among the reasons many people choose to source parts from OS.

It's just bad service, there's no other name for it.

[Tim]

In which case, let's look at another example: I bought a Nikon DSLR in Rome and ended up having battery issues it. Contacted Nikon Australia who advised me where to send it to investigate and resolve the problem without any issues or discussions whatsoever, as it's covered under their international warranty, just like the suspension I assume? Four days later and it's been perfect ever since.

Nikon Australia don't even import the particular model in the spec I purchased into Australia, so therefore had no right to offer local warranty support for something they didn't sell me, nor offer for sale here. But they did. Which is why I keep buying them.

Bilstein and KONI (and their suppliers and distributors, for that matter) actually sell the items I was looking to buy from Orange Tuning, but told me (and Manaz, and others) they weren't interested in looking after me unless I bought the components locally. So this is hardly an isolated case.

They could learn a thing or two from Nikon in this case, because it seems to me they're not here to support either their brand or their customers. In addition to price, this lack of service and customer support are obviously among the reasons many people choose to source parts from OS.

It's just bad service, there's no other name for it.

There is a BIG difference there.
Nikon Australia are actually a local arm of Nikon.
There is no Bilstein Australia or Koni Australia. Yes there is bilstein.com.au but I think you will find that thats owned by sydney shock absorbers who are just a company that happens to import Bilstein stuff.

Another scenario to consider. It may make my point a little more clear. I import product from the US. In some cases im the sole distributor of a few lines. If someone was to order direct from the US from say ECS tuning or MJM Autohaus or one of those big online stores and then try and claim warranty through me I dont think id be too helpful. Why should i bear the cost of processing that warranty when I have had nothing to do with the selling of that product?

So yeah in your case you have a global warranty. If you buy anything from a company that has a local corporate presence then so you should!