Buggered Koni... again... Parental advisory: explicit language within...

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

Guys and gals, I'm pissed to the point of apoplexy. After agonizing over a decision to replace the ****ed up Dinan Konis in my M5 earlier this year I chose to install regular Koni Sport (yellow) dampers. Now the weather is nice I decided to adjust them a bit stiffer for the first time since installing them a couple of months ago.

This is the driver's side:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/interalian/Koni%20Sports/113-1370_IMG.jpg

This, however, was lurking under the dust cap on the passenger's side:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/interalian/Koni%20Sports/113-1369_IMG.jpg

This is abso****inglutely unbe****inglievable. When I get the warranty shock from Koni, I'll ask if I can shove the other 3 up their asses.

[Gayle]

Nemo saltat sobrius

"no-one dances sober, unless he is completely insane"????

Maybe after a few, the konis won't seem so bad.

[Jr ///M5]

Dang Anthony, you just put those on too!!! What in the world is causing this? I'm sure you have your bump stops in place, what position are you driving them in? Full soft or a turn or two? Are the roads in Calgary plagued with extremely large potholes? It sure looks like the top seal around the adjusting nut blew out. Have you contacted Koni yet?

I'm sorry to hear this news, you've had quite a run with the Koni's lately. If you're having any problems with Koni customer service, just remind them that quite a few of us M5 drivers are using them, and we would gladly get together to write a few letters to Koni on your behalf if need be.

Dang, I still can't believe this....and you froze your ass off in the cold installing those a couple months ago too!!!

Good luck with it, let us know if we can help somehow...

Jr
(Koni's ok for now)

[winfred]

hopefully they don't run you though the ringer for a warranty like i've herd bilstein does, never had a bad one yet myself

[ryan roopnarine]

i've basically drank a champagne glasse full of gin just now. i have to ask...as i was too embarassed to ask just nowe....what is that yellow stuff on both? is that grease pencil or something? i am not enlightened in the world of adjustable shocks, so i guess ill ask for eveyone that doesn't know... do you adjust them up top? or at the collar nut or such? im curious how oil would find its way up there. capote dvd is playing, but it doesn't mean much.

[winfred]

leaked up there past the little adjustable thingie


im curious how oil would find its way up there.

[Kalevera]

Well, you sold me. I was about to pick up a Dinan S3 suspension kit with Konis. Think I'll keep my sachs stuff instead.

Don't have much experience with Dinan stuff, beyond being informed of the fact that it's a rip off. Never seen a Koni fail, either. But we see bilsteins fail pretty regularly -- can't even wash them up before sending them back, either.

best, whit

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

Dang Anthony, you just put those on too!!! What in the world is causing this? I'm sure you have your bump stops in place, what position are you driving them in? Full soft or a turn or two? Are the roads in Calgary plagued with extremely large potholes? It sure looks like the top seal around the adjusting nut blew out. Have you contacted Koni yet?

I'm sorry to hear this news, you've had quite a run with the Koni's lately. If you're having any problems with Koni customer service, just remind them that quite a few of us M5 drivers are using them, and we would gladly get together to write a few letters to Koni on your behalf if need be.

Dang, I still can't believe this....and you froze your ass off in the cold installing those a couple months ago too!!!

Good luck with it, let us know if we can help somehow...

Jr
(Koni's ok for now)

Thanks for the sympathy Jr.

Bump stops in place (new M5 ones too). They've been set to 1 turn from soft since installation February 5th. I've only had 2000km at most since then and no unusual impacts either. It hasn't even been particularly cold since then, we've had a very mild winter.

I've yet to contact Koni as this was just noticed this afternoon and cannot have been happening long in light of a new development: the oil is actually being pushed out by the gas pressure in the damper.

Since I note that Photobucket now hosts videos, here's a couple of short films showing a twist I hadn't noticed before I went to wipe off the oil (forgive the lighting and focus):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/interalian/th_113-1371_MVI.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v11/interalian/?action=view&current=113-1371_MVI.flv)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/interalian/th_113-1372_MVI.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v11/interalian/?action=view&current=113-1372_MVI.flv)

I don't know what these look like as my crappy PC won't play the links.

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

i've basically drank a champagne glasse full of gin just now. i have to ask...as i was too embarassed to ask just nowe....what is that yellow stuff on both? is that grease pencil or something? i am not enlightened in the world of adjustable shocks, so i guess ill ask for eveyone that doesn't know... do you adjust them up top? or at the collar nut or such? im curious how oil would find its way up there. capote dvd is playing, but it doesn't mean much.

Ryan, the yellow marks are:

1) On the adjusting bit of the shock end: the OE Koni paint

b) On the cup: an original BMW paint splotch

iii) On the nut: yellow chromate (guessing, could be hexavalent chromium in flagrant disregard for the new EU RoHS legislation :D )

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

Nemo saltat sobrius

"no-one dances sober, unless he is completely insane"????

Maybe after a few, the konis won't seem so bad.


Indeed, I've started into The Macallan 12yo and there's a bottle of Balvenie Doublewood awaiting its own eventual demishhhe......

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

hopefully they don't run you though the ringer for a warranty like i've herd bilstein does, never had a bad one yet myself

Thanks Winfred - we'll see what the dealer says tomorrow assuming they're open on the long weekend. The real pisser here is this will be about the 6th time I've had these things in bits for various reasons.

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

Well, you sold me. I was about to pick up a Dinan S3 suspension kit with Konis. Think I'll keep my sachs stuff instead.

Don't have much experience with Dinan stuff, beyond being informed of the fact that it's a rip off. Never seen a Koni fail, either. But we see bilsteins fail pretty regularly -- can't even wash them up before sending them back, either.

best, whit

Hey man, don't let me dissuade you from buying Dinan. Just because I've had rotten luck doesn't mean you would.

What do you mean "can't even wash them up before sending them back"?

[Kalevera]

Typically when returning an item, for warranty or core purposes, from a car that has exposed it to road use, we would put the part through the parts washer before shipping it out. Things like ATF and oils will destroy a shipping box in short time. We had a custom S6S 560G destroyed two days ago by UPS because they damaged the original box badly enough in transit to warrant them repacking it in -- of all things -- a bag and a paper towel box. The biggest and heaviest 6 speed used by BMW, and they pack it in a 10 pound rated box.

With Bilstein, however, you don't want to give them any reason to deny a claim. So, no cleaning, no nothing. I pulled a set of rears from an E38 in late January. They were a mess, from what I remember.

Oh, and the other fun thing about Dinan is that there is high speculation that BMW is about to drop them from the NA dealer network. They've been courting independents, with little luck as the now-valuable indys who built the brand still remember the company's backstabbing ways. So, get your warranty work in quickly.

best, whit

[632 Regal]

dont upgrade to the Bilsteins...I had enough. They have had about the same failure rate as yours..a big PITA to change out. Downgrading to the Sachs/Boges and hopefully not changing them out every few months.


Hey man, don't let me dissuade you from buying Dinan. Just because I've had rotten luck doesn't mean you would.

What do you mean "can't even wash them up before sending them back"?

[Anton CH.]

My Koni yellows are seeping a bit of oil in that area as well. Nowhere near as bed as yours in teh video. Seems like Koni is having some quality control issues.

[liquidtiger720]

Sachs/Boge to the rescue!

[BigKriss]

I love the konis and have been running them for over 1 year with no problems. No quality control issues at all, they are the best shocks around.

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

dont upgrade to the Bilsteins...I had enough. They have had about the same failure rate as yours..a big PITA to change out. Downgrading to the Sachs/Boges and hopefully not changing them out every few months.

I will still use Konis Jeff. The warranty replacement will at least only require me to dismantle the right strut. Replacing both with something else would be 2X the work and more $$ out of pocket.

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

My Koni yellows are seeping a bit of oil in that area as well. Nowhere near as bed as yours in teh video. Seems like Koni is having some quality control issues.

A little seepage here is fine. My Dinan Konis were always damp around the adjusters. This is well beyond seepage though, no?

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

Sachs/Boge to the rescue!

Perhaps. Are you volunteering labour and a subsidy for the swap? :)

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

I love the konis and have been running them for over 1 year with no problems. No quality control issues at all, they are the best shocks around.

No doubt. I will be putting a replacement Koni in there. I'm just really pissed that it failed after only 2 months on the car.

[Gayle]

the oil is actually being pushed out by the gas pressure in the damper.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/interalian/th_113-1371_MVI.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v11/interalian/?action=view&current=113-1371_MVI.flv)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/interalian/th_113-1372_MVI.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v11/interalian/?action=view&current=113-1372_MVI.flv)



OMG--This is too funny! I can't believe what a bunch of geeks we are. Watching videos of oil seeping and liking it!!! This is better than watching paint dry. And the background music was a nice touch not to mention the commentary. I am going to give this thead a 5 star rating.

You have inspired me to take a second shot at videoing the sound of my new eisenmann. Just have to wait for the rain to stop and get the new tires on so I can get the spare off. :(

[NY535iManual]

I'd been thinking about swapping my bilsteins for the adjustable Koni's, but have heard from two local shops that for some reason the Konis "don't do well in cold weather." Something supposedly about the upper seals, and it sounds like your problem is just what they've described!

[Tiger]

I was suspecting this too... I recall that in Alaska where temp get real frigid in winter that shock absorber doesn't work... rock hard... and I think this is what might happen if you live in far north where you need engine heater to get your engine started... not just diesel but gas engine too...

Too bad there really isn't a safe way to put a heater on the shock absorbers... Uh oh... someone's light bulb lit up...

[Rick L]

I just installed mine about a month ago. Only time will tell if they last... Either way, I definitely enjoy these shocks. :D