Leaking Bilstein 5100 shocks

Hey guys just wanted to see if anyone out there has had their 5100s leak lately ? I know and have red some threads that guys were having this issues . I have had two sets of 5100s leak on me and now I noticed that my 4600s are doing the same thing. I am asking because I am not sure if Bilstien has fixed the issue . I really like the shocks but am getting really tired of replacing shocks if you know what I mean. So my delema is do I get another set and hope for the best or go with something altogether different . Oh by the way I am referring to the rears . I have a 1in. lift in the rear. Any input would be graetly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

Do you take your truck off road in the desert?

 

Mine haven't leaked, but I've only had them for 2 weeks.

If you're going off-road, or washboard-type dirt roads, slow down or air down. Working the shocks that hard for any long period of time will make them get hot and leak.

 

That's just it . I don't go off road . 100% pavement .

 

That's pretty odd then. Were you able to get them replaced under warranty?

 

I was . I want throw Bilstien directly. Your right it is odd . Not sure what to think .
Just my luck .

 

Man that is disheartening. I was just about to finally place my order this week with @HeadStrong Off-Road. Maybe she knows?

 

I have called around to a bunch of different vendors to see if this is still an on going issue and they are all telling me that they have not seen this or they say mebe one here and there . So your guess is as good as mine at this point . I am not sure if I want to go down that road again or go with something different .

 

I've got 30k on my 5100s with some pretty hard 4x4'ing on them (I don't fool myself into thinking I can do the "go-fast" stuff though, mostly 4lo rock crawling) and they've held up great. Weird how some people run into this issue especially with no off-road miles.

 

Has anyone tried theses or know anything about them ? They are the prorunner sires .

 

The bilsteins are much better than those. It's extremely uncommon for them to leak, so for two sets to leak on you tells me that it's something you're doing whether you realize it or not.

 

I had a 5100 leak after a very short life. I traded the truck in without messing with fixing it or having it warranted. I put a set on my wife's 4Runner and so far so good there

Both were set at 0 lift.

 

Yeah from what I am finding out it is the luck of the draw. After very serious consideration I am very seriously thinking of going with the OME to replace the leaky rears.

 

Thread resurrection . . . I, too, am tired of blown Bilsteins. The factory TRD Offroad package rear Bilsteins lost their rebound dampening when the truck was just a few years old, and then I had two rear 5100s lose their seals and puke oil (as one is doing now). Anyone have any recommendations for a more reliable brand? How about Eibach's E60-82-007-02-01? Truck's rear lift is 2" and it sees almost no off-roading.


Edit: I just ordered a pair directly from Eibach. Hopefully I have better luck with them than I've had with Bilstein.

 

Brand new 2023 Tacoma with stock TRD package Bilsteins, leaking at 2,570 miles... Approx. #500 toolbox in bed. No off-road. Waste of a good work day to warranty it. Just posting this to help reinforce those who believe in buying used and fixing rather than buying new.. New is junk too, but at 200% higher cost.

 

wonder where the problem ones were made??
https://bilstein.com/en-us/about-us/#:~:text=But as a global player,the United States and China.

 

CHYNA… land of just replace it when it breaks

 

As a follow-up to my post above from a couple years ago . . . my Eibachs in the rear have been problem-free. Now I have to see if there’s an Eibach option to replace the Bilstein 5100s in my front ToyTec “Ultimate Lift” coilovers because, well, one of those is now blown too.

 

Dobinsons or OME offer better build quality at this price point in my opinion

 

All shocks fail sooner or later, OEM bilstiens tend to hate the cold. We dont see 5100s fail much in my region, but factory yellows will leak fairly often in the dead of winter.