MM shock absorber broken(???)

[BillyGman]

Just wondering if I'm the only one this has hapened to. The shock absorber on the left rear is broken in half. I noticed it when I had the wheel off. I have no idea how long it's been that way. For all I know it might have even happened when I was at the dragstrip w/Marty. hey, i wonder if my Attorney could somehow find a way to make Marty liable?

Anyway, I might just decide to replace it myself even though my guess is that the warantee covers that, because I hate to let those monkeys at the dealers even near my car. the last time they were around it, they again proved their incompetence in more than one way, which cost me a second trip to the dealer. So I'm gonna look for a price on the stock shocks so that I can consider buying one.

[TAF]

Billy,

Call my buddy Mike at Tokico (the makers of the OEMs) @ 800.548.2549 to see if he can help you with a replacement.

[BillyGman]

Hey, good idea Todd. Thankyou for the help. I'll call that # today.

[TAF]

BTW...here's their website with the address and phone # at the top. This is the aftermarket/performance division.

http://www.tokicogasshocks.com/index.html

From the site:
TOKICO (USA) INC., has three locations in the United States. In Berea, KY, TOKICO has a factory which produces original equipment parts (OEM) for auto manufacturers. The office for original equiment sales and engineering is located in Allen Park, MI.
TOKICO aftermarket sales and inventory are located in Rancho Dominguez, CA. Both shock absorbers and brake hydraulics are sold from this location.

[BillyGman]

Got it......

[BillyGman]

Well, unfortunately even though Todd was nice enough to give me that info about that company that sells suspension parts, that guy named Mike is away on a business trip for two weeks and the only people they have answering the phones are women who don't know anything about cars. Why do automotive and firearm companies do that? Yes, there are women even on this board who know some things about such matters, but they're the exception rather than the rule. Furthermore, it's typical for a number of big companies to have women answering the phones who have to deal w/customers' questions who know nothing about thier products nor do they care to know since they have no interest in such things. ast year I bought a Remington rifle, and have had trouble w/it ever since. I called the Remington "Tech" line several different days about it, and the only people they have answering the phones are women who tell you "I'm sorry sir, I don't know" every time you ask them something that's technicle. And that's supposed to be Remington's "Tech" line. What a waste!!! I'll never buy another Remington rifle, I can tell you that.

Poor business practices if you ask me. It's like some place hiring me to work the telephones in a bridal shop or some kind of drapes and curtains boutique!!!!!! NOT a good move. Okay, I'm done w/my rant. My thanks goes to Todd for making a sincere effort to help me. That doesn't go unnoticed. I think I'll order the shock from www.fordparts.com

[gonzo50]

Just wondering if I'm the only one this has hapened to. The shock absorber on the left rear is broken in half.
So I'm gonna look for a price on the stock shocks so that I can consider buying one.
You might want to consider buying two shocks or the pair, and replace them as a pair, that way both left and right sides of the Marauder are equal in performance,(one not weaker than the other).
Save the good used shock for emergency use only as an immediate replacement. Just my opinion. :coolman:

[BillyGman]

Hey Gonzo, that's a good suggestion. Thanks. But would you still say that considering that my car only has 9,000 miles on it? Another thing to consider also, is that I have a Ford shop manual(the same that the dealer uses) and it says that it isn't neccessary to replace the rear shocks in sets(I dunno about the fronts, cuz I didn't look).

[TripleTransAm]

I'd like to know what causes a shock absorber to snap in two...

[BillyGman]

I'd like to know what causes a shock absorber to snap in two...

yeah, me too. I have no idea. I don't even remember going over any really hairy pot holes, or anything like that. I've never had that happen on any other car.

[TripleTransAm]

I hope it's a simple case of manufacturing defect (albeit a very safety-sensitive one) and not another case of Ford forcing a supplier to cut quality to lower costs!

[jgc61sr2002]

Billy I agree with Gonzo you should always change the shocks in pairs.

[Bigdogjim]

How a trip to the dealer for a "free" replacement????? 3 years, 36,000 miles:)

[BillyGman]

I know. I might end up having the dealer do that, but I'm very hesistant cuz I just don't like those mental midgets touching my car. Those guys couldn't even install the Stallion Torque converter by themself w/out having the assitant service manager grabing some tools by himself in order to help them!!!

but that would be the dealer I'll always go to since it's the only dealer that I know of in my home state that is MOD friendly.

[frdwrnch]

I've never seen one break that way. I'd see if they would warranty it as engineering may want to look at it.

[BillyGman]

I've never seen one break that way. I'd see if they would warranty it as engineering may want to look at it.

Hmmmm, I didn't think of it that way. You really think they would even take it that far? I figured the old shock would just be filed in the nearest dumpster, and that would be the end of it. I guess you have more faith in car dealers than I do.

[TAF]

Hmmmm, I didn't think of it that way. You really think they would even take it that far? I figured the old shock would just be filed in the nearest dumpster, and that would be the end of it. I guess you have more faith in car dealers than I do.
You would BE so lucky to have a man like frdwrnch in your service department up there, Billy. He's a good man!

What's up with those dealers up there??!!:confused:

[BillyGman]

AAHHHHH! I see. No offence FordWrench. It never dawned on me that your username is actually representive of who you actually are, and what you do for a living.(Thanks Todd). I dunno, but the dealers here are hurrendous, as are most of the mechanics who work in them, and I'm not merely speaking of Ford dealers only.

[TheDealer]

Well, unfortunately even though Todd was nice enough to give me that info about that company that sells suspension parts, that guy named Mike is away on a business trip for two weeks and the only people they have answering the phones are women who don't know anything about cars. Why do automotive and firearm companies do that? Yes, there are women even on this board who know some things about such matters, but they're the exception rather than the rule. Furthermore, it's typical for a number of big companies to have women answering the phones who have to deal w/customers' questions who know nothing about thier products nor do they care to know since they have no interest in such things. ast year I bought a Remington rifle, and have had trouble w/it ever since. I called the Remington "Tech" line several different days about it, and the only people they have answering the phones are women who tell you "I'm sorry sir, I don't know" every time you ask them something that's technicle. And that's supposed to be Remington's "Tech" line. What a waste!!! I'll never buy another Remington rifle, I can tell you that.

Poor business practices if you ask me. It's like some place hiring me to work the telephones in a bridal shop or some kind of drapes and curtains boutique!!!!!! NOT a good move. Okay, I'm done w/my rant. My thanks goes to Todd for making a sincere effort to help me. That doesn't go unnoticed. I think I'll order the shock from www.fordparts.com



PLEASE DON'T BUY FROM FORDPARTS.COM. They are not a supporting vendor of this site like I am. There are two different shocks depending on production date. They are both the same price. I could sell them to you for $60.00 ea and $8.00 shipping for the pair. Fordparts.com will rip you off on the shipping. RAY

[gonzo50]

PLEASE DON'T BUY FROM FORDPARTS.COM. They are not a supporting vendor of this site like I am. There are two different shocks depending on production date. They are both the same price. I could sell them to you for $60.00 ea and $8.00 shipping for the pair. Fordparts.com will rip you off on the shipping. RAY
Wow ! Can't beat that for service, I guess I know where I'll go to get my original ford parts from. "The Dealer" :up:

[junehhan]

Out of curiosity, was your car doing anything funny that might indicate a broken shock? I imagine if the shock was broken, it had to have been doing something as you were driving, right?

I would guess that it would be a manufacturing defect, because my Marauder has been through some hairy potholes, including one that bottomed my car out, caused some sparks to fly, and then caused it to bounce and leave the ground for a short time without damaging anything that can be seen. I figured the air springs would be more susceptible to damage than the shocks............

[BillyGman]

No, I didn't notice anything at all. Infact the car still rides good. maybe it's because of the air assited springs. I dunno. I only noticed trhe broken shock merely because I had the back wheel off for something completely different. I had taken off my snow tires to temporarily ride on the original factory wheels and tires. And when i went to replace the snows back on the car, that's when I noticed the brken shock. It's just hanging there. but there's no noise or odd characteristics displayed by the car. I have to gomover speed bumps where I live, but I never hit them doing anymore than 10MPH, and even that's faster than usual for me. Furthermore, they aren't all that high. I've never bottomed out on any of the speed bumps where I live.

[frdwrnch]

Ford really does call for parts back about 20% of the time. I'm not sure if it's because they want to analyze the part or try to find a way not to pay the warranty claim. In some cases they try to shake down the vendor or supplier for credit for failed components but they'd have a hard time doing that w/Tokiko as they have a good product.But every once in a while an engineer will actually call to get specifics on a repair or condition and sometimes they'll have me ship them a failed part directly to them. As in many corporations, some of us really do care and some just go through the motions.