21k Bilstein failure - Denied

[FloridaBurgBronco]

whoa. I’m not necessarily blaming anyone, for this blaming Ford for their lack of action for problems they know about. Do I wait until they rot off and then they can put the claim in ?

I’m not a Ford Service Manager for a reason.

So far the problems with my truck :

*output shaft seal blown. Leaking starts again. I buy the seal myself, swap it out. One of the inside lips of the seal was torn off.

*fried BCM.

*Melted wire in dash harness, strip everything to the firewall and repair the harness (on back order). Re-install all - but instead of a soft pick or panel tool, it’s faster to just gouge the hell out of plastic tabs, clips, whatever, (tech’s fault).

*Tech leaves a brand new flashlight on the seat of the truck and burns a whole right thru the MGV. Waited weeks for the back ordered seat cushion, installed and looked great. I took care of the loose hardware at home

*it gets hot the very next day, I a/c! Someone forgot to recharge it

*go back to have it recharged and request a full synthetic service and tire rotate, stemco drain plug which I left the adapter, service advisor knew and I even left a message after I left to make sure to use that.

*drive home, park for a few hours, oil leak. Drain plug not all the way back in, the adapter was never used and an o-ring was punched. I just took care of myself, not chancing it.

and this.

Sounds like you need to do what I did and trade the Bronco in for a 4Runner

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[Haustkraft]

I read somewhere that is just residual oil from the manufacturing process. Get a can of brake cleaner and clean it off. Keep an eye on it after putting some more mileage on it to see if it really is a leak.

thanks.

I’m a tech by trade and understand what everyone is suggesting and agree residual oil is normal given many factors. Residual fluid leaks would be from two components that would be moving/contacting one another correct ? ( ie piston shaft of the shock & the lip seal), NOT from something that should be a solid / sealed and/or welded component? The shock is charged with nitrogen and a form of lubricant.

Really it’s not the end of the world, just disappointing

 

[Haustkraft]

Sounds like you need to do what I did and trade the Bronco in for a 4Runner

funny… I browsed their website last night and again this morning.
325hp/400+ftlbs from a turbo 2.4? That’s nuts

 

[Haustkraft]

Both of my rear reservoirs rusted and fell off a couple of weeks ago and were replaced under warranty.

I'd definitely keep an eye on it, not sure if any amount of seepage should be considered "acceptable" on a suspension component. Mine were definitely leaking much worse than that for several months, I just never assumed the spots of oil on my driveway would possibly be from my bronco.

going with Bilstein 6112’s I believe. Love their products otherwise. I had remote reservoir Bilsteins on my SAS 94 Bronco way back in the day, amazing performance.

 

[zombie]

going with Bilstein 6112’s I believe. Love their products otherwise. I had remote reservoir Bilsteins on my SAS 94 Bronco way back in the day, amazing performance.

Yeah if/when these fail again I'll stick with billstein but ditch the remote reservoirs before they decide to ditch themselves!

 

[FloridaBurgBronco]

funny… I browsed their website last night and again this morning.
325hp/400+ftlbs from a turbo 2.4? That’s nuts

Yeah I decided to jump on the 2024 last year of the 5thGen version, I think I like the more analog experience from a decade and a half old platform. While the 6th Gen 4Runner will surely be nice, it's all new and even Toyota can screw stuff up initially. The good part is they actually care, can't say the same for Ford anymore.

 

[Haustkraft]

Yeah I decided to jump on the 2024 last year of the 5thGen version, I think I like the more analog experience from a decade and a half old platform. While the 6th Gen 4Runner will surely be nice, it's all new and even Toyota can screw stuff up initially. The good part is they actually care, can't say the same for Ford anymore.

Ive wrenched for VW/Audi, Ford, GM and Toyota in the past. They each have their own pro’s and con’s…. Toyota makes a great product but they do have their own major flaws. Totally different experience; 4runner to Bronco.

i just looked at the updated dash materials on a 2024 badlands, very nice! I guess 21-23 was the Guinea pigs model year ?

 

[GroovyGeek]

Sounds like you need to do what I did and trade the Bronco in for a 4Runner

Ooh, don't touch that sore spot. I was planning on replacing a '14 JK with a 4R but Toyota kept pushing out the refresh date. With a 25 intro and 3 year delay to let them hash out the bigs I was looking at '28. So ended up with a '23 BD instead, but dreading 3-5 years out when shit starts breaking. "Made in Michigan" isn't exactly a quality seal of approval. I have never owned a vehicle with so much obviously hand-wrapped tape, and ultra sloppy at that.

 

[Reidt131]

Here’s a shoot of the tire wheel setup

Is that grill unpainted in the middle? I'm looking to do the same painted surround on a Black Diamond grill but I'm not sure if the transition from paint to unpainted plastic would look weird.

 

[2door]

The rear right shock on my 2-door had been leaking since it passed the 10k mark. It has 15k miles now. When I was dropping it off at the dealer for another hardtop replacement (I'm on my 4th hardtop now), I asked a service writer to have the shock inspected. Luckily, Ford agreed to replace it under warranty.

 

[kodiakisland]

Honestly, the stock Bilsteins are not premium shocks. They are a wear item, and some items wear faster than others. They are cheap if you just want to replace it, or better yet take the opportunity to upgrade.

 

[Techun]

Seepage IS a leak

 

[Haustkraft]

Is that grill unpainted in the middle? I'm looking to do the same painted surround on a Black Diamond grill but I'm not sure if the transition from paint to unpainted plastic would look weird.

I’ve swapped the grille for an OEM Heritage with matching red ford lettering. The center color is acutally sprayed carbonized grey with Oxford white on the outer perimeter. I’m also doing the center dome of the hood, side strips and wrapping the rollbar.

I pulled the trigger on front and rear Bilstein 6112’s, planning on an install next weekend.

 

[Haustkraft]

Honestly, the stock Bilsteins are not premium shocks. They are a wear item, and some items wear faster than others. They are cheap if you just want to replace it, or better yet take the opportunity to upgrade.

22k highway miles, 4 months parked in the winter, 30 days at the dealer and not even seeing dirt yet is ridiculous to me. Wear item yes, leaking shock oil and nitrogen thru a welded component = NO.

 

[LCW]

The seeping is a feature. Self-lubricating. To help prevent the reservoir from rusting and falling off.

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