Guys, Apparently my front shocks need rebuilt - do they need to go somewhere special? Is it a big job? John
You are lucky they are the fronts. They can be rebuilt by any Bilstein specialist. The rears have to go to Delta Vee in Kalamazoo. I've just sent my rears there today. The fronts I'm getting don't locally here in Australia.
You can send direct to Bilstein- rebuild is not expensive at all However, I sent all 4 of mine to Delta Vee and let him firm them up slightly, plus he sold me new accumulators for the rear- and needless to say I'm VERY Happy
There are lots of threads on this subject- You can search them Something many people do also is rebuild the actuators to replace the plastic parts with billet- Also a Good move Depends how involved you'd like to get and the condition of yours... If you search the shock rebuild you will find mention of this as well
Bilstein can re-build Front and Rear shocks with no problems, as would Delta Vee. Why would the rear HAVE to go to Delta Vee?
Because I'm in Australia and Bilstein here don't want to know about it. As for them 'Having' to go to DV, they don't. You can send them to whomever you like. There may be others around the world who can do it, but DV offer a lifetime warranty on their repairs.
From lots of discussion on here Delta Vee replace the seals with an upgraded material, where as Bilstien use the original material with limited life.
Well, they don't HAVE to go to Delta Vee, but they probably should ! Bilstein can, and will rebuild shocks from either end of the 456 car, but sometimes (personal experience here) they don't come back. I have been waiting for more than a year for a pair of rears to return, with the occasional email, and no future delivery promised...... I was able to score a used pair on eBay, and I sent THOSE to be rebuilt, assuming that by the time I got the rebuilt units back, the in-car units would start leaking again...... Just get a used pair on eBay, and send them to DELTA VEE for upgrading. Keep driving the car, and put the shocks in when you need to. THEN, send the take-out pair a nd send THEM to Delta Vee. If you don't need those by the time you sell the car, just sell them separately from the car.....
I had a long conversation with Blistien in January they said it could take up to a year for the rears, I went with Delta Vee great job but slow. There must be a reson that the only shock rebuilder we can find is DV. D.
I sent my 550 shocks to Delta Vee this past winter to be rebuilt. They did an excellent job but best to do it in the "off season" (if you have one) because it takes a while.
That's why you buy a spare pair, and keep them in rotation. Just like you keep a spare FERRARI, so that you can drive one, while the other is in the shop.............
I have never had a turn around time longer than 2 weeks from Delta Vee and I have had several set done. He is very involved in racing so do not send anything during racing season. His work is far better than Bilstien.
I did all 4 units with Delta Vee- Bilstein will do it significantly cheaper, but Rob was no nonsense, informative, high quality, experienced, friendly and offered to revalve the units for free if I didn't like the way the car rode. And he turned them around to me in two weeks. And those are Good reasons why most of us here direct each other to Delta Vee. I had my shocks mildly revalved tighter and the car drives spectacular- Plus he provided new accumulators for the rear as well at a fraction of Ferrari pricing (BMW uses the same ones) FYI- (It's recommended to renovate your actuators with billet parts as well if you're renewing your shocks)
I just had my four shocks rebuilt for my 456M by Delta Vee. They are expensive but I wanted to ensure the job was done right. It seems that even a rebuild by Bilstein is not a long term fix. DV is. I also opted to have them rebuilt to 575 FHP spec and after my first drive today all I can say is wow. The ride and handling is completely transformed. What was previously a bouncy and a soft ride is now epic. I used to drive in sports mode all the time just to make it firm enough. Now I don't need to, but still have the sport setting for fast handling situations. Highly recommended
I'm with you Modificata- That's exactly how my experience was with Delta Vee, what he did for me and my own thoughts on the results!
Moe- Just so we do not confuse anyone, there is no such thing as a 575M FHP shock absorber, or 550 FHP shock absorber for that matter. The FHP Maranellos used the same shocks as the standard Maranellos. Also, last time I checked, Ron could not rebuild 575M shocks made by Mannesmann-Sachs, only the Bilsteins fitted to the 456/456M/550. He definitely can stiffen up the Bilstein shocks to whatever specs you desire. He is the preferred rebuilder because I believe he offers a lifetime warranty. Bilsteins uses the same parts that failed the first time.
Taz- I'd didn't mean to make any reference to 575 shocks or confuse anyone- I was merely claiming my total satisfaction with Delta Vee was the same as Modificata's experience. I had the shocks redone by DV for my 456M- based on your recommendation at the time and also had my actuators done by that Corvette outfit- Captain something or other. I've never had the pleasure of owning a 575. My sole point when I said I had the same experience as Modificata is that DV rebuilt and revalved my shocks to an agreed upon level of additional taughtness, the turn around time was quick and the man really knows his business and was a pleasure with which to work.
Thank you gentlemen for the recommendations and the positive feedback, I really appreciate it. Please know that we also do outside consulting, we get exceptionally busy at times, and yes unfortunately there have been some clients who have waited upwards of 8 weeks. I try my best to schedule our work with you. Best, Rob Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
