Rebuilt OEM shocks.

[arcobarco]

Now I happen to be a big fan of the ride that the OEM shocks provide when you lift the VX and add big tires. I think that the OEM shocks perform better than other shocks. The current VX that I am working over has some sad Rancho RS9000 shocks and I really don't care for the ride in comparison to the Ebony that I recently sold. One of the first things I am addressing on the Kaiser is the Shocks.
I must express gratitude to Mile High VX for working with me to get the shocks and also assisting in lining up the rebuild in Golden Colorado. I do not have before pictures of these unfortunately, but I do have after pictures. They look beautiful and I can hardly wait to get them in place and see the difference in the ride. The rebuild is a little spendy, but to have the quality and performance of what the VX came with I think worth it. You have to remember that new these shocks retail for over 500 each, so in contrast the rebuild was minimal. I can't wait to get them dirty.
If anyone is interested in rebuildt shocks Matt at info@rg3denver.com. I think that the work on these really look great. take a look and judge foor your self.



http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/3325/IMG_05782.JPGhttp://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/3325/IMG_05772.JPGhttp://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/3325/IMG_05762.JPGhttp://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/3325/IMG_05752.JPG

Thank you to everyone that helped this come together

[SinJin]

I'd press the "Like" button if there was one!

They look great!

:)

[tom4bren]

They look great ... but pretty is as pretty does. Make sure to post how they perform after you get them installed.

[waaaaht]

how much was it to rebuild them?

[Cobrajet]

I agree with you. I just replaced my still fully functional RS9000's with a set of original OEM shocks (not rebuilt), and love the stock ride. Now I have four bad OEM shocks, including one with a snapped off upper stud, and would like to get them rebuilt for spares. I need to write him with photos to see if that one shock can be repaired.

I like how he resealed the canisters, and also like the looks of the black boots, although I would probably ask for red just for originality.

But, it all depends on whether it is cost effective...

[arcobarco]

First of all I have to say if you own the VX and are worried about cost buy a Honda.
To rebuild the stock shocks it will cost more than any after market shocks.
I wanted the stock performance, and the stock shock will last longer than after market shocks. Pluss after the rebuild the cost to rebuild is significantly less because parts that were replaced make future rebuilds less expensive after the initial investment.
Matt will have to let you know the cost. The set I have was the first VX shocks he has rebuilt and he now he has a good idea what is needed for rebuilding a full set.
He said that they are time intensive, and he had to fabricate the valve covers because they are no longer available.
I also would like to have an additional set as a back up so I will be looking for another OEM set as spares. When I get them I'll be calling Matt to have them gone through.
Black or red had no difference on cost on the boots if I remember correctly. I didn't care what color they were and am happy that they are black since red really isn't what I'm after.
I will update this post on the performance as soon as I have the rebuilt shocks installed and a chance to get them off the pavement. This will mostlikely be when I visit Moab in May.

[bartmanS4]

So BarcoLounga, what is your review of these OEM rebuilds after a year of service?

[303Foxfire]

arcobarco, how are those rebuilt shocks doing now? Do they perform the same as new? Looking to get mine rebuilt if so...

[arcobarco]

I really liked the ride difference after I changed out the non OEM shocks. The OEM socks perform great with the 2 inch lift and larger tires. The socks I took off were the adjustable Rancho shocks that are used by many on the forum, and they seem to be fans of them. I was not. The firm OEM ride is one of the traits I like. The wheels feel steady and when the road gets bumpy the shocks do a really good job of keeping the big tires under control. The price was worth maintaining the superior OEM shocks, and ride.

[SinJin]

Thanks for the update ! :thumbup:

[eternal21]

1

[eternal21]

First of all I have to say if you own the VX and are worried about cost buy a Honda.
To rebuild the stock shocks it will cost more than any after market shocks.

Simple questions deserve simple answers. From Matt:

"The original rebuild is around $950, due to the need for 'rebuildable' aluminum seal heads from KYB. These are $70 each so they add $280 to the first rebuild price. After the initial rebuild, they can once again be rebuilt for just $140 per shock, which includes a new oil seal and oil. It can take approximately 2 weeks to rebuild. If you have any questions feel free to call or email."

I have a spare set that I'm about to send in for rebuild. After that, I'll be selling the set I currently have on the truck in the event someone wants to send those in for rebuild. I'm amenable to sending them straight to Matt to save on the extra shipping cost if you'd like.

[CatFish]

I rode in Scott's VX (BartsmanS4) after he had his OEM shocks rebuilt at RG3 and they were awesome so I had my shocks rebuilt at RG3 and am installing them on Friday. I will let you know how they preform.

[Mile High VX]

How's that new ride?

[CatFish]

The ride is sweet, I tested it out this after noon and it rides so much better I think it is worth the price and I would rebuild again I really like the OEM shocks.
The cost was $889.77 the next rebuild will be $280 cheaper and I am sure I will do them again and maybe not wait 80K miles next time.
Here is a picture of them with red boots
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad44/RedChristine/VX/IMG_0610.jpg (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/RedChristine/media/VX/IMG_0610.jpg.html)
Here is one with out boots so you can see them better.
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad44/RedChristine/VX/IMG957659.jpg (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/RedChristine/media/VX/IMG957659.jpg.html)

I posted this earlier today but I guess it did not post, strange.

[CatFish]

Been to Moab and Silverton since the rebuild and the shocks work great, still love the ride and performance.

[litlbear]

Where is RG3 located? Do you have their information?

[Mile High VX]

They're in Golden, CO.

Here's their website...ask for Matt...he's a great guy!

http://www.rg3denver.com/

[litlbear]

Thanks Mile High.

[CatFish]

Matt can explain to you how he set up the dampening for Scott's and my shocks and if you like what he says you can have him do the same or tell him how you want yours set up.

[89Vette]

Simple questions deserve simple answers. From Matt:

"The original rebuild is around $950, due to the need for 'rebuildable' aluminum seal heads from KYB. These are $70 each so they add $280 to the first rebuild price. After the initial rebuild, they can once again be rebuilt for just $140 per shock, which includes a new oil seal and oil. It can take approximately 2 weeks to rebuild. If you have any questions feel free to call or email."


Not sure if I'd ever consider that much for a shock rebuild....and I'm used to higher priced Bilsteins for my sportscar. They are only $300 for a set of 4. That said, if being open-minded, I have to ask why it LOOKS like these rebuilds still have the original rubber bushings? For that much, I'd think everything would be replaced!

[CatFish]

I do not recall if he replaced the bushings but they looked good when I got them back, bushing replacement would be a good question to ask Matt if you decided to get them rebuilt. If you go with aftermarket shocks please keep the old OEM ones. I could use a spare set of OEM shocks for rebuilding later.

[mrtew]

I am still driving on my OEM shocks with no rebuilds after 15 years and am thinking about a rebuild. But I'm not sure if they even need it or if I should just keep going. Is 132,000 miles on these shocks totally normal and can they go way longer than that or am I kidding myself? It seems to drive fine with no bouncing really, but it's a little rough and slightly rattly on occasion but it's so hard to remember if that's normal or if the ride/handling would be totally transformed by having them rebuilt? How far can most people go on the OEM shocks before having to replace or rebuild them? My mileage is mostly around town on pavement that's not too great with one or two cross country trips and a couple of mild off road outings. What are the normal symptoms that something needs to be done about the OEM shocks? I don't see anything leaking or broken so maybe I'm totally fine.

[mrtew]

So how long do stock OEM shocks normally last before they need to be rebuilt?

[Mile High VX]

I pulled mine at 75K...one front and one rear were gone and one of each was still good.

[CatFish]

Life of shocks depends on a of of things, the stock VX shock rarely leak because of the design so you many not see leakage with them. Mine was very bouncy and I could tell they were not preforming as they should at least it seemed that way to me so I had them rebuilt. I noticed a big difference after the rebuild so they were either worn out or due to age they were not as good as they could be. Rebuilding is expensive but the OEM shocks are a good design and perform well when in good condition. You can get after market ones cheaper, some people are happy with the aftermarket ones and some are not so I guess it really boils down to what you want kind of ride you want and what you want to spend.

If you go aftermarket keep you old OEM shocks so if you are not happy with them you have an OEM set to rebuild and if you are happy with the aftermarket ones you can sell the old OEM ones to someone that wants to rebuild them. Just do not through out the old OEM shocks either way. I am always on the look out for a cheap extra set of shocks so I can rebuild them and have a set to put on and not have any down time waiting for them to be rebuilt. I plan to keep my VX until I die, but that is just me and a few others I am sure.

[mrtew]

I guess there are no more new shocks available??? How can this be? There must be more in existence aside from the ones that were originally installed on the VX. Did they used to be available at the parts counter of Isuzu dealerships? How expensive were they? Were they custom designed and built just for our truck?

[MSHardeman]

The shocks, as far as I know, were custom built by KYB for the VehiCROSS. No other Isuzu has our shocks. There may still be some new shocks available, but they are in the $350-$400 range PER SHOCK. If you look at them the shocks have little reservoirs on them to help cool the oil in the shock to prevent cavitation (creating air bubbles in the oil) during high cycle usage, like blasting across the desert during the Baja 500/1000. They are pretty cool little pieces of engineering.

[Mile High VX]

Last I heard there were still some new ones available from KYB...about $600 each.

[CatFish]

If you want new shocks you could try and order them but they show a price of $591.59 each. I do see they show new bushings for the shocks so I may get some for the future.
Front - https://www.isuzupartscenter.com/parts/2000/Isuzu/VehiCROSS/Base?siteid=216496&vehicleid=43807&diagram=4628197&diagramCallOut=1
Rear - https://www.isuzupartscenter.com/parts/2000/Isuzu/VehiCROSS/Base?siteid=216496&vehicleid=43807&diagram=4628415&diagramCallOut=5

[mrtew]

Wow It's so tempting to get new ones and have my old ones rebuilt and never worry about shocks again. Or maybe I should just enjoy driving on 17 year old ones with 133,000 miles and appreciate things that seemingly last forever. I'd still like to know how to tell if they're worn out. I don't feel like I'm bouncing down the road or anything. Are there any other symptoms?