Quote:
Originally Posted by 97windsor
Thorp Thanks much for the info. I am sure you are correct. My coach has the same problem you had. The top stud is to large to fit the shock and the bottom bolt is to small for the bushing in the shock. I will call Kevin at Bilstein. Thanks again to all who responded and another big plus to the forum.
|
I got my coach back yesterday after the shocks were installed. It was a 2 1/2 week project because the Bilsteins top mounting bushing were to small, and the bottom were to big. After 4 or 5 calls to Bilstein I spoke with Kevin in the special install dept. He was aware of this problem with Monaco. If the coach was built in Oregon the shocks would have fit but since mine was built in Indiana the mounting points were slightly different. He told me to machine out the top bushings and he would send the correct bushings for the bottom.
The process was pain
but the good news is the ride is wonderful. The shocks that were replaced were the yellow top and bottom Monroes, that I think, were the original shocks from 1997 and 54k miles.
When I picked it up I could tell after the first mile or two there was a big difference. I drove it about another 15-20 miles over some rough roads and concrete expansion joints. The difference is amazing. With the old shocks the bumps would resonate through the entire coach and uneven roads would roll and bounce it pretty bad. It is a completely different ride now. It feels like I have a new coach.
If I had known there was this much difference I would have done this the day after I bought it.
Anyone who has worn out shocks shouldn't hesitate to do this, it's worth every penny that it costs to get these shocks installed.
I have 6 new tires (last fall) and 8 new shocks and I'm super happy with my new shocks and can't wait to drive it more.
Anyone thinking about new shocks, my advice is replace them ASAP.