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Review on KYB 565103 MonoMax Gas Shock by Edward Perez

Revainrating 1 out of 5

Premature failure, lack of manufacturer support

I cannot express how disappointed I am with the non-existent quality of these shock absorbers. I bought these to replace worn out factory shocks on our 04 Suburban. I've had good luck using KYBs on previous cars so I figured I couldn't go wrong with them, but was I wrong! They've got 9,000 miles (all on the road/highway) and they're already bad! I noticed a "knock-knock" from the front of the car when driving at low speed on rough roads. So I took it to my friend at Les Schwab to check the front end to which he said he couldn't find any problems and everything was tight. Perhaps some bushings and supports in the suspension have stiffened due to the frost? So I ride it for the rest of the winter and fight the noise (it drove me crazy, I won't lie). Spring, then summer, and I started noticing more noise coming from every corner of the car. So I took it back to my friend's at Les Schwab to check it out. This time after looking at the entire suspension from front to back (and finding nothing) they removed the shocks from the car and put in the new shocks that were available and we drove it. Sounds "knock-knock" are gone! It was smooth and quiet again, just like it was when we had the factory OE AC Delco shocks. We put KYB back in because I didn't have money for new shocks at the time. I have tried calling and emailing KYB many times to see if they have a guarantee with no success or no response. I am totally disappointed and will never buy a KYB product again. I will be buying another set of top quality AC Delco shocks for this and will not look back. The original set lasted 125,000 miles so we shouldn't have a problem with premature wear. I expected more from a popular Japanese trailer company but like everyone these days I'm pretty sure they are mass produced and care more about quantity than quality. I strongly advise against using these shock absorbers! You will be disappointed!

Pros
  • Inspires confidence
Cons
  • Good but not great