Review on Enhance Ride Comfort and Control with Monroe Shocks & Struts Max-Air MA759 Air Shock Absorber by Tim Duncan

I may change my estimate over time, but I've decided to post my first impression now. I was hesitant to buy air shocks for a small 94 S10 pickup I bought to commute to and from work. I never liked the idea of using them to increase a car's payload because they add stress to the shock absorbers, not the suspension components that are designed to carry cargo. In this case I have a truck with old tired leaf springs that were causing the back of the truck to sag and I was just about to straighten that out. Since I don't plan on carrying significant weight, I bought air shocks as a cheap solution for a cheap car. I ordered on Sunday and they were on my doorstep when I got home on Tuesday. They were well packaged and undamaged. I installed the shocks yesterday afternoon and they worked just as well as any other shock. Laying the pipes took about half an hour. I wasn't very impressed when I took the plumbing kit out of the box and saw what it contained. The air line looks like 1/8" OD polyethylene tubing. I was disappointed with the fitment. All, including the valve stem, are plastic. Find a replacement. With all the 1/4" tubing and brass fittings available, I'd happily replace the spend an extra $10 to get these instead. The shock absorbers worked great for leveling the truck but leaked overnight. I just put a bottle of soapy water on each connection and realized the leak was MY OWN fault. I didn't appear to have used an o-ring in the valve stem joint (I've stopped scolding the product at this point). I've repaired the connection (it came with two O-rings and two spare nuts) and am now waiting to see if it holds pressure. As disappointed as I am with the hardware, if it lasts the next six months and doesn't leak regularly I will change my rating to 5 stars. As I said above, my opinion on air shocks had very low expectations from the start. If they hold up I will change my rating to reflect that they work as advertised even with cheap fittings.