Shock Question

[YammiMoose]

My sled is at the dealer. They put in a new Rear shock in to replace the leaking one. They gave me a new Front shock because the bottom adjuster would only give a few clicks. Now I have one front shock with 2200 miles on it. Should it be recharged?

Thanks!


-Moose

 

[craze1cars]

Yes.

 

[YammiMoose]

Yes.

Do you think Yamaha should pay for it?

 

[Red2003]

I'd run it with the new one on the left. That shock always runs in the bumps while the outside shock is running in smoother snow. The left one usually wears out first anyway. Just a thought.

 

[craze1cars]

Yes.

Do you think Yamaha should pay for it?

no.

The fact that they replaced the rear leaky one impresses me. In my mind that's a wear item and should be considered normal maintenance. The front with a bad adjuster? That's different from normal wear and I agree it should be warrantied. But not the rear, IMO.

The only reason I say you should revalve the remaining shock is because I consider revalving shocks to be normal annual maintenance to prevent internal corrosion and premature failure. And the rear leak could have been fixed with a maintenance rebuild....I'm surprised they covered it.

 

[waldo1]

Are you nuts (Crazey) - Those shocks are 1200 bucks and are supposed to last 10000 miles according to the manufacture. There all blowing - mine was leaking on the showroom floor. Guys like you are the reason yamaha dosent reconize the issues at hand - i better stop cause im pissed!

 

[craze1cars]

Waldo, we were asked for an opinion and I gave it. If your opinion is different I fully respect that and encourage you to offer it, but I do not appreciate the personal attack.

I'm not sure where your reference to a 10,000 mile lifespan came from, but if that's written somewhere by any shock mfr I find it kind of hard to swallow, unless it has fine print that recommends annual rebuilds.

Here's a direct quote from a well known shock rebuilder and I agree with it 100%.

"Your shocks are a high performance part of your snowmobile and they should be treated this way. It is these shocks that are taking the abuse when you are going over hills, over jumps, and through moguls, not your body. Over time this use causes oil to break down and/or causes seals to go bad, which results in a very "soft" or "flat" feel in ride quality. To prevent this we highly recommend your shocks are serviced approximately every 2000 miles or to manufacturers specifications to maintain the ride you expect. To get your shocks serviced, simply remove them from your snowmobile (reservoirs also) and ship them directly to us. Our basic service includes disassembly, cleaning, inspection, and reassembly with fresh nitrogen and new oil. Any seals, o-rings, wear sleeves, or other parts will be replaced if necessary.

We service: FOX,HPG, KYB, RYDE-FX, ACT, OHLINS, WORKS PEROFRMANCE AND WALKER EVANS."

Cost of the shock is immaterial. For example, to rebuild the electric rear shock on a GT, the exact cost from this particular place is $42 including parts and labor. I've done it annually on every sled I've ever owned with rebuildable shocks. It bothers me more that people are getting these shocks completely replaced at ridiculous prices at Yamaha's expense when a $42 maintenance rebuild would prevent or cure the problem. Such warranty claims drive the price of the sleds up much higher than necessary in the long run.

I feel shock leaks should not be covered by the warranty....unless, of course, like you say it's leaking from the showroom floor. Obviously that is a defective part that should be covered. I don't know the answer....maybe a warranty for 1000 miles would be appropriate, or even one year is probably OK if it has some sort of mileage limit. But it really bothers me to think that Yamaha may replace all these shocks for everyone who's getting the 3 year and longer warranties when I'll be doing the right thing and paying to rebuild mine every year to hopefully prevent such a problem or expense.

DANG....is something wrong with this site? It took me a WHOLE lot of attempts to get this thread to finally post! Oh well, I got it done.....

 

[YammiMoose]

Yes.

Do you think Yamaha should pay for it?

no.

The fact that they replaced the rear leaky one impresses me. In my mind that's a wear item and should be considered normal maintenance. The front with a bad adjuster? That's different from normal wear and I agree it should be warrantied. But not the rear, IMO.

The only reason I say you should revalve the remaining shock is because I consider revalving shocks to be normal annual maintenance to prevent internal corrosion and premature failure. And the rear leak could have been fixed with a maintenance rebuild....I'm surprised they covered it.

I agree with the annual rebuild thing. I did them on my viper and it felt like a new sled after that. But this was my second shock that blew on the second day of riding and the trails were flat. My dealer didn't even blink an eye and ordered a new one. As far as the replacement. The first year it is a replacement. The second year is a rebuild. I have never blown a shock in over 30,000 miles of riding and to have blown Two makes me think their was a problem with the shock from the factory. The second one had the big boy spring installed.