I bought some Rancho 9000XLs for my 2011 F250 in late December from RockAuto and I've been waiting for a nice day to install them. Today was that day. 3 were fine, but one of the front shocks upon being unlocked just sat there and did not extend. I let it sit for 10 minutes before I manually expanded it, but it actually retracted itself. Obviously I did not install it on my truck, but now I have a truck with 3 shocks. The front ones i pulled off are absolutely trashed so I don't really want to put them back on.

Now, on Ranchos website there is a page about how some shocks do not perform as expected out of the box which causes them to be misdiagnosed as damaged. https://www.gorancho.com/press-relea...ng-shocks.html
I followed the procedure on this page but it still did not extend at all on its own. Before I send it back in to rockauto (assuming I can since its been 6 months), is there anything else I can try to see if the shock is actually dead? I would really like to be able to drive my truck and not have to wait for return shipping.

 

Not to bash your purchasing choice but this is just one reason Rock Auto is NOT a good choice, completely IMHO at any rate. IF you're able to have this corrected that'd be pretty much astonishing, and I sincerely hope you're successful.

I'd certainly contact Rock Auto but at the same time contact Rancho too. They're well established and most likely don't want one of their products regardless who sold it being defective especially DOA as you encountered.

Best of luck--let us know how to fare from either of these folks!

 

Just curious, what is a better choice for buying dampers from?

Rockauto has probably the lowest prices of any sources online, but their tax and shipping takes some of that away. Then, if there is a problem with a part, they charge you for return shipping, while other places may cover that.

 

If you're asking about steering dampers almost any brand is acceptable but the attaching brackets are the most important part of it all. I used factory stuff bought from the dealership as I don't crawl around salvage yards any longer. The shock damper I believe I bought from NAPA, whatever brand they use. I'll also add that system was in place for maybe two days before being removed---it made near zero difference.

Yes and I've been pointing that out for quite some time now. They're unconcerned with providing any real customer service, once you're paid them you're at their mercy for receiving the correct parts or being fairly treated when mistakes are made even if THEY are at fault.

 

By "dampers" I meant what Americans call "shock absorbers".

I wouldn't say that they're unconcerned with customer service; they just charge for return shipping, where most of the bigger places, like Summit, do not. But even so, Rockauto's prices end up being better than most other places. And they get it right most of the time, because their online catalog is informative enough to help you order the correct part to begin with.

I once received a tie rod end that was either incorrectly made or the wrong part in the right box, but I don't think they can control that. I'm not sure if it's practical for them, or any other seller, to test each and every part that they send out. I had to send that back, paying for shipping, but I did use their shipping label, for which I probably paid less than if I had to ship it myself.

Similarly, I'm sure not all shocks (dampers) that they receive are free from defects, so every once in a while a customer will get a bad one. Again, this can happen with any seller. And Rockauto isn't the only seller that makes customers pay for return shipping for a defective part.

It's your choice; if you want the level of service that a place like Summit provides, just pay the higher prices.

 

Rockauto said the order is too old to do anything about it so I'm screwed on that end. Thats what I get for ordering parts in December in ND to wait for a nice day.

 

I've had that problem as well; purchasing parts as spares that I put away until I need them. But by the time I needed the parts, they turned out to be defective, and their warranty had expired. Like you say: "screwed".

 

I too have done this and yes it sucks, we try to get ahead and it backfires on us--its certainly not a fun thing to experience.

These days I'll put considerable effort towards finding locally to avoid sellers like RockAuto etc. I'm lucky in that Jeg's remaining retail store is still open here close by which is very convenient (been buying there since the 60's ) Worst case I'll use Amazon as they have great customer service, have never had an issue with any auto parts bought there. I do tend to by Motorcraft or other top-tier brands though. So far have not had to return anything due being DOA or failing too soon.

After a time buying good parts becomes less aggravating but its a process to be sure.

 

Well, I found a single replacement on Amazon for $110. Looks like I’ll have to eat the cost unless I want to be unscrupulous and return the broken shock to Amazon.


I just put it on, it’s in working order. the shocks came set to 5, I just drove to the gym and it’s significantly better than the completely shot previous shocks. After some reading I think I’m going to adjust the front up to 6 or 7.