Oh man, I just ordered full set of sachs struts and mounts for my son's saturn.
Sachs or Monroe
- Thread starter DaveSwan
- Start date
It might take a day or so, but their customer service folks will tell you
+1
I'm not happy about the country of origin either but the Chinese Sachs for my Honda have been fantastic so performance is there in my opinion.
They're better than the OEM Sachs from Mexico so some of the hate is unfounded.
They're better than the OEM Sachs from Mexico so some of the hate is unfounded.
Depending what Saturn model it is they may be Made in Germany. If its a Vue probably not other Opel re-badges yes.
Sachs makes OEM parts for Mercedes so I'm not surprised they're in China. Lots of Mercedes are made in China for the China market so it stands to reason a lot of suppliers are also there. It's not the country of origin that's a problem, it's the control that the manufacturer has on their production lines. Many iPhones are made in China too.
For a S-series.
I got them because I've used kyb and they ride stiff. The s series has a short suspension travel anyway.
There are no oem mounts anymore, moog used to be ok but now there is not much o quality mounts. So I thought I would try sachs since they make mounts too.
I also have some front moog cargo replacement springs, that I bought on a pricing error on amazon for about $15 a couple of years ago.
Thought I would see how they ride compared to the original 2002 springs.
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I agree bilsteins are great, i have them on my truck. But they are not made for the OP's application and for a lot of applications there are no bilsteins.
For that car, I'd use Monroe quick struts
I don't want monroe mounts, don't hold up. I own spring compressors so it's no big deal.
Plus I could never figure out which strut comes on the quick strut the cheaper monroe matic or the oe spectrum.
The one just called "Quick Strut" (listed in the purple section on Rock Auto) has the OESpectrum
The cheaper Roadmatic (previously Econo-Matic) (listed in the yellow section on Rock Auto) uses the Monro-Matic
There's also Gabriel
KYB mounts seem to give people the most trouble. Out of all the name brand aftermarket mounts. KYB seems to have the most complaints.
I really wish GM would offer actual OE quick struts! (the ACDelco Professional/Amateur quick struts are reboxed Gabriel). Ford and Honda sell OEM quick struts. Honda's quick struts are quite expensive, but Ford's Motorcraft ones are priced fair. Luckily, there are Motorcraft quick struts for the OP's Mariner.
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Thanks, i wondered what was in them. I already have some variable rate springs i bought on a price error for the front( moog cc664), so i'm going to try those out when i swap struts. The saturn rear springs have so little weight on them, i have never seen any sag.The one just called "Quick Strut" (listed in the purple section on Rock Auto) has the OESpectrum
The cheaper Roadmatic (previously Econo-Matic) (listed in the yellow section on Rock Auto) uses the Monro-Matic
There's also Gabriel
KYB mounts seem to give people the most trouble. Out of all the name brand aftermarket mounts. KYB seems to have the most complaints
I’d still choose Sachs over Monroe. We’ve had Sachs oem dampers on volvos hanging in there at 150k. Monroe’s IME are done much, much sooner. I’d be willing to give them a shot over Monroe, but admittedly theres not a lot of aftermarket talk on Sachs.
Well with all the saturns i've owned, i've used everything else! Thought i would try them! I don't mind kyb as the stiff ride handles better. But my son/daughter in law drive it , and want a better ride. It has 90k and the stock units are worn out. Never used sachs , thought i would try it.
I'll see and post what i get, whether is german or chinese .
Monroe made the 4C electronic shocks on the early 00s S60R and V70R
Most Monroe aftermarket shocks aren't the best, but they have the widest vehicle coverage out of quick struts worth buying.
Sachs makes quick struts for some Volvos and some other cars, but unfortunately, their application list is really short. I would be willing to give Sachs quick struts a try if they make them for a car I replace the shocks on!
I've seen Sachs shocks made in Germany, Spain, France, Turkey, Mexico, and the US. The Sachs from Japan are reboxed from KYB or someone else, and Chinese Sachs may or may not actually be made by ZF/Sachs. It's also possible some US Sachs aftermarket shocks aren't really Sachs, though they do make at least some here.
My guess is Mexico
https://www.autobarn.net/sophioitem.html
This website tells you the country of origin if you input your model and select "Strut". I tried a 1995 SC1 and a 2002 SC2 - both Sachs said MX.
I've seen the thread of the reboxed KYB's but have you seen evidence that Chinese Sachs may or may not actually be made by ZF/Sachs?
A large company like ZF has factories in China, but they could still rebox something else, especially for low-volume cars and/or where Sachs wasn't the OE supplier. And don't forget the funny business China does, joint ventures, etc., and everything else you know about China, so Chinese Sachs could still be a roll of the dice
You're not wrong and I agree with all your points..
Shanghai Sachs Huizhong Shock Absorber Co. Ltd
I just don't think it's fair to assume they might be crappy when they might be as good as their german counterpart.
ZF seems big enough to have methods in place to make sure their reputation stays intact and the Chinese can have fantastic quality control if the company demands it (ex: Apple).
https://www.zf.com/gc_content/document/corporate_2/zertifikate/0160.pdf
I paid a fraction of the price the dealer wanted for the Mexican Sachs and couldn't be happier with the performance.
We'll see in the future if others have similar experiences.
Shanghai Sachs Huizhong Shock Absorber Co. Ltd
I just don't think it's fair to assume they might be crappy when they might be as good as their german counterpart.
ZF seems big enough to have methods in place to make sure their reputation stays intact and the Chinese can have fantastic quality control if the company demands it (ex: Apple).
https://www.zf.com/gc_content/document/corporate_2/zertifikate/0160.pdf
I paid a fraction of the price the dealer wanted for the Mexican Sachs and couldn't be happier with the performance.
We'll see in the future if others have similar experiences.
In your case, Sachs was the OE supplier. Reboxing becomes more likely when they're not the OEM.
For the OP's Mariner, the Sachs shocks are Chinese, but I don't know whether they were the OE supplier on that car. The best option for the OP seems to be Motorcraft quick struts and KYB Gas-a-Just shocks. The KYB shocks are made in Japan, while the OEM struts are made in the US.
