If "Auto Parts Warehouse" is a reputable seller (want to order bilstein pss9)
10-13-2016, 03:28 AM
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If "Auto Parts Warehouse" is a reputable seller (want to order bilstein pss9)
link: http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/
Has anyone had direct experience with this warehouse distributor?
I am looking to purchase a set of bilstein pss9 but not sure how legit this business is or how they will handle my warranty issues. They said they would send out a whole new set if my future bilstein are damaged due to manufacture defect but lots of company's say this but make it a run around hassle, kind of like stealerships. Looking to order my set asap but wanted people with direct experience. Also their customer service is located in the Philippines while their so called warehouse is in US but then their rep said the part was directly coming from Bilstein itself?????? Pretty confusing here especially after talking to a rep there and he said he works on commission. We all know how "MOST" people who work on commission talk. Slick but risky.
Also their latest customer feedback was in 2014. And......... it was only a total of 10-15 feedbacks.
I have trust issues. But this is a $1400+ coil over set.
Has anyone had direct experience with this warehouse distributor?
I am looking to purchase a set of bilstein pss9 but not sure how legit this business is or how they will handle my warranty issues. They said they would send out a whole new set if my future bilstein are damaged due to manufacture defect but lots of company's say this but make it a run around hassle, kind of like stealerships. Looking to order my set asap but wanted people with direct experience. Also their customer service is located in the Philippines while their so called warehouse is in US but then their rep said the part was directly coming from Bilstein itself?????? Pretty confusing here especially after talking to a rep there and he said he works on commission. We all know how "MOST" people who work on commission talk. Slick but risky.
Also their latest customer feedback was in 2014. And......... it was only a total of 10-15 feedbacks.
I have trust issues. But this is a $1400+ coil over set.
Last edited by rotary-anoobis; 10-13-2016 at 03:35 AM.
10-13-2016, 12:46 PM
#2
Water Foul
I have ordered a lot of small parts from them (spark plugs and such) and have never had any issues. I have never needed to return anything, however.
Many of these sites do not actually stock any product, and are instead drop-shippers. Some orders are filled by manufacturers, and some are filled by distributors like Motovicity.
Save yourself $500 and buy the non-adjustable PSS version. The adjusters on the PSS9 are just gimmicks. You will set them all to 5 and forget them. Trust me.
Many of these sites do not actually stock any product, and are instead drop-shippers. Some orders are filled by manufacturers, and some are filled by distributors like Motovicity.
Save yourself $500 and buy the non-adjustable PSS version. The adjusters on the PSS9 are just gimmicks. You will set them all to 5 and forget them. Trust me.
Last edited by Steve Dallas; 10-14-2016 at 09:32 AM.
10-13-2016, 11:52 PM
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Thanks for the reply. They dont have the pss on their site. Not that i saw anyways. They do have the pss9 for total of $1316 after tax and shipping with my coupon. Only a few bucks away from the pss. I heard about the gimmick also but I figured some slight adjustability was better than none. Some say it was a gimmick and some say it actually works well and some say only work well if going full soft to full stiff. I dont mind that and paying slightly more for some type of stiffness adjustability whether it be a all or nothing type of adjusting. Anyone else had experience with these shocks from this "warehouse"
10-14-2016, 07:37 AM
#4
Water Foul
I have driven on PSS9s on the track and street for the better part of 3 years, so I am very familiar with them. Let me take a moment to explain how the adjuster works on the PSS9. Have a look at this scale:
1..........2345678..........9
A setting of 1 is full hard. It is so hard, it will rattle your teeth out of your head as you skip off the road and into the ditch, which makes it useless. A setting of 9 is full soft. It is so soft, it is like driving a '59 Cadillac. Unless you like bouncy-floaty, it is also useless. That leaves the settings bunched in the middle. There really isn't much difference between a setting of 2 and 8, as the adjuster only turns 180 degrees, and most of that travel is between 1 - 2 and 8 - 9. At first, you will play around in that area trying to find what you like best. Eventually, you will realize that 5 is best for most conditions, and you will set it there and forget it (or wish you had your $500 back). And, that happens to be where the PSS is valved.
There is also the issue of what the adjuster is actually adjusting. I call it a "comfort" control, because it is not actually adjusting full spectrum rebound. It adjusts some combination of compression and high frequency rebound, and those are not always compatible in each setting. Some settings are just plain weird.
So, no, some adjustability is not necessarily better than none.
The PSS10 has a much better design, but it is not available for our cars, unfortunately.
If I were buying Bilstein again, I would buy the PSS and save the $$ and frustration.
These guys have the PSS for just over $1000 with free shipping:
47-110267 - BILSTEIN Performance Suspension Kits - B14 PSS Kit - Import Replacement Parts
.
1..........2345678..........9
A setting of 1 is full hard. It is so hard, it will rattle your teeth out of your head as you skip off the road and into the ditch, which makes it useless. A setting of 9 is full soft. It is so soft, it is like driving a '59 Cadillac. Unless you like bouncy-floaty, it is also useless. That leaves the settings bunched in the middle. There really isn't much difference between a setting of 2 and 8, as the adjuster only turns 180 degrees, and most of that travel is between 1 - 2 and 8 - 9. At first, you will play around in that area trying to find what you like best. Eventually, you will realize that 5 is best for most conditions, and you will set it there and forget it (or wish you had your $500 back). And, that happens to be where the PSS is valved.
There is also the issue of what the adjuster is actually adjusting. I call it a "comfort" control, because it is not actually adjusting full spectrum rebound. It adjusts some combination of compression and high frequency rebound, and those are not always compatible in each setting. Some settings are just plain weird.
So, no, some adjustability is not necessarily better than none.
The PSS10 has a much better design, but it is not available for our cars, unfortunately.
If I were buying Bilstein again, I would buy the PSS and save the $$ and frustration.
These guys have the PSS for just over $1000 with free shipping:
47-110267 - BILSTEIN Performance Suspension Kits - B14 PSS Kit - Import Replacement Parts
.
Last edited by Steve Dallas; 10-14-2016 at 09:17 PM.
10-14-2016, 10:36 AM
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I have driven on PSS9s on the track and street for the better part of 3 years, so I am very familiar with them. Let me take a moment to explain how the adjuster works on the PSS9. Have a look at this scale:
1..........2345678..........9
A setting of 1 is full hard. It is so hard, it will rattle your teeth out of your head as you skip off the road, which makes it useless. A setting of 9 is full soft. It is so soft, it is like driving a '59 Cadillac. Unless you like bouncy-floaty , it is also useless. That leaves the settings bunched in the middle. There really isn't much difference between a setting of 2 and 8, as the adjuster only turns 180 degrees. At first, you will play around in that area trying to find what you like best. Eventually, you will realize that 5 is best for most conditions, and you will set it there and forget it (or wish you had your $500 back). And, that happens to be where the PSS is valved.
There is also the issue of what the adjuster is actually adjusting. I call it a "comfort" control, because it is not actually adjusting full spectrum rebound. It adjusts some combination of compression and high frequency rebound, and those are not always compatible in each setting. Some settings are just plain weird.
So, no, some adjustability is not necessarily better than none.
The PSS10 has a much better design, but it is not available for our cars, unfortunately.
If I were buying Bilstein again, I would buy the PSS and save the $$ and frustration.
These guys have the PSS for just over $1000 with free shipping:
47-110267 - BILSTEIN Performance Suspension Kits - B14 PSS Kit - Import Replacement Parts
1..........2345678..........9
A setting of 1 is full hard. It is so hard, it will rattle your teeth out of your head as you skip off the road, which makes it useless. A setting of 9 is full soft. It is so soft, it is like driving a '59 Cadillac. Unless you like bouncy-floaty , it is also useless. That leaves the settings bunched in the middle. There really isn't much difference between a setting of 2 and 8, as the adjuster only turns 180 degrees. At first, you will play around in that area trying to find what you like best. Eventually, you will realize that 5 is best for most conditions, and you will set it there and forget it (or wish you had your $500 back). And, that happens to be where the PSS is valved.
There is also the issue of what the adjuster is actually adjusting. I call it a "comfort" control, because it is not actually adjusting full spectrum rebound. It adjusts some combination of compression and high frequency rebound, and those are not always compatible in each setting. Some settings are just plain weird.
So, no, some adjustability is not necessarily better than none.
The PSS10 has a much better design, but it is not available for our cars, unfortunately.
If I were buying Bilstein again, I would buy the PSS and save the $$ and frustration.
These guys have the PSS for just over $1000 with free shipping:
47-110267 - BILSTEIN Performance Suspension Kits - B14 PSS Kit - Import Replacement Parts
Cheers!
10-15-2016, 02:14 AM
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Thanks for the knowledgeable input Steve. Really appreciated. Just wondering if you rode in a rx8 with "pss". Was their any difference at all with your pss9 set to 5 and the pss. I read up on the thread "Anyone here run Bilstein pss9" Long 21 page thread but finished it. You also commented in it a few times also. The two main guys who tracked their cars and reported back had lots of positive things to say. Really persuasive also like your input. All these mixed info makes my decisions jump back and forth that im about to not buy any at all lol. I understand everything must be taken with a grain of salt and most only want input to help make their buying decisions easier to the point where they would rather hear lies. Some expect too much for a product that they where dissapointed. Others expected too little that where marveled. And some are more sensitive to harshness than others. Some dont care for the harshness. So confusing. If only i could ride in both with different springs but the variables stayed the same. Dont want to buy the pss to want more and then buy the pss9 to do same as the pss. Price difference for me is only $230 more for the pss9. I figure id buy the pss9 and set to around 5 for spirited driving and autox then set to 9 for daily driving if anything.
Are the settings really unchanged at all like say from 7 to 9. Can you feel a very small difference at least? Is the ride at 9 really that bouncy and floaty. I just couldn't imagine setting of 9 on well balanced rx-8(235/45/18s) to be floatier/ bouncier than my "at the time" stock 3000lbs 98 accord(195/65/15's) & stock 2300 lbs civic(175/70/13's). Especially with rx-8 pss9 higher spring ratings and way better shock rebounding and dampening than the OE accord/civic economy suspension. Im sure at setting "7" versus max "9", "7" had to have felt somewhat slightly stiffer than "9". And setting "5" somewhat slightly stiffer than "7". Not accusing challenging you of lying or anything. Just want some type of verification. As I have been down the road of been there done that so just listen to me and save yourself lots of time, money, and regrets. I get ask several questions of how to build a decent quick street car but they never listen to my input because they only ask having what they want to do in mind anyways.
I mainly commute 10 mins to work and back on freeway and dont mind the floaty ride if set at 9. I hope the bone jarring of 1 isnt as bad as my civic with koni yellow 4 way adjustable and skunk2 coil overs with 450F/410R lb spring ratings topped off in a super light 2300 lbs turbo hatchback, making it feel way stiffer. NOt sure if koni yellow was better than bilstein pss9 but i can feel major differences from all 4 clicks of the koni yellows. And im sure koni yellows arent as good as the bilstein shocks. might be apples to oranges comparison, not sure.
Are the settings really unchanged at all like say from 7 to 9. Can you feel a very small difference at least? Is the ride at 9 really that bouncy and floaty. I just couldn't imagine setting of 9 on well balanced rx-8(235/45/18s) to be floatier/ bouncier than my "at the time" stock 3000lbs 98 accord(195/65/15's) & stock 2300 lbs civic(175/70/13's). Especially with rx-8 pss9 higher spring ratings and way better shock rebounding and dampening than the OE accord/civic economy suspension. Im sure at setting "7" versus max "9", "7" had to have felt somewhat slightly stiffer than "9". And setting "5" somewhat slightly stiffer than "7". Not accusing challenging you of lying or anything. Just want some type of verification. As I have been down the road of been there done that so just listen to me and save yourself lots of time, money, and regrets. I get ask several questions of how to build a decent quick street car but they never listen to my input because they only ask having what they want to do in mind anyways.
I mainly commute 10 mins to work and back on freeway and dont mind the floaty ride if set at 9. I hope the bone jarring of 1 isnt as bad as my civic with koni yellow 4 way adjustable and skunk2 coil overs with 450F/410R lb spring ratings topped off in a super light 2300 lbs turbo hatchback, making it feel way stiffer. NOt sure if koni yellow was better than bilstein pss9 but i can feel major differences from all 4 clicks of the koni yellows. And im sure koni yellows arent as good as the bilstein shocks. might be apples to oranges comparison, not sure.
Last edited by rotary-anoobis; 10-15-2016 at 02:38 AM.
10-15-2016, 10:20 PM
#8
Water Foul
Gah! I wish you had given me a list of questions to answer. That paragraph of scattered questions and musings is difficult to parse.
The 9 setting really is useless, unless you like bouncing off the bump stops and floating toward the sky every time you hit a bump. It is like putting wheels on a bounce house and driving it in slow motion.
There is a very noticeable difference between settings 7 and 9. Look at the scale I posted above. The change is wide. The difference between 7 and 8 is almost non-existent, however, but both feel wrong to me on the street. Setting 6 has a better combination of compression and rebound, but it isn't much different than 5, so there is no point in changing from 5 to 6, except for very fine tuning. Moving to the other side of 5, I found 4 to be a useful setting, but again, it isn't much different than 5. You could use 4 for fine tuning, but it would have to be very fine. I found 2 and 3 to cause wheel hop under braking on smooth tracks. Those settings also make the front suspension feel very busy. As mentioned, 1 is brutal and pointless.
When I twice mentioned very fine tuning above, I mean that you could accomplish the same thing and/or achieve better results by simply adjusting tire pressures or slightly adjusting your driving style. So, settings of 4, 5, and 6 were useful to me, but not really even worth laying on the ground and getting dirty to make any changes between them.
To answer your other question, I have not driven on PSS coilovers. I have received valving information from the engineering department at Bilstein, which tells me the valving is nearly identical between PSS and PSS9 set on 5, for their given spring rates.
I probably posted positive things in the PSS9 thread, when I was in the honeymoon period. I thought they were good coilovers, until I researched shock valving and adjustability and learned what was going on with them. After having installed Ohlins coilovers, I finally understand the difference between average and excellent rebound adjustment. But, even with the Ohlins, I found the sweet spot at 12 clicks front and 10 clicks rear (out of 32) and just leave them there.
Hell. Go ahead an buy the 9s if the $200-ish isn't a big deal to you. Play with them. I'd like to hear if you think my assessment is right or wrong, once your honeymoon period ends.
The 9 setting really is useless, unless you like bouncing off the bump stops and floating toward the sky every time you hit a bump. It is like putting wheels on a bounce house and driving it in slow motion.
There is a very noticeable difference between settings 7 and 9. Look at the scale I posted above. The change is wide. The difference between 7 and 8 is almost non-existent, however, but both feel wrong to me on the street. Setting 6 has a better combination of compression and rebound, but it isn't much different than 5, so there is no point in changing from 5 to 6, except for very fine tuning. Moving to the other side of 5, I found 4 to be a useful setting, but again, it isn't much different than 5. You could use 4 for fine tuning, but it would have to be very fine. I found 2 and 3 to cause wheel hop under braking on smooth tracks. Those settings also make the front suspension feel very busy. As mentioned, 1 is brutal and pointless.
When I twice mentioned very fine tuning above, I mean that you could accomplish the same thing and/or achieve better results by simply adjusting tire pressures or slightly adjusting your driving style. So, settings of 4, 5, and 6 were useful to me, but not really even worth laying on the ground and getting dirty to make any changes between them.
To answer your other question, I have not driven on PSS coilovers. I have received valving information from the engineering department at Bilstein, which tells me the valving is nearly identical between PSS and PSS9 set on 5, for their given spring rates.
I probably posted positive things in the PSS9 thread, when I was in the honeymoon period. I thought they were good coilovers, until I researched shock valving and adjustability and learned what was going on with them. After having installed Ohlins coilovers, I finally understand the difference between average and excellent rebound adjustment. But, even with the Ohlins, I found the sweet spot at 12 clicks front and 10 clicks rear (out of 32) and just leave them there.
Hell. Go ahead an buy the 9s if the $200-ish isn't a big deal to you. Play with them. I'd like to hear if you think my assessment is right or wrong, once your honeymoon period ends.
Last edited by Steve Dallas; 10-17-2016 at 07:58 AM.
10-16-2016, 10:18 PM
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Thanks for the knowledgeable reply back. Maybe pss is the option I should consider at the moment. Leaves more $$ for BHR coils. I believe in your other threads you where trying to re-vavle your pss9 and you or some other thread mentioned pss being cheaper to re-valve due to less internal parts. Considering my other projects and cars I've own Im sure non adjustables wont be as bad as my koni and skunk setup anyways. Do you know whether the pss are valved closer to the pss9 settings of 5-1 or more towards the setting of 6-9? At this point is doesn't matter much as I shouldnt be dissapointed with either pss or pss9. But its always just good to know especially from someone who talked directly with the engineers.
10-17-2016, 08:12 AM
#10
Water Foul
I can't make you any promises about valving, but the information I have shows the PSS to be valved almost identically to the PSS9 set on 5.
PSS9s are almost impossible to have serviced in a fiscally sound manner. Almost no shock rebuilder wants to touch them, and those that will charge more than they cost in the first place. Bilstein's pricing for service is a little better at $200 per shock plus parts plus shipping both ways, but I would rather just buy new than pay $1000+ for rebuild service.
PSS9s aren't terrible. The PSS family is easily the best you can buy for under $2400. I would still be happily driving on my PSS9s (set on 5) if I hadn't broken one in an accident. All I am saying is the adjustability in the PSS9 is not worth the price premium--especially if you ever need service.
PSS9s are almost impossible to have serviced in a fiscally sound manner. Almost no shock rebuilder wants to touch them, and those that will charge more than they cost in the first place. Bilstein's pricing for service is a little better at $200 per shock plus parts plus shipping both ways, but I would rather just buy new than pay $1000+ for rebuild service.
PSS9s aren't terrible. The PSS family is easily the best you can buy for under $2400. I would still be happily driving on my PSS9s (set on 5) if I hadn't broken one in an accident. All I am saying is the adjustability in the PSS9 is not worth the price premium--especially if you ever need service.
Last edited by Steve Dallas; 10-17-2016 at 09:16 PM.
10-17-2016, 09:23 PM
#11
Water Foul
Yes. Definitely get the BHR coils. I have 45 track days plus weekend driving on mine, and they are going strong. I change my plugs every June, and they always look great. BHR's midpipe isn't shabby either.
I did not mean to imply there is anything wrong with drop-shippers. Only the biggest companies have the capital to invest in maintaining large inventories. Drop-shipping allows small to mid-sized players to be in the market. The consideration is that, when returning an item like coilovers, the seller usually has to coordinate the return with the supplier, which can add a wrinkle to the returns process. A return would be easier with a company like Tire Rack, which actually stocks a lot of product and has a lot of clout with its suppliers, than it would be with virtually any of the smaller players. It's all fine and good. Just something to consider.
I did not mean to imply there is anything wrong with drop-shippers. Only the biggest companies have the capital to invest in maintaining large inventories. Drop-shipping allows small to mid-sized players to be in the market. The consideration is that, when returning an item like coilovers, the seller usually has to coordinate the return with the supplier, which can add a wrinkle to the returns process. A return would be easier with a company like Tire Rack, which actually stocks a lot of product and has a lot of clout with its suppliers, than it would be with virtually any of the smaller players. It's all fine and good. Just something to consider.
10-17-2016, 11:28 PM
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Steve- thanks for all the useful info on this thread and all the other threads. Im sure there is no disappointment with either pss or pss9 for a street/ mild auto x suspension setup. Ill prob just go with the pss9 that way in future if i decide to upgrade to ohlins, they should hold resale value better than pss.
Charles- funny, im the same person who messaged you about the sign up issue I had and the "special order request". Will be placing order in a bit here. Looking foward to everything.
Charles- funny, im the same person who messaged you about the sign up issue I had and the "special order request". Will be placing order in a bit here. Looking foward to everything.
Last edited by rotary-anoobis; 10-18-2016 at 11:27 PM.
10-18-2016, 09:47 PM
#13
Water Foul
Somehow, I knew you were going to say that. The lure of adjustability always wins. Probably best to email Charles on pricing directly, instead of hashing it out publicly. He's one of the good guys.
10-18-2016, 11:31 PM
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Oh yeah got to have that back up resell plan. Builds always change for better or for worse.
Yes so sorry about that. Didnt mean for it to come out that way Charles and Steve. Reedited my previous post. Meant it in a friendly respectful way but it can be in a bad way now that you mentioned it. Thanks for keeping me in check. Will PM Charles once mind is made up. BHR coils ordered. Christmas is early baby!! Cant wait YAHOO!!!
Yes so sorry about that. Didnt mean for it to come out that way Charles and Steve. Reedited my previous post. Meant it in a friendly respectful way but it can be in a bad way now that you mentioned it. Thanks for keeping me in check. Will PM Charles once mind is made up. BHR coils ordered. Christmas is early baby!! Cant wait YAHOO!!!
Last edited by rotary-anoobis; 10-18-2016 at 11:34 PM.
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