SACHS DAMPERS REBUILDS

[will2705]

Now I have my dampers back I decided to strip them down. Does anyone know what oil/fluid grade is used for OEM performance (and volume required per shock)?

Cheers,
Will

 

[photo_ed]

Saw this on Autotrader today . Anyone know who AST Uk are who rebuilt the Sachs?

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!

www.autotrader.co.uk

This is them:

AST Suspension | Shocks | Street & Racing

AST is the High-Performance Suspension Manufacturer of suspension for cars and motorcycles within aftermarket and motorsport. Coilovers made in the Netherlands

ast-suspension.com

I had no idea that they re-furbed Sachs dampers... Anyone else?

 

[Titan]

Reading through their history their founder also founded Aragosta (you tend to see those used in a lot of high end Skylines and the like in Japan) and seem to have a pretty serious and impressive history in a lot of different motorsport formulae.

 

[photo_ed]

This is them:

AST Suspension | Shocks | Street & Racing

AST is the High-Performance Suspension Manufacturer of suspension for cars and motorcycles within aftermarket and motorsport. Coilovers made in the Netherlands

ast-suspension.com

I had no idea that they re-furbed Sachs dampers... Anyone else?

I think I've got to the bottom of this, my sleuthing regarding AST led me to Cooksport, who were the UK distributor for AST suspension products. As we know, before they folded, Cooksport had begun to offer a Sachs refurb service, so that's who's probably done the rebuild on the dampers mentioned earlier..

Phew, glad I cleared that up, as I was starting to get slightly excited that AST themselves had become involved in the Trophy Sachs refurb market, it doesn't look like that is the case.

 

[Big Dave]

When it came to light that Cooksport had folded, i did some digging, and found that Josh Cook was or had also been a director of AST...Along with numerous other companies... Its a small world..

 

[MarcB]

Josh Cook who is a BTCC Driver started out as Cook Motorsport and all they done was coil springs at first I believe, At that point there was another guy doing AST for the UK and he was bad and I mean very bad, He folded and Cook Motorsport took over AST UK and started supplying and refurbing AST Shocks along with other shocks.

Cook Motorsport vanished and im "Guessing" so did AST UK along with it.

 

[Big Dave]

I remember looking into getting some AST kit for one of my previous cars, but was warned off due to REALLY bad customer service,, this was some 10 years ago...

Just did some more digging / googling, and it doesnt look great for Josh Cook, it seems all the suspension companies he gets involved in goes into liquidation... Cooksport, AST [UK], and AVO ... All gone...
Im not saying its his problem, BUT...!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[hoolio]

Im not saying its his problem, BUT...!!!!!!!!!!!!

There seems to be a pattern……..

I think I could think of worse customer service but I would have to try very hard. My experiences with AST are fairly well know, in the end I got in touch with the guys in Europe to do some arm twisting. Shame because it’s mostly quite good.

 

[MarcB]

Im rather sure it was a guy called Curtis who had the AST UK Franchise when I had issues with my AST Top mounts back in 2010/11 and the service was absolutely shocking.

Quick Search Shows this -

Good news for AST fans

No more dealings with Curtis at AST UK. As of today AST UK is being run through Cooksport with Josh Cook himself.

cliosport.net

 

[Mike256]

Does anyone rebuild the rears dampers?

I spoke with BG Motorsport yesterday and they don't rebuild the rears but they also informed me they can no longer get spare parts from Sachs for the fronts.

 

[marrow]

Any idea why they don't get spares from Sachs anymore? Are they still the only authorised servicing centre in the UK?

 

[Mike256]

Sachs have stopped making the rebuild parts.

 

[photo_ed]

Does anyone rebuild the rears dampers?

I spoke with BG Motorsport yesterday and they don't rebuild the rears but they also informed me they can no longer get spare parts from Sachs for the fronts.

This has been the case for quite some time and Sachs have no interest in or intention of remanufacturing any parts. A real shame, but that’s the reality of things as these cars get older.

 

[photo_ed]

Sachs also won’t release any of the material specifications etc either for 3rd parties to make stuff bespokely. I’ve been told that they refuse to give this kind of info to BG, which in the long run is going to make things tricky to continue to run the cars on Sachs in any sort of anger.

 

[marrow]

So to be clear (for me) does that mean BG don't have the spares to services our dampers? If so, this is a joke and a PR own-goal for Sachs.

 

[Mike256]

Sachs also won’t release any of the material specifications etc either for 3rd parties to make stuff bespokely. I’ve been told that they refuse to give this kind of info to BG, which in the long run is going to make things tricky to continue to run the cars on Sachs in any sort of anger.

That's a real shame. There's a spare set of fronts for sale but I may reconsider and buy some highend coilovers for day to day use instead & the sachs come out for events.

 

[Mike256]

So to be clear (for me) does that mean BG don't have the spares to services our dampers? If so, this is a joke and a PR own-goal for Sachs.

That is what they said to me yesterday when I rang them. Hopefully another shop maybe able to restore them going forwards

 

[marrow]

Thanks - seems little point buying a second back-up set when no one potentially can service them..... as you say, the future probably lies with other dampers - these are likely to be better than our Sachs dampers

 

[Ajracer]

This is a terrible position we all find ourselves in.

Do you take the Sachs off the car, box up and hope they don’t dry up before you sell while running on standard dampers?
Or do you say sod it and enjoy the car as intended and hope they don’t start leaking?

 

[marrow]

I'm in the sod it camp! Now where did I put those 182 Cups shocks?