Ever since it got cold outside, I've had a banging noise in the rear end when going over bumps. Friday was nice and mild, (50*!), so I decided to investigate. Turns out it was the hard plastic bellows banging on the shock body. So, I figured I would warm the bellows and pull them over the shocks and clamp them in place. Thats when I noticed a crack in one of them about 1 1/2" long. These are less than 1 year old. WTF? Anyone else noticed this?

 

The KYB bellows I used on my 99 were trash within a year. I mention them because the Moog are also plastic (in fact they look identical to the KYB bellows). I'll be doing some suspension updates soon on the 02 I'm driving now, and the bellows will be Nissan OEM- a bit more expensive, but they fit (which the KYB didn't-not an application specific part, just like the Moog) and they're rubberized, which apparently lasts better.

 

I was going to get KYB's as a replacement, since the shocks & struts that I installed are GR2's. Perhaps OEM is the way to go. Thanks for the insight.

 

I use OEM only on all my installs, I have yet to find a better replacement.

 

Well, you 'otta know. I should have ponied up the extra money for oem. Now, not only will I have to buy oem's, but I also wasted my money on the Moogs AND I have to pull the struts out & take them apart again. Live and learn.

 

This was the advice I listened to last March. From djfrestyl, no less.

When installing new struts, we inspected the original bellows for cracks and wear. They seemed to be just fine . So I cleaned them up, reconditioned them with silicon spray, and put them back on.

9 years now, and driven every winter. Crazy, huh?

 

Yes, very strange, and impressive! Especially considering the winters you have up in Rochester.

 

I am running OEM bellows and stops from courtesy, its worth the money.

I tried using the KYB's integrated strut bellows/bumpstop and they didnt even fit over the strut shaft, total garbage. Ended up redoing a month later.

 

^^^ +1

I ALWAYS have to drill the bumpstop opening larger when installing KYB boots.

 

I thought you only used oem?
I found that the front Moog bellows are larger in diameter than the strut body so that there is room to move over the strut when it is compressed. The rear, however, is smaller in diameter, so it gets struck against the shock body on compression.

 

I only use and recommend OEM, but when a customer brings me his own parts, I have no choice but to make them work. It's not pretty.

 

Im looking to lower my car in the spring and i want to know what are "bellows"?

 

Dustboots.

 

them things that look like a accordion?

 

Yes, same things that look like bellows.



Part #54050M

 

I'll check the cost @ my local dealer, but I'm almost sure I'll be ordering online from the US since parts in Canada seem to be far more expensive.
In the parts break down there Are 2 items for the rear bellows; the cover and the bound bumper assembly. Is the cover included with the assembly? I assume the cover is the bump stop?
The bumper is # 3 and the cover is # 4.

 

You don't need #4, only #3. Also, this diagram is missing some parts for the strut assembly, I would not refer to it as it is not complete.

For reference, I get all 4 dustboots shipped to my door for about $94 (USD)

 

Thanks for the clarification. Now, if spring would only hurry up, I could get after it.

 

I called the local dealer today to price the rear bellows. $96 EACH!
Now I know that we grow good weed up here, but this guy is obviously smoking something very bad. I paid less than that for the shocks.

 

Wow, that's quite a lot. See post #17

Call Dave B and see if he will ship to you in CA?

 

That's a very good price. I'm sure shipping from Texas would kill me, though.

 

They're very light and not very large - it can't be more than an extra $10-$15, max.

In my experience, USPS is cheapest for CA shipping.

 

I put a call in to Dave B but lost patience after being on hold for over 5 min. So, I ordered a pair from nissanparts.cc. $27 and change each and $20 for shipping. Not too bad considering that's way less than half price compared to the local dealer. WHY MUST WE GET RAPED SO BADLY ON PARTS UP HERE? I just don't get it.