new shocks - what should i be paying in Aus

[HOLEIN1]

ok, ive made the decision to purchase new shocks from within australia to preserve the warranty...

however after some research, it seems that they are alot more expensive than what i would have thought... up to $1200-$1400 odd for some bilstein B8's... similar sort of case with some adjustable KYB's

are these sort of prices typical at this time? if am gettting ripped a new one, where do people reccomend i get them from?

[Manaz]

Those prices are similar to what I was being quoted when I was looking for suspension for my Bora.

[Dub_Star_V6]

You want premium product, you have to pay premium price my friend...

Plus buying locally means no warranty dramas, and supports local businesses. Yes it's (much) cheaper overseas but you'll find anything of that quality (KONI, KYB) won't be cheap.

[gavs]

Unfortunately that was the same scenario I was confronted with when looking for mine. Koni, Bilstein, KYB all about the same price in Australia, all about the same figures you were quoted.

I went off shore. In the US, the price of Bilsteins and Konis, after importing, weren't that much different to aussie prices (for the models I looked at anyway, the coilovers and fully tune-ables worked out much cheaper).

The KYB's on the other hand, well, I got them delivered to my door for $650 AUD!! For that price, I could replace all 4 (due to the now higher exchange rate) and it would only work out $100 more than getting them locally!

[Yevvy]

$1400 for bilstein b8s? that is ridiculous! there is my plan gone out the window

[gareth_oau]

and allow another $4-500 for installation if you arent doing it yourself

[noone]

For me, local distributors were not close and when I offered them the price I had from OS, they were not interested in getting close.

Try posting in the Wanted to Buy section, you should get a couple of distributors contact you with offers.

I went with UK distributor and aside from the delay, worked out very competitive (could not get them here for double).

Warranty may be an issue, but as others have said, if you could buy the replacement set included for the price of them locally, is it really worth it?

I'd keep hunting for the best price...

[Gravey]

Looking at B8's and Eibach Pro Kit now. The Pro-Kit is quite cheap atm direct from Eibach Australia, $320 delivered for mine, which is the cheapest I've seen anywhere - http://www.eibach.ashop.com.au

As for the B8's, locally I can get them for $1,230. Quotes from several USA sites work out to be around $850 delivered, so almost $400 (or 30%) in savings. As others have said, Coilovers you will save even more, although you would need to consider customs charges for anything over $1,000.

[Manaz]

For what it's worth, VW Australia will quote ~$1400 for stock suspension as well. So by going for Bilstein/Koni/KYB, etc, you're getting a better than stock product for stock pricing.

Yes it's (much) cheaper overseas but you'll find anything of that quality (KONI, KYB) won't be cheap.

Suspension from overseas is *significantly* cheaper than locally. Before duties and taxes, you can get a set of Bilstein PSS9s landed in Australia for $1600 (or lower with the dollar being so strong now). A set of H&R Touring or Sport Cup suspension is less than USD$650 from TireRack, Eibach Sport kit for less - you'd land those for a lot less than AUD$1,000 here, and not have to worry about duties or GST either.

Yes, there are warranty/support/liability issues with bringing stuff in from overseas - but I can't imagine how that accounts for a 100% markup on overseas pricing (particularly when it's retail pricing overseas, and they're taking the same responsibilities over there as a local retailer would take here). In fact, working with a smart local operation who are taking the responsibility for warranty/liability/etc, I managed to bring my PSS9s in for $600 less than the best price (discounted by $400 itself!) for locally sourced PSS9s. How does that work except by the involvement of price gouging the local customer simply because the importer thinks they can?

[HOLEIN1]

thanks for the replys guys, looks like ive been a little mislead during my research into suspension options... from memory i remember people being able to get both shocks and springs for around the $1200 mark. not to be by the looks of things!

all good though, as people have mentioned, premium product with warranty = premium price...

As for the B8's, locally I can get them for $1,230. Quotes from several USA sites work out to be around $850 delivered, so almost $400 (or 30%) in savings. As others have said, Coilovers you will save even more, although you would need to consider customs charges for anything over $1,000.

Gravey, where have you found the best prices? ive called places such as imparts and that place at nth tce kent town, overall prices seem to be similar...