https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-parts/ultimate-performance-rear-shock-mount-kit/002542ecs01kt/
In 2018 I purchased these for over $200 (now they are $320馃槼). Took me awhile to get around to installing them while I collected some other parts, but they've been on the car for over two years as I post this. It is literally my 4th vehicle so it doesn't see much mileage to begin with -it's a 2004 with 63k mi- sees exactly ZERO rain or track use and lives in climate controlled storage in a different state.
I did a big undercarriage install at once: Ohlins R&T, new OE strut hats, CSL spindles, CSL sways, ZHP steering rack with Volke shims, SDW RTAB's, 3.91 LSD, and these ECS Ultimate RSM's. Not long after I started getting a rattle in the rear and immediately assumed it was the SDW RTAB's from where I perceived the noise to be coming from. Assumed I just didn't torque them enough or they could be faulty, although that seemed unlikely since they've got a great reputation for being silent. So probably user error, I put off troubleshooting things since the car went back to storage for almost an entire year. Fast forward to this week I get the car up on the lift and start tackling this, RTAB's were tight and had no play. SDW made a good product after all apparently I can still install things correctly. Looked around at everything else and found nothing so decided to remove the rear shock just because i'm in there anyways....
Low and behold it's the ECS Ultimate RSM. There is visible play in both of the bushings when moving it by hand and they rattle over most bumps. Everything has less than 2k mi on it, and this failure occurred after only a couple hundred miles at most. No one had responded to my email for three days so I got on Chat with them. Turns out this only carries a 1 year warranty, and that's pretty much all ECS customer service was interested in telling me. Zero effort to make this right when I brought up that this is a faulty product and not just a policy technicality. The rep said maybe the bushings dried out 馃う and there's nothing they can do. I even asked if there is a replacement bushing so I can service them myself, and the rep linked me to buy new ones (LOL) and informed me the gasket and reinforcement plate can be purchased seperately as if those were causing the noise. So here we have a premium product that literally costs 10x the standard part it supposedly upgrades and only carries a 1 year warranty, but cannot be serviced, at least not through the company who advertises the design as fully serviceable and the reps don't seem to have a clue.
TLDR I'm throwing my obligatory forum/Karen hissy fit, but still.. save your money and don't fall for the hype/marketing.
In 2018 I purchased these for over $200 (now they are $320馃槼). Took me awhile to get around to installing them while I collected some other parts, but they've been on the car for over two years as I post this. It is literally my 4th vehicle so it doesn't see much mileage to begin with -it's a 2004 with 63k mi- sees exactly ZERO rain or track use and lives in climate controlled storage in a different state.
I did a big undercarriage install at once: Ohlins R&T, new OE strut hats, CSL spindles, CSL sways, ZHP steering rack with Volke shims, SDW RTAB's, 3.91 LSD, and these ECS Ultimate RSM's. Not long after I started getting a rattle in the rear and immediately assumed it was the SDW RTAB's from where I perceived the noise to be coming from. Assumed I just didn't torque them enough or they could be faulty, although that seemed unlikely since they've got a great reputation for being silent. So probably user error, I put off troubleshooting things since the car went back to storage for almost an entire year. Fast forward to this week I get the car up on the lift and start tackling this, RTAB's were tight and had no play. SDW made a good product after all apparently I can still install things correctly. Looked around at everything else and found nothing so decided to remove the rear shock just because i'm in there anyways....
Low and behold it's the ECS Ultimate RSM. There is visible play in both of the bushings when moving it by hand and they rattle over most bumps. Everything has less than 2k mi on it, and this failure occurred after only a couple hundred miles at most. No one had responded to my email for three days so I got on Chat with them. Turns out this only carries a 1 year warranty, and that's pretty much all ECS customer service was interested in telling me. Zero effort to make this right when I brought up that this is a faulty product and not just a policy technicality. The rep said maybe the bushings dried out 馃う and there's nothing they can do. I even asked if there is a replacement bushing so I can service them myself, and the rep linked me to buy new ones (LOL) and informed me the gasket and reinforcement plate can be purchased seperately as if those were causing the noise. So here we have a premium product that literally costs 10x the standard part it supposedly upgrades and only carries a 1 year warranty, but cannot be serviced, at least not through the company who advertises the design as fully serviceable and the reps don't seem to have a clue.
TLDR I'm throwing my obligatory forum/Karen hissy fit, but still.. save your money and don't fall for the hype/marketing.
Comment