Rebuild BP51 or replace?

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Brandon966

Joined
Feb 1, 2026
Threads
16
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39
Location
Roanoke VA
Purchased used 2016 with 140k, BP51 kit was installed in 2021 with around 100k.

Lower shock bearings are toast, and two of them leak. Shop wants 2-3 days to rebuild and re install.

Between that timeline to be without our main vehicle, and the fact that these only go up to 2” instead of 2.5”…am I better off just replacing the set with something else or just rebuilding what I have? I know the BP51 is supposed to be the cats meow, but honestly with the troubles these have with only 40k on them…I’m not impressed so far.
 
how are they rebuilding them? as in where are they sourcing the consumables? If I were you, I'd move to something else simple, with it being your main vehicle, a Bilstein 6112/5160 and never think about it again
 
Having ran the BP51’s for about 40k miles I can say that they are pretty sweet. Cats meow, no. The cats meow are the 2.5 Kings from filthy motorsports that I replace them with.

If the shop you’re at can rebuild in house and time is an issue the that may be an option. If they have to send them off the for rebuild and time is an issue then you may want to consider replacement. If you’re considering a replacement then enjoy the rabbit hole and pick accordingly.
 
Looks like I may have a leaky rear BP51 as well. I’m at 38,500 miles. Debating whether I want to buy one and replace it, then send them back for rebuild, or buy two and then either rebuild or sell the current ones as-is.

The fronts seem to be fine at the moment but I’m also debating just swapping the whole set with something else since the BP51 are nice but for the money I’d like more adjustability anyway
 
Did ARB ever establish proper rebuilt kits and dealers to do it? I know they said they were "gonna" do it but never heard if they made it happen or not.
 
FWIW - if you're going to pay to get two rebuilt and deal with the downtime, I'd get all four redone.

You could also throw on a 'cheap' set of shocks or event takeoffs if the downtime is an issue. I had friends do that when they were doing their own installations. But if you're having a shop rebuild in house, its probably cheaper to rent a car for a day or two vs buying a cheap pair of temp shocks, paying to have those installed, and then swapping the rebuilt coilovers back in.

Now, if that makes you want to just go ahead and swap to something new, I'd swap. If you want a set and forget option, I have not run them, but have heard and seen (short trail chats, not 40K miles of riding together) people who are happy with some of the Dobinson's options.

With the exception of, maybe, the factory TRD Pro shocks from different models, I think most performance coilovers (King, Fox, ADS, etc) requires a rebuild periodically (depending on the conditions you run in).
 
TaishoCruiser said:
FWIW - if you're going to pay to get two rebuilt and deal with the downtime, I'd get all four redone.

You could also throw on a 'cheap' set of shocks or event takeoffs if the downtime is an issue. I had friends do that when they were doing their own installations. But if you're having a shop rebuild in house, its probably cheaper to rent a car for a day or two vs buying a cheap pair of temp shocks, paying to have those installed, and then swapping the rebuilt coilovers back in.

Now, if that makes you want to just go ahead and swap to something new, I'd swap. If you want a set and forget option, I have not run them, but have heard and seen (short trail chats, not 40K miles of riding together) people who are happy with some of the Dobinson's options.

With the exception of, maybe, the factory TRD Pro shocks from different models, I think most performance coilovers (King, Fox, ADS, etc) requires a rebuild periodically (depending on the conditions you run in).
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Yeah I was expecting to rebuild eventually but ARB implies 100k and Slee sad they thought 75k was when to start thinking about it. Leaking at <40k is disappointing
 
I just got off the phone with SLEE (I have a similar situation, my BP-51's were ARB rebuilt about 60k ago) and they said the ARB is no longer servicing shocks unless they are under warranty, though SLEE can do it in house now. I came here to see if people were generally still swapping in a new set or if it might be time to try something different. I will say my set has been pretty awesome for a long time. Thoughts from the hive mind?
 
MrCWineMan said:
I just got off the phone with SLEE (I have a similar situation, my BP-51's were ARB rebuilt about 60k ago) and they said the ARB is no longer servicing shocks unless they are under warranty, though SLEE can do it in house now. I came here to see if people were generally still swapping in a new set or if it might be time to try something different. I will say my set has been pretty awesome for a long time. Thoughts from the hive mind?
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If the shafts are smooth and Slee can get all of the seals for a rebuild... given that you're in Colorado with Slee, that's a solid option.

If you have some scoring on your shafts or need to replace some parts that are a bit of PiTa, at that point, I'd probably go with a new option.
 
Honestly, if we keep this truck, I'm swapping to Dobinsons. The fact that these are such a constant problem for everyone is simply unacceptable. I dont hear about squeaky lower shock bushings or things like that with Dobinsons or Bilstein.
 
I feel like I saw that you can order the rebuild kits online as I was looking for shock info today. Maybe if you have a shock rebuilder in your area that doesn’t normally work on these that could be an option to get them the parts locally?
 
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Brandon966 said:
Honestly, if we keep this truck, I'm swapping to Dobinsons. The fact that these are such a constant problem for everyone is simply unacceptable. I dont hear about squeaky lower shock bushings or things like that with Dobinsons or Bilstein.
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BP51 uses a spherical bearing like fox/king/Ads race shocks. Bilstein at least on 6112 uses rubber which is far more compliant and quiet but not as race-y.
 
I have BP-51’s on my 200. NEVER AGAIN! The upper spherical bushings are impossible to remove. Even at a shop they couldn’t break the bolt loose that mounts the spring cap onto the top. It looked like it had to go to ARB for replacement. The bottom spherical bushings were much easier, and I did them myself. I had issues with the shock guards, mounted poorly which destroyed a rear shock shaft, and I ended up having to pay for it, not one, but two rear shocks… All those PITA things on top of the fact that though they technically are adjustable, they are VERY difficult to adjust, mean I’m looking for new shocks. I’ve found they are smooth shocks in their ride zone, but I want something more adjustable. I have Dobinson MRR’s on my VDJ79, and they are EASY to adjust. I’d get those on my 200 in the future, or maybe an electric adjustable setup.
 
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Anyone want to vote on how badly it’s leaking? The drivers side is clean and dry. I contacted ARB to see if this will be covered under warranty, but I’m trying to decide if I want to run it as is until I get back from Cruise Moab, or if I’ll regret trying to put 3000 miles on it.
IMG_8408.webp
 
linuxgod said:
Anyone want to vote on how badly it’s leaking? The drivers side is clean and dry. I contacted ARB to see if this will be covered under warranty, but I’m trying to decide if I want to run it as is until I get back from Cruise Moab, or if I’ll regret trying to put 3000 miles on it.
View attachment 4096910
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Ha! Mines been like that for 15k! Unless you are talking about down on the shaft, and I haven’t seen that before.
 
That’s about how all of mine look.

I’m gonna switch to Dobinson. the thought of having to rebuild these at not a insignificant cost plus being without the vehicle during the rebuild and then still potentially having to do this again and 30,000 miles is absolutely ridiculous.
 
MrCWineMan said:
Ha! Mines been like that for 15k! Unless you are talking about down on the shaft, and I haven’t seen that before.
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Seems like the shock is pushing the oil and dirt and grime down the shaft. The whole shaft looked like the left part, but I wiped 3/4 of it off.
 
I had my BP-51's rebuilt by a guy named Marc out of Washington state www.4x4shocktech.com, he did a great job and even adjusted mine for the extra load that I carry. He replaces all the spherical bearings. I would look into having Marc refresh your shocks instead of getting new ones. He is also on instagram by 4x4shocktech

EF42F191-B4C1-43F5-B983-976893AE3CF6.webp
 
mbennett22 said:
I had my BP-51's rebuilt by a guy named Marc out of Washington state www.4x4shocktech.com, he did a great job and even adjusted mine for the extra load that I carry. He replaces all the spherical bearings. I would look into having Marc refresh your shocks instead of getting new ones. He is also on instagram by 4x4shocktech

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Thanks, yeah I’ve spoken to him. I’m hoping ARB will cover my single bad shock under warranty though they’ve yet to reply several days in and also don’t respond to FB messages so I suspect I’m SOL there. Definitely doesn’t make me want to continue using them.

The big hassle for me is weeks of downtime. If I could run mine until the fall I might be fine with it, but presently giving the truck up for 3 weeks to a shop to pull, remove the coils, ship out, wait for R&R, return ship, and reinstall is too much time
 
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