Monroe Gas-Matic shocks?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jimmy9190

Jimmy9190

Joined
Feb 17, 2007
Messages
3,998
Location
Clermont, Florida
This is for the Dakota pickup in my signature. It is a 2 wheel drive, manual 5-speed, 151,400 miles on it. I do not tow anything or go off-road with it. I put a set of Monroe Reflex shocks on it almost 4 years and nearly 70,000 miles ago. They are getting worn, and the ride quality is getting bumpy. I bought the Reflex shocks at Napa, they have a lifetime warranty, but Napa will not warranty them for normal wear, the warranty only covers a shock that is actually broken or has a manufacturer defect. I am wondering here if anyone has any experience with the (cheaper) Monroe Gas Matic truck shocks? I can get a set of 4 for about $60.00 with an AAP discount code and 2 separate transactions. A set of 4 new Reflex shocks would be around $160.00. I would like to go with the Gas Matics if there is no real difference in performance and handling. Thanks for any onfo on this.
 
Contact Monroe or another Monroe dealer if you have a problem that Napa will not address. They do have a lifetime warranty.

Tenneco Inc. warrants qualifying Monroe® products against defects and wear-out when used on private passenger cars and light trucks under normal operating conditions for as long as such original purchaser owns the vehicle on which they were originally installed.

Qualifying Products
Monroe® OESpectrum® Shocks and Struts
Monroe® Reflex® Shocks and Struts
Monroe® Sensa-Trac® Shocks and Struts
Monroe® Quick-Strut® replacement assemblies
Monroe® Gas-Magnum® Shocks

Tenneco's obligation under this warranty is limited to replacement of the worn-out or defective product in accordance with this warranty. Cost of removal and installation are not included, and any incidental and consequential damages are excluded under this warranty, regardless of when the failure occurs. This warranty has no cash value. This warranty does not apply to products which have been modified, improperly applied or installed on vehicles used for commercial or racing purposes.

To make a claim under this warranty, return the worn-out or defective product with the dated original receipt to the dealer or retailer from whom it was purchased or to a Tenneco dealer for verification and exchange under this warranty.

This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights, which vary from state to state. Any implied warranties you may have under state law are limited to the same duration as this warranty. Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts or do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations and exclusion may not apply to you.

Tenneco will contact warranty-serviced consumers to conduct customer satisfaction surveys relating to product and warranty service. Survey activity will provide valuable feedback and help measure the level of consumer satisfaction in different markets.


Concerning other shocks most of the major auto parts stores have big rebates or buy 3 get 1 free on shocks/struts right now.
 
Gas Matics are junk. The ones on my truck are pretty much done after 2 years. You can see where the oil has blown out of them.

Super cheap shocks aren't worth the aggravation of having to replace them more frequently. They might seem like an improvement at first, but that quickly degrades.
 
Rancho's are made by Monroe/Tenneco. Personally they're more hype than anything.
I'd go with bilstein or KYB. Monroe is last on my list, even the Reflex is an avg. shock. they're just built to "soft".
 
I can tell you from experience, there is a big difference. I had a '97 Dakota. Mine was the V8/auto, but similar enough probably. I first tried the Monroe yellows. I don't know if those are the Gas-Matic or not. Very soft, no handling. I returned those and bought the Monroe blues. Better, but still too soft. I returned those and bought the Monroe Reflex and those were perfect. Firm enough for responsive handling, but still providing an isolated enough ride.

Don't pinch the pennies here. Get the Reflexes.
 
This is one of he things I hate about Napa. Earlier today I called the local Napa here in town, they are the ones who said they only honor the warranty on a manufacturer defect, not for normal wear. I just now called the Napa store in the next town a few miles away, that Napa guy said sure they could warranty the shocks for normal wear as long as I have the receipt, which I do. The bad part is Napa no longer carries the Reflex shock for my truck. The guy said if they warranty it for me, they will replace my old Reflex with Sensa-Trac shocks. I had a set of those before and did not like them at all. The ride was way too mushy and soft. I replaced them with the Reflex after less than 15,000 miles. So I can either get shocks I don't like for free or I can pay for better ones from a different brand. Maybe I will ask at AAP if they can honor the warranty on Reflex shocks from Napa. AAP still lists the Reflex for my truck. I don't expect that to go very well, but I can always ask...
 
I just put a second set of Monroe Gas Matic on my 97 Suburban. I changed them out after about 50K miles. AAP has a lifetime warranty so I just brought my old ones in and picked up new ones. No leaks, but the ride had degraded somewhat. I paid like $70 for all 4 after the AAP discount.
I enjoy messing with my trucks so I don't mind having to change them out more frequently.
 
It's interesting that on any given day, the consensus is either Monroes suck, or, KYB's suck. On the alternative day, either Monroe is the greatest, or KYB is the greatest.....but, not both. Ya, none of this makes sense.

I'm considering new struts and shocks for my Caravan this winter and my choice keeps changing with the BITOG tide.

Maybe Gabriels are the better choice after all.
 
Originally Posted By: Jimmy9190
This is one of he things I hate about Napa. Earlier today I called the local Napa here in town, they are the ones who said they only honor the warranty on a manufacturer defect, not for normal wear. I just now called the Napa store in the next town a few miles away, that Napa guy said sure they could warranty the shocks for normal wear as long as I have the receipt, which I do. The bad part is Napa no longer carries the Reflex shock for my truck. The guy said if they warranty it for me, they will replace my old Reflex with Sensa-Trac shocks. I had a set of those before and did not like them at all. The ride was way too mushy and soft. I replaced them with the Reflex after less than 15,000 miles. So I can either get shocks I don't like for free or I can pay for better ones from a different brand. Maybe I will ask at AAP if they can honor the warranty on Reflex shocks from Napa. AAP still lists the Reflex for my truck. I don't expect that to go very well, but I can always ask...


As I posted earlier

To make a claim under this warranty, return the worn-out or defective product with the dated original receipt to the dealer or retailer from whom it was purchased OR to a Tenneco dealer for verification and exchange under this warranty.
 
Local AAP guy says to call on Wednesday when the store manager is in. The manager may be able to do a warranty swap for me, but the AAP parts guy said I should ask Napa to order a new set of Reflex shocks. I don't see that happening. According to their web site Monroe no longer makes the Reflex shock for my Dakota. I have Monroe's phone number and I will call them tomorrow. It would be great if they could drop-ship me 4 new shocks, I read a post in a BITOG search that Monroe did that for someone here. However I don't see how that is possible if they have no more of the Reflex shocks for my truck. I have to call Monroe tomorrow during their business hours for more info.

I have pretty much decided that free replacement shocks are much better than paying for new shocks, and the Sensa-Tracs are probably better than Gas Matics, so if Monroe can not send me any new Reflex shocks then I will take the out of town Napa guy up on his offer and swap my old shocks for a new set of Sensa Tracs.

I also remember now that I got a lot more than 15K out of the Sensa Tracs I had before. It was more like 35K, and I had even posted on BITOG about them back just before I swapped them out for Reflex. I dug up my old post and re-read it a while ago. I remember also the Sensa Trac was not really so bad, only right there at the end when I replaced them. I will see what Monroe says tomorrow..
 
An edit here...I just read the shock selector on the Monroe web site more thoroughly and they do not list a Reflex shock at all for the front for my truck. They only list a Reflex for the rear and then it says after depletion use the SensaTrac. So unless Monroe has some NOS Front Reflex for me, it looks like I will be getting 4 new SensaTracs, if the Napa store is still willing to help me on Saturday. I will not be able to get over to their store until then. Free shocks are much better than paying for shocks and even if I get only 35K from another set of SensaTracs, they will still be free. Well sort of free anyway, I did pay for both my original Reflex and the SensaTracs I had before those but I will be glad if Napa and Monroe honor the warranty. Bilstein may be the best, but they are not in my budget, and really not required for how I drive my truck.

Thanks for the help on this.
 
We run nothing but trucks here, Silverados and Savanas. Our Savanas weigh over 9000 pounds every single day, VERY heavily loaded!

Broke 2 KYB's, no warranty coverage, not a good name around here. Monroe means SOFT, to squishy, we need better body control.

Gabriel Ultras are cheap and work very well for us.
 
The reflex has acceleration-based valving, which is the best to have. The yellows are very very basic. The sensa-traks I had were very nicely balanced for an unlifted SUV. I had reflexes on my lifted jeep and on the back of our minivan. They were a bit harsh on the jeep, and perfect in the van when loaded. I'd consider the sensa-traks or just go bilstein.

bilstein used to be $$, like tokikos. they are now competing with mid-tier makes like monroe, and while I think they have cheapened some, they are still holding an edge, and they do seem to last a long time. My tundra has oem bilsteins at 108,000 and if anything they are still a bit stiff for my taste. otoh I have seen oem bilsteins wear out sooner, like in z71 apps. I have had both reflexes and run-of-the-mill bilsteins (IDK if there are different levels or versions for their passenger shocks). they ride pretty similar to me.
 
Last edited:
The Original Gabrial struts on my SUV lasted 44k miles before one of them basically exploded and started knocking over every bump, the other side was OK but the strut did not rise on its own anymore. The rear shocks were still fine.
 
How do does a proberly sized shock absorber get "BROKE"n in normal use?

Put me in the get someone to warranty your existing shocks and Craigslist or Ebay the new set in favor of Bilstein or KYB (monotube only) mindset.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

F
Soft shock recremendations for a two wheel drive 2002 f150 single cab.
Replies
5
Views
429
dogememe
D
Shocked choice for an old 4runner...
Replies
18
Views
2K
meep
N
Shock recommendation for a lightly-driven truck?
2 3
Replies
43
Views
4K
nthach
JHZR2
Bilstein shock boot and bump stops
Replies
17
Views
2K
JHZR2
Astro14
A transmission service gone wrong but corrected by the shop.
2
Replies
25
Views
2K
Astro14
Back
Top