Bought a set of "TRW" struts for a Saturn and while the stick-on labels say TRW, stamped into the tube is the letters KYB so I assume that is the actual manufacturer. I know there's a lot of cross-pollination in the parts biz these days but this was one I was not aware of.
TRW labeled struts - mfg by KYB
- Thread starter nascarnation
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TRW and Sachs are both owned by ZF.
We have seen "Sachs" shocks on here that ended up being reboxed KYB, same sticker over the KYB stamping
We have seen "Sachs" shocks on here that ended up being reboxed KYB, same sticker over the KYB stamping
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It can’t be easy to make all the tooling to make such a variety of shocks and struts and still be profitable. The consolidation to a few manufacturers feels inevitable.
The Sachs labeled KYBs I found were interestingly for a car that had Sachs stamped struts from the factory. They apparently weren’t offering those for their aftermarket line.
The Sachs labeled KYBs I found were interestingly for a car that had Sachs stamped struts from the factory. They apparently weren’t offering those for their aftermarket line.
We have seen "Sachs" shocks on here that ended up being reboxed KYB, same sticker over the KYB stamping
Either of you take any pics of this? If not, can you next time and post here?
I didn't take pics. The letters KYB are stamped into the body of the shock and with the black paint difficult to see. I'll have the car functional in a couple days and report on them, although I expect they'll be pretty normal.
This is funny, since the rebadged KYB Sachs mostly show up on Japanese cars where Sachs isn't OE! What kind of car was it?
KYB is the largest company that makes shocks and struts. Sachs is the largest European shock mfr, supplying OE shocks/struts to most European cars. Neither company is going away soon.
Sachs probably does have a US factory, since they are an OE supplier to some US-made cars. I'd suspect that your Venza "Sachs" might be reboxed KYB, as Toyota is known to use KYB for most of their shocks. However, Honda and Nissan are using Sachs as OE for many of their US and Mexican-made cars.
Did you pull the sticker to check for a KYB stamp underneath?
I haven't bought any Sachs shocks, but people have posted on here before about Sachs being reboxed KYB. Check this out.
The OEM Sachs on my 2004 Cadillac were mfg in Mexico. And one totally failed at 60,000 miles leaking all the fluid. Based on some reports on a Cadillac forum, this wasn't unusual.
Not sure who made the OE struts on the Saturn Vue, they're so rusty on the outside there's no way to see any markings, but it has 20 years / 160,000 miles on them, and while there was no trace of oil leakage, they provide basically zero damping you can move the rod by hand easily (and I'm weak). The rust is so heavy I could easily see the tube perforating in another few years.
Not sure who made the OE struts on the Saturn Vue, they're so rusty on the outside there's no way to see any markings, but it has 20 years / 160,000 miles on them, and while there was no trace of oil leakage, they provide basically zero damping you can move the rod by hand easily (and I'm weak). The rust is so heavy I could easily see the tube perforating in another few years.
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FWIW the TRW sticker didn't cover up the KYB stamped marking, although you'd have to examine the tube closely to see the KYB stamped letters. I'd guess 95% of people wouldn't even notice.
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B16 Sentra. Sachs made in Mexico with a Nissan stamp as well. The car was also assembled in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Here is an old pic I had before I discarded them.This is funny, since the rebadged KYB Sachs mostly show up on Japanese cars where Sachs isn't OE! What kind of car was it?
KYB is the largest company that makes shocks and struts. Sachs is the largest European shock mfr, supplying OE shocks/struts to most European cars. Neither company is going away soon.
Sachs probably does have a US factory, since they are an OE supplier to some US-made cars. I'd suspect that your Venza "Sachs" might be reboxed KYB, as Toyota is known to use KYB for most of their shocks. However, Honda and Nissan are using Sachs as OE for many of their US and Mexican-made cars.
Did you pull the sticker to check for a KYB stamp underneath?
I haven't bought any Sachs shocks, but people have posted on here before about Sachs being reboxed KYB. Check this out.
My 20 year old Corolla (made in Nummi at Fremont Ca where Tesla is now) came with Sachs OEM. Most likely big companies want redundancy for safety reason and they would be tested to OEM spec anyways. It lasted 160k miles with 4 people inside the car going 90mph regularly so I think it did ok (apparently the rear went out first because of the weight).This is funny, since the rebadged KYB Sachs mostly show up on Japanese cars where Sachs isn't OE! What kind of car was it?
KYB is the largest company that makes shocks and struts. Sachs is the largest European shock mfr, supplying OE shocks/struts to most European cars. Neither company is going away soon.
Sachs probably does have a US factory, since they are an OE supplier to some US-made cars. I'd suspect that your Venza "Sachs" might be reboxed KYB, as Toyota is known to use KYB for most of their shocks. However, Honda and Nissan are using Sachs as OE for many of their US and Mexican-made cars.
Did you pull the sticker to check for a KYB stamp underneath?
I haven't bought any Sachs shocks, but people have posted on here before about Sachs being reboxed KYB. Check this out.
Follow up, I installed the struts on the Vue, they work fine, and it's good to have some damping. The 160,000 mile originals didn't have any external leaks, but they also had no resistance to movement. I'm guessing the piston seals are done..
