Hello everyone,

Currently I am dealing/experience issues with KW V3 coilovers. I have this current KW V3 installed on my car since 2017 and everything was going fine up until now. I recently upgraded to bigger tires in the rear and due to my rims having an aggressive offset I had to installed camber arms. Drove around with the camber arms installed for about a week and everything was great as well. This morning I took the car to one of the shops to adjust my coilovers up in the rear (rear only) so that my wheels are not tugging, this is when the problem occurred. After the shop adjusted the coilovers and after just 20 minutes of driving on the freeway the height dropped by a lot in the rear, dropped even more than before I took the car in for adjustment. Took it to the different shop later today, had it readjusted back up again and the same thing happened, the car height dropped after some driving. Basically, the coilovers do not hold the height of the car anymore.

First I thought the first shop did not secure/lock the perch properly. However, after the 2nd adjustment at a different shop, that car still dropped/sacked down after driving, so I am not sure what is going on at this point. I just read somewhere on this forum that when you installed/adjusted your coilovers, you have to loosen bushing and retighten them after you are done the adjusting. The first shop that I took the car to jacked up the car, removed the wheels, use the pin and turn the same circle hole in the perch (KW V3 has the hole on the perch), adjusted the perch, lock the hole back up, then put wheels back on. Now....did the shop just ruined my bushing or there is a different/proper way to lock up the coilovers preventing the height drop while driving that the shop missed? Or because of all those steps done by the first shop ruined my coilovers completely. If it's a bushing issue, can I just loosen and retighten them when I fix the coilovers for the 3rd time? Or because I've driven on it today ruined the bushing for good? (assuming its even a bushing issue).

Thank you for your help in advance!

 

Very odd issue. When I raise or lower my ride height with KWV3, I never need to touch the bushings, just the purple collar rings. Can you post a pic of the coilovers and where you say it’s failing? Did they mess up the adjustment threads?

 

I’ll post some pictures tomorrow since it’s too dark to take any pictures. I have no idea if any part is failing to be honest, but obviously something is not right. Just to confirm, in the rear, the purple ring/perch thingy is at the bottom righ? And before you can make adjustment/twist that purple ring, you need to unlock it with the pin key thingy? Like there is a little hole on the purple ring itself. Once you are done, you have to lock it with the pin key again? Am I understanding this correctly or the hole is for something else? My fear right now is that they ruined the thread on the strut bar so now the purple ring can just slide up and down freely.

 

You are correct - Its a purple Ring - it is a "set screw" that locks this. I do not think the thread is messed up on the coil body but maybe the threading on the purple ring. I think I read in other car forums people have messed this up and had to get a replacement from KW.

 

If they use a set screw to hold the ring, you'd be way ahead to order a second ring and lock it against the first. Set screws just damage the threading when you tighten them and if you change position you're mashing the thread material in multiple places.

 

dumb question, but what are you guys referring too in term of “set screw” like the pin hole I’m talking about? On V3 it seems like you only have 1 perch/purple ring at the bottom which is where you adjust the ride height. Instead of having 2 perch to turn against each other to lock them in place, they have like this tiny hole instead to stop the perch from moving. If I understand it correctly that is. But I do not see the 2nd purple ring, so I’m assuming locking the only one perch with using that key hole is correct?

 

Can’t upload a picture here for some reason, but here is the link to it: https://imgur.com/gallery/pTgIIQs

This is what I meant when I said the tiny pin/key hole. And as you can see there is only 1 perch ring, no 2nd one to turn them against each other to lock the perch up like on other coilovers. So I’m assuming you lock and unlock the perch with that hole.

 

The hole you are referring to is for the set screw. And for what it’s worth, I don’t use that set screw on mine since, to me, looks like it would damage the threads on the shock body.
.

 

That’s very weird, you saw the picture right and it looks like I only have 1 ring? And that’s how it was installed 2 years ago too. Hopefully you will be back soon so we can compare yours and mine. But for now have a good trip.

 

sorry for any confusion, i was editing my post with a picture from my phone.

 

Thank you for the picture! It’s a little hard to tell since it’s kinda blurry

I have tried looking it up on YouTube and this person’s KW v3 seems to only have 1 perch ring as well..I think.
It’s a short 42 seconds clip but at around 19-20 seconds mark on this video you can see it.

 

OK, you might be right about there only being 1. I think i got mixed up because I have 2 wrenches. In any case, post pics of yours and if possible, before and after it "drops" (assuming you take it now and when you get it fix).

 

I will post some pictures after work today. But it’s probably going to be pictures of the current state of the car, since I did not take the pictures before. I think it might just be bad set screws. I’ve ordered some new set screws already since they are about $1 each from KW. I’ll replace them and see if it helps. Hopefully the set screws aren’t completely stripped, if they are I’ll have to remove the entire coilovers to get them out

 

I remember reading a thread here in which one of the KW rings broke..I would inspect the rings very closely.

I suspect either the shock body threads are stripped or the plastic ring is stripped and/or broken..

EDIT: Found thread. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...lover-smh.html

 

I’m surprised to read these threads on KW. I used to consider them high end, but these aren’t high end issues.