EM1 Question- TEIN Coilovers "Won't Fit"?
 

Hey Guys,

So last summer I bought a used 2000 Civic SI which was in fairly rough shape. I have been slowly rehabbing this thing and this year I put some money into replacing the stock struts and Eibach lowering springs the previous owner had installed. I purchased a set of brand new TEIN Street Basis Coilovers like the ones here:http://www.tein.com/products/street_basis.html

I figured these would improve ride comfort over the lowering springs and that with a set of Street Basis coilovers the drop wouldn't be too extreme. Well, my car has been in the garage for weeks and yesterday afternoon I get a call from them telling me that the coilovers are "way too small, about 4" shorter than the ones installed on the car, they won't work. If we put these things on you will be able to go straight but not turn since your wheels will be so far up in the well". WTF? What am I missing here? I did some research before ordering these and a lot of people said that the Tein Street Basis coilovers would be a great choice. Do I need some additional hardware to go with these for them to work? They should fit right? I'm positive I ordered the right ones for my car and ordered the ones that didn't drop ride height that much, or so I thought. Any help is appreciated, thanks!

Re: EM1 Question- TEIN Coilovers "Won't Fit"?
 

Also, the garage has mentioned they could order me a set of new Monroe struts with a lifetime warranty as an alternative. I'm assuming these would be similar to OEM in ride height, ride characteristics, etc. May have to go wit this option if I can't figure out why the TEIN parts "Don't Fit"! Would much rather install the TEIN parts I ordered but am kind of handcuffed here.

Re: EM1 Question- TEIN Coilovers "Won't Fit"?
 

If the part number on Tein's website matches what you have and Tein says it will fit then it will. Verify the part number on Tein's website, not a sellers website.

Of course they are shorter. 4" is a lot and may be an exaggeration. Did they adjust them all the way down? Do they know how they work? Have they done this kind of work before? Tell them to put the stock stuff back on and go to a different shop. Don't get the Monroes if you won't be happy with them.

It's really not a hard DIY.

Re: EM1 Question- TEIN Coilovers "Won't Fit"?
 

Thanks for the reply. I think there must have been some miscommunication in the garage where my car is being worked on, as I talked to the owner on the phone and he said "We found a few heavy duty washers to use so you're all set with the coilovers." I tried to pry a bit but not exactly sure what he meant or where the washer is being used. The car has aftermarket lower control arms and toe adjusters, so maybe a washer was needed where the bottom of the strut mounts in the rear. In any case, I think it should be set now. I was actually planning to tell the garage to forget about the suspension and I would do it myself. In any case I am going to have a friend look over the install when I get it back because this seems a bit strange. The garage seems pretty reputable and hopefully this is just a simple miscommunication and not the norm for them. Thanks again!

Re: EM1 Question- TEIN Coilovers "Won't Fit"?
 

?!?!?

that got me worried...

check the part numbers on your TEIN - get the original boxes and stuff back from them.