Shock absorbers Dobinsons or OEM Volkswagen

PartReview Score

Rank #5 in ranking

4.4

Body bounce

4.1

Bottoming

4.3

Leaks

1.0

No data

PR Score

Ranking

Votes

Reviews

Average rating

Properties

Car

PartReview Score

Rank #9 in ranking

3.7

Body bounce

4.0

Bottoming

3.3

Leaks

5.0

No data

Reviews

All

Dobinsons

OEM Volkswagen

OEM Volkswagen › Shock absorbers

SpareOffer8197 15 Jan 2026, 10:13

Bottoming:

Rating 4.0

I got mine (07 plate) a year and a half ago on 85k. All it’s needed is 2 rear shocks in that time for £200., other than maintenance of course.

Pros: needed only rear shocks

Vehicle: Volkswagen Golf

Mileage: 85000 km

Dobinsons › Shock absorbers

ashxc18 24 Dec 2025, 16:32

Body bounce:
Bottoming:

Rating 5.0

Swapped out the Toytec Aluma Boss 2.0 for Dobinsons MRR long travel in the rear & extended travel up front. Added Dobinsons billet UCAs and 600lb rear springs. Night & day difference in ride quality on the 2+ hour drive home

Pros: night & day difference

Dobinsons › Shock absorbers

Evolutionary_sins 8 Dec 2025, 11:19

Body bounce:
Bottoming:

Rating 5.0

Dobinsons ims is awesome. Multi stage valves so you get a soft ride without compromise to the handling which is difficult to achieve

Pros: soft ride, good handling

Cons: difficult to achieve

Vehicle: Toyota Hilux

Dobinsons › Shock absorbers

JFlash7 18 Nov 2025, 20:41

Bottoming:

Rating 5.0

I went with Dobinsons twin tubes on my GX470 and they’ve been great. Pretty comparable to the sport setting on the OEM shocks I’d say.

Pros: great, comparable to sport

Vehicle: Lexus

Dobinsons › Shock absorbers

UniqueLoginID 9 Aug 2025, 07:58

Bottoming:

Rating 4.0

Personally I went Dobinson MRAs which have handled outback travel and tough tracks. Some prefer them revalved but mine is heavy enough to work well with them. Unlike their springs it seems to be a decent product.

Pros: handled outback travel

Vehicle: Nissan

Dobinsons › Shock absorbers

Worldly_Platform8614 9 Aug 2025, 05:18

Body bounce:
Bottoming:

Rating 5.0

I ripped them out the same week and went for Dobinsons MRR. Honestly? Night and day. The ride is smoother on-road, planted in corners, and off-road they just eat up washboards and corrugations. I’ve hammered them through tracks that would’ve rattled the Bilsteins to death, and they haven’t skipped a beat.

Pros: smoother ride, planted in corners

Dobinsons › Shock absorbers

One-Cause3748 11 Jul 2025, 19:54

Bottoming:

Rating 5.0

I settled on Dobinson IMS, definitely a higher price point but worth every penny.

Pros: worth every penny

Cons: higher price point

Vehicle: Toyota

Dobinsons › Shock absorbers

Desperate_Jaguar_602 29 May 2025, 10:06

Body bounce:

Rating 4.0

Just change shock absorbers. I would very much recommend adjustable ones eg Dobinson. Bilsteins are great but they have very specific valving which has a lot of low speed damping, eliminating body roll but resulting in a bumpy ride under 60km/hr. At high speed they’re awesome. Some of the US spec ones have softer valving (5100s)

Pros: eliminating body roll

Cons: bumpy ride under 60km/hr

Vehicle: Toyota

OEM Volkswagen › Shock absorbers

BreakfastSpecials 10 Dec 2025, 10:26

Body bounce:
Bottoming:

Rating 3.0

Shocks/struts will go soon on this first.

Cons: shocks/struts will go soon

Vehicle: Volkswagen Jetta

Dobinsons › Shock absorbers

bigtoepfer 4 Jun 2025, 01:47

Leaks:

Rating 2.0

I see all the dobinsons positive remarks here. I've also had good experiences, but at the same time on my 80 I had the yellow nitro shocks and those are the only shocks I've ever had leak on any 4x4.

Cons: shocks leak

Vehicle: Toyota Land Cruiser

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Which shock absorbers to choose — Dobinsons or OEM Volkswagen?

If choosing shock absorbers across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.

We compare shock absorbers across these categories:

Comparison of shock absorbers Dobinsons and OEM Volkswagen

PR Score.
Overall ranking.
Vote balance.
Average rating.
Number of reviews.
Feature ratings.
Car owners’ choice.

Which shock absorbers are better — OEM Volkswagen or Dobinsons?

In March 2026 on PartReview, shock absorbers Dobinsons were overall better than OEM Volkswagen.

Dobinsons received a PR Score of 91 out of 100, and OEM Volkswagen scored 75 points.
Dobinsons ranked 5 in the overall ranking, and OEM Volkswagen ranked 9.
The average rating is higher for Dobinsons (4.4) than for OEM Volkswagen (3.7).
Shock absorbers Dobinsons have better feature ratings than OEM Volkswagen:
- Body bounce - owners believe, that this property for Dobinsons is better than OEM Volkswagen.
- Leaks - drivers claim, that this property for OEM Volkswagen is outperforms Dobinsons.
- Bottoming - reviews suggest, that this property for Dobinsons is preferred to OEM Volkswagen.

Which shock absorbers are more popular — Dobinsons or OEM Volkswagen?

In March 2026 on PartReview, shock absorbers Dobinsons were overall more popular than OEM Volkswagen.

By vote balance, shock absorbers Dobinsons surpassed OEM Volkswagen:

For Dobinsons, the ratio of positive (66) to negative (6) votes is 60 votes.
For OEM Volkswagen, the ratio of positive (27) to negative (9) votes is 18 votes.

By number of reviews, shock absorbers Dobinsons surpassed OEM Volkswagen:

For shock absorbers Dobinsons there are 24 reviews: 22 positive, 0 neutral, 2 negative.
For shock absorbers OEM Volkswagen there are 11 reviews: 7 positive, 3 neutral, 1 negative.

Which shock absorbers do car owners prefer — Dobinsons or OEM Volkswagen?

In March 2026, according to PartReview, shock absorbers Dobinsons and OEM Volkswagen have not taken top places in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding your review about these manufacturers.

Other comparisons of shock absorbers

If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.

For example, comparisons of shock absorbers Dobinsons with: Bilstein, KONI, KYB, Monroe, Sachs, Rancho, FOX, GABRIEL, OEM Toyota, OLD MAN EMU.

Also available: comparisons of shock absorbers OEM Volkswagen with: Bilstein, KONI, KYB, Monroe, Sachs, Rancho, FOX, GABRIEL, OEM Toyota, Rough Country.

You can also see who is better among other shock absorbers manufacturers: Bilstein or KONI, Bilstein or KYB, Bilstein or Monroe, Bilstein or Sachs, Bilstein or Rancho.