LHS 99 shocks from Strutmasters

I have to share with this community my experience with this car and specially the shocks that I purchased for this car.Generally I'm very happy with the performances of the Chrysler LHS 99 and I have 250.000 miles.on it(changed the timing belt at 213000)and ussually when something fails I put new parts in but aftermarket.Suspension is not the greatest part for the car and is similar to Chrysler 300,Concorde and Dodge Intrepid 1999-2004.I decided one day to change the front struts and atracted by price I order Monroe from auto123.com.From there I had only troubles.The Monroe struts 171668 and 171667 look good BUT top mount is making a horrible noise after few hundreds miles.It looks that somebody installed them wrong because they have some play after awhile and even if I tied the main screw at max is still making noise.I changed myself 5(five)struts 171668 and 4(four)171667 and these are clunking too but not so loud but is coming.171668 is going back this week again.The guys from auto123.com are very nice and send me return label and credit back every time but is still coming the same serial number stamped on the arm of the shocks 61000004 that I suppose is from a defective lot.I called Monroe few times and they didn't have on their computers anything wrong with these struts.So I returned 9( NINE ) of them myself and nobody else?This is weird,no?Try to imagine if you had to hire a mechanic to do the job how much it will cost you?And add geometry for the wheels every time I change the struts.This is crazy already so I decided to try strutmasters.com.I order their catalog in the mail and on page 14 on all page is write:
STRUTMASTERS MAKES IT RIGHT,RIGHT HERE IN THE USA! and there is a picture with a box MADE in CHINA from COMPETITOR and another box Made in USA from Strutmasters.WOW this is something I said to myself so I went online with strutmaster on 1/1/2010.I found Dustin Brown online and I asked him where are made the ProStrut?He checked few minutes on the phone with CRS (I dont know maybe their warehouse)and he said NY.Good I said send me one 171668 to try it maybe is different from Monroe.3 days later I receive a box with a BIG MADE IN CHINA on the box,my heart start pounding but I saw that is another box inside and I was hoping to see the magic Made in USA but no inside was another big MADE IN CHINA box with my shock.I called back again strutmasters and the "voice" told me that Dustin is new and has no ideea that the shocks are Made in CHINA and only Monroe is Made in USA.I called back when Dustin shift started and he replied that he has no clue where are made these:runaround:The guy is a lunatic then!Anyway I wanted to give it a try because the Monroe was clunking and I removed the 2 months "old" Monroe to install the "top of the line from China-ProStrut" sold by Strutmasters.I removed then the "old" Monroe and was ready to install the chinese stuff and SURPRISE-the top mount was installed 180 degrees wrong,so the top screws was totally opposite whre was supposed to be.I called back Strutmasters and my DUSTIN checked with his manager who never heard about such a big mistake and they send me a free label to ship and asked me if I need another one or they will charge me 20% restocking fee.WHAT?I didn't hear well?20% for WHAT?
20% fee for a defective MADE in CHINA strut that you said online in the chat(I saved it) that is Made in USA?Are you nuts?So my Dustin went again to check with the manager and to make it short a week later I opened a dispute with AMEX and they full refund after the end of dispute investigation.(When I called Dustin 10 days later he said that they are busy with million $ sales "in chinese parts I suppose" and they didn't have time for refund so I let Amex to deal with them.
Now I order again a strut assembly 171668 MADE in CHINA 100% this time from another company(at least they told me that) for 120$ much cheaper that 160 $ from strutmasters and wish me luck guys .Has 6 months warranty and they will give me a label back to reship free if fails but anytime I can buy a strut cartridge from Monroe or KND and hope for the better.I regret that Bilstein or Koni doesn't have struts for this car.I get tired of changing these and I am so happy that I have another Mercedes S350D 95 that is seeing only Bilstein when need it.Monroe has so and so shocks but top mounts definitely are wrong and what do you want in the middle of top mount they are made of PLASTIC.Tomorrow is coming the chinese one again.I'm busy!