Last June 2010 I installed Monroe Sensatrac rear shocks at 30k because I noticed the handling has gradually lost it's feeling since when it was new. In my experience, OEM dampeners don't last much over 30-40k, so I figured it'd be a cheap way to get some of the handling back.
In March 2011, we went on a road trip from IL to FL, fully packed with 6 passengers and overhead Yakima. Since coming back, the van all summer has handled very poor, with lots of body roll. Even my wife noticed it. I also noticed while backing down our driveway, the back end would bounce once I got over the bump at the curb.
Since the economy is bad, $ is tight, and I saved my OEM shocks, I decided I'd spend the 15min putting them back on. Upon removal, the 14mo old, 10k mile Monroe's didn't leak, and still had compression and rebound dampening when statically testing them. With the 3yr old 30k OEM shocks, the van is now noticeably better with less roll going around turns.
Take it FWIW...I've had great luck with Monroe's on my 97 M3 when I was looking for a cheap OEM replacement, after the most comfortable ride (I've since gone the opposite route with $$ AST suspension). Surprisingly, these Monroe's didn't do so well on my Odyssey.
I don't know if this was fluke. Curious if anyone else with Monroe's noticed they didn't last long? Just thought I'd pass this on to the community.