All I wanted was an alignment

"adamftw" (adamftw)
06/30/2020 at 14:54 • Filed to: None

Now I get new upper control arms too. And throw away the old uppers with almost brand new ball joints in them... since I just did all four in January.

Tech at the tire shop broke one of my upper control arm cam bolts when I brought it in for an alignment. They quoted me some silly high number so I AAA’d it back to my house and ended up cutting all 4 of the cam bolts out. I would have much rather them called me and said “Ya know, we put a wrench on the cam bolt and its pretty seized up. We can just set the toe on the truck and leave the camber, that ok?”

Sigh.

DISCUSSION (25)

Future next gen S2000 owner > adamftw
06/30/2020 at 15:01

Wait, they broke it and aren’t fixing it for free? I’d be raising some hell.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Future next gen S2000 owner
06/30/2020 at 15:04

Yeah, wtf

adamftw > Future next gen S2000 owner
06/30/2020 at 15:04

I’m over it. Everything rusts and breaks here, I doubt they’d fix it free no matter how much hell I raised.

Chariotoflove > adamftw
06/30/2020 at 15:04

I don’t understand. A tech at a shop broke your car and then quoted you a price to fix the thing he broke? Because that’s not how this works.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > adamftw
06/30/2020 at 15:13

Fucking Tire Discounters did that shit on my old E36 when I took it in for an alignment after I put on the Eibachs . They t ried to adjust the non-adjustable parts of the rear alignment and broke 2 bolts, only one of which they told me about after going to BMW to buy a new one and they charged me $70 for it. The second bolt was one of the three that held the driver side control arm to the chassis, they sheared off the head and didn’t say shit about it. Didn’t find it until after driving around for a couple of days trying to determine where the clunking noise was coming from. Never went back and neither did my mom or dad who were customers there for many-many years.

adamftw > Chariotoflove
06/30/2020 at 15:13

:dunno:

This is maybe the third time in my life I’ve ever had a vehicle at a shop. I do everything myself.

adamftw > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
06/30/2020 at 15:15

Yea man, I don’t trust anyone. I hate bringing my shit somewhere.

PartyPooper2012 > adamftw
06/30/2020 at 15:17

I am going to point out the obvious...

Once you are done making your repairs, you will need..... alignment....!!!

If I were you, i’d at least get the alignment out of it free.

I get that you don’t want some yahoo monkey wrenching on your car, but if you took it to them for alignment, you want their help. Least you can do is pressure them into doing it for free.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Future next gen S2000 owner
06/30/2020 at 15:21

If they break your old rusty bolts they charge you for new ones because deep down in the agreement you agreed to, they can.

adamftw > PartyPooper2012
06/30/2020 at 15:21

Yea I thought about that, but I’ll probably just bring it somewhere else .

PartyPooper2012 > adamftw
06/30/2020 at 15:24

bring it to a reputable place. A reputable place would not quote you a price to fix shit they broke. They would just apologize for inconvenience and fix it right quick.

Chariotoflove > adamftw
06/30/2020 at 15:24

They should have assumed they would fix and guarantee their work without you even having to ask them to. Never go to that place again.

adamftw > Chariotoflove
06/30/2020 at 15:26

Yup. This is an old, local shop with lots of good reviews online . Usually I would avoid chains but I’ll try probably try Mavis down the street when I get the new parts in the end of the week.

adamftw > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
06/30/2020 at 15:28

And to replace these old rusty ones, you have to cut them out because GOOD TIMES... they seize to the bushing sleeve. I tried to salvage the arms but it wasn’t worth the battle.

Sovande > PartyPooper2012
06/30/2020 at 15:29

That’s never been my experience with stuck/broken bolts. I f it breaks, you buy a new one.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > adamftw
06/30/2020 at 15:39

Same...

I have found a good shop in town that'll allow me to be in the bay while they do alignments tho.

PartyPooper2012 > Sovande
06/30/2020 at 15:54

Sure... Charge for the bolt... not a front end assembly

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > adamftw
06/30/2020 at 16:05

Did they put a wrench on it... or an air gun on it?

Sovande > PartyPooper2012
06/30/2020 at 16:12

Control arms are basically a unit these days. It’s cheaper and easier and faster to buy a whole new one. It's not always the fault of the mechanic when something breaks.

adamftw > PartyPooper2012
06/30/2020 at 16:15

You can’t get the bolt out without cutting it out, and then the middle of it is seized inside the bushing sleeve. There ain’t no reusing it.

adamftw > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
06/30/2020 at 16:17

I’m gonna guess a wrench and a big bar because my big kahuna dewalt impact wouldn’t budge the others.

Victorinoo > adamftw
06/30/2020 at 18:08

Don’t forget the anti seize on the new ones

adamftw > Victorinoo
06/30/2020 at 18:12

Whenever I replace ANYTHING that doesn’t call for loctite or is press fit , I lather it on like I’m marinating a steak

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > adamftw
06/30/2020 at 23:04

Ha, I had my MINI and my SAAB to my local tire guy I kinda like. Both ended up coming home with new tie rod ends because they couldn’t get them to adjust. COINCIDENCE ? Meanwhile the Jag has been at my Jag mechanic for a week. I just asked if he could make it pull to the right a little less and could he fix the fuel leak. He decided it also needed a bunch of work on the rear end…le sigh…$$$$$

adamftw > MiniGTI - now with XJ6
07/01/2020 at 08:01

Yea man, sometimes its a downhill battle with older vehicles. I can’t really complain though, this thing has never given me any grief in the last 70k its been mine and it has 170k on it now ... well besides the transfer case actuator motor wiring harness but once I figured that out it was a fast, easy, “free” fix.