URGENT suspension question, help please

[shogun32]

Here's the deal. That plate is just there to put the big - ass subframe bolt in double shear. If the subframe bolt is tight, you're probably fine for light driving, but who knows what they did or didn't tighten?

Right, you ending up in a ditch or fireball may not be large but the principle is to make the dealer assume the cost and liability for their very obvious fuck-up. If they won't come pick up the car themselves (send them a pic of the undercarriage) then use your own tow and bill the dealership for it and the rental car should they not fix this lickety split. Go also buy yourself a torque wrench and check those bolts yourself after it's been returned to you. There's a sticky with a handy diagram with all the torque values called out on it.

Clearly their mechanics don't check their own work, and no supervisor walks around to do a visual inspection or a torque wrench inspection after any significant job either. I hope the mechanic who did this work gets a good and proper dressing down.

Sponsored

 

[NGOT8R]

I once worked at a FORD dealership for a day, after discovering (during supercharger oil strainer maintenance), that a 20 year veteran technician had ground the heads down off of the timing cover bolts (instead of replacing them with the bolts that I later learned had been supplied from Vortech) and cracked the timing cover. Now let me preface this by saying that this particular car was ordered brand new, along with a Vortech supercharger from said dealer, who was an authorized Saleen dealer that installed all things Saleen. Long story stop, I did have the car towed back to the dealer, met with the service manager and showed him everything that had been done wrong. They ordered a new tIming cover and replaced the timing cover with the correct Vortech replacement bolts, after which I had them tow the car back to my house, where I reinstalled the supercharger. When I started the car up, I noticed that the car was pissing oil all over the ground from what I immediately determined to be a pinched valve cover gasket. Once again, I removed the supercharger and had the car towed back to the dealer. I remember several salesmen standing in the window looking out as my car was towed in. I know they were probably thinking; “Damn! Here’s this guy again.” I had a lengthy discussion with the service manager and told him that I didn’t trust any of his service techs to fix my car properly and we reached an agreement that he would have a tech install the new valve cover gasket and then call me when that was done, so that he could set me up in a bay, where I could reinstall the supercharger and restore my car back to operational status. The service manager obliged. My wife drove me to the dealership with all parts that needed to be installed, along with every tool that I needed for the job. The service manager put me in a bay way in the back away from everyone. I reinstalled my own supercharger and several hours later, summoned the service manager, told him that I was done and requested to be let out. I never had any more issues out of that car. I’m sure the service manager violated several rules, but went out on a limb to work with me. I really appreciated that. I’ll bet he’s told our story to a few people as well. Needless to say, I don’t trust dealerships to work on anything. I only deal with them when I absolutely have to and even then I cringe at the thought of having someone touch my vehicle that might not give it the attention that it, or I deserve. It’s sad that a person has to feel that way too, because I know there are many capable technicians that know how to do the work properly and won’t take shortcuts. However, the real question is, do most technicians care enough to do the work properly?

 

[TeeLew]

Snort!

Sensitive much? And you are not even the OP. Why would you care?

Douche indeed.

You gotta try a lot harder than this to offend me. You asked a question and I answered it. If you don't want to know the answer, don't ask the question.

 

[CJJon]

You gotta try a lot harder than this to offend me. You asked a question and I answered it. If you don't want to know the answer, don't ask the question.

It is not that I didn't want to know the answer, it is that the answer was so...odd.

 

[Norm Peterson]

I would also make sure those bolts are spec'd as reusable. I bet they are not. I don't have access to my service manual to check right now.

Torque-To-Yield bolts are the kind that should never be re-used, because they have been permanently stretched. That means more - perhaps a lot more - fatigue damage has been accumulated than you get from tightening them entirely within the elastic range.

But there are other fasteners that may get the "one time use" note because of originally-applied thread locker. For those, there shouldn't be any harm in removing the OE threadlocker and applying your own. Probably a good idea to use the blue stuff rather than the red . . .


Oil pan drain plugs have a torque spec and oil filters have either a torque spec or an angle spec. Do you always follow those procedures to the letter of the FSM?



Me - I'd just tighten and torque them down, paying attention to how well the bolt heads/washers lined up with the existing indications of where they used to be.


Norm

 

[CJJon]

Oil pan drain plugs have a torque spec and oil filters have either a torque spec or an angle spec. Do you always follow those procedures to the letter of the FSM?

Norm

Yep.

Carryover from my aerospace days...

 

[Elvis67]

Yep.

Carryover from my aerospace days...

I bet you became pretty skilled with some lacing pliers

 

[CJJon]

I bet you became pretty skilled with some lacing pliers

Nothing makes one sleep better at night than some proper safety wire rigging!

 

[Elvis67]

Nothing makes one sleep better at night than some proper safety wire rigging!

Oh the glory days of splitting a pack on a M1 Abrams

 

[Bit_the_Bullitt]

I've talked to the service manager, a very nice guy, agreed that what had happened was definitely not up to par.
He said those bolts are not torque to yield and the car was put back together the way it was supposed to. I plan on checking it out myself tonight after work.

He agreed that was sloppy worksmanship and I've seen it on my dash cam he was there present during my vehicle's service. I can accept that his crew are humans too and I don't intend to avoid the dealer because of this experience, as I am trusting that getting face time with the manager, shaking hands etc (I think that was legit first time since covid that someone actually extended their hand out), he seemed like a solid guy.

Thank you all for the input and help. They are shear bolts and yes, should have been tightened, but I was assured it won't happen again, I am willing to trust them once more.

 

[Jaymar]

I've talked to the service manager, a very nice guy, agreed that what had happened was definitely not up to par.
He said those bolts are not torque to yield and the car was put back together the way it was supposed to. I plan on checking it out myself tonight after work.

He agreed that was sloppy worksmanship and I've seen it on my dash cam he was there present during my vehicle's service. I can accept that his crew are humans too and I don't intend to avoid the dealer because of this experience, as I am trusting that getting face time with the manager, shaking hands etc (I think that was legit first time since covid that someone actually extended their hand out), he seemed like a solid guy.

Thank you all for the input and help. They are shear bolts and yes, should have been tightened, but I was assured it won't happen again, I am willing to trust them once more.

I think that's very fair of you. We've all sent a car out with a wrench on the core support before. It doesn't make it OK but the only people that fly off the handle about it are drama queens and those that can't themselves. A measured response and a face to face discussion is very generous of you and is most likely to lead to you being remembered at that establishment in a good way.

 

[Bit_the_Bullitt]

I think that's very fair of you. We've all sent a car out with a wrench on the core support before. It doesn't make it OK but the only people that fly off the handle about it are drama queens and those that can't themselves. A measured response and a face to face discussion is very generous of you and is most likely to lead to you being remembered at that establishment in a good way.

Either that or I'll be greeted with the "Oh no, not that guy" look. I do think it'll be fine going forward, he even remembered that I mentioned between sentences that wife got a used F150, so knowing that showing my face there and that he has something to "fight for" in a customer with two Fords now I think is good.

 

[Weyland-Yutani]

I can accept that his crew are humans too and I don't intend to avoid the dealer because of this experience, as I am trusting that getting face time with the manager, shaking hands etc (I think that was legit first time since covid that someone actually extended their hand out), he seemed like a solid guy.

Good man.

So, I don't work on cars, but I do work on other machines and sometimes I screw up. It's not because I'm dumb or lazy. It's because I'm human. I'd hate it if I left something undone and no one ever told me, so good for you.

 

[shogun32]

I do work on other machines and sometimes I screw up. It's not because I'm dumb or lazy. It's because I'm human.

which is why the intelligent persons amongst us invented these nifty things called check-lists. On paper and pens to make little marks with.

 

[Jaymar]

which is why the intelligent persons amongst us invented these nifty things called check-lists. On paper and pens to make little marks with.

If automotive techs charged what aviation or other industries that do checklists and tool inventories do then that would be a reasonable request but reality is far from that. As an auto tech you can't spend the time to make a checklist comprehensive enough to cover all possibilities and do a tool inventory if you want to eat AND pay rent that month.

I've worked automotive and I've been called every name under the sun for what we charge. Now I work in an industry that requires the above and I can't even imagine charging an automotive customer a quarter what we charge.

Sponsored