Ok. today i took my car ('01 Z24, 89k miels) to get a front end alignment. It was previously veering off to the left a little bit when the steering wheel was straight. When i pick up the car, the guy says that my left strut has gone bad and i should replace both front struts. He shows me the initial and final measurements of the front.

So i start to drive home and i see that when the steering wheel is straight, the car goes A LOT to the right now. WAY more then when it went to the left. I turn around and go back to the shop and tell him what the car is doing and to come with me for a ride. He wants to drive so i get in the passenger side. This is where i start to think that this guy is probably not the person to take my car to anymore. He was shifting every gear at 4000 rpms. I told him to cool it down and shift at 3000 rpms, which is what i normally do. i told him to put the wheel straight and to see how much it goes to the right. He proceeds to tell me that thats the best the guy could do and that its cuz of the struts.

We get back to the shop and we look at the wheels from the front. You can clearly see now that the right wheel is going to the right and the left wheel is almost straight and at an angle. So then he tells me that i need to rotate my tires cuz thats whats causing it also. RED LIGHT!!! I just bought these tires TEN days ago. Brand new. Not believing me, he checks the tires and sees im telling the truth.

So now the guy wont even offer a free or discounted alignment if i change my struts and if he changes them its $55 each one. At this point i figure this shop will never service my car again. He tries to show me that the struts are bad and pushes down on the fender. The car goes down and up one time and i could hear the pssssssst sound of the strut.

Im pretty sure the struts are fine, but how would i really check if they are good or not? and does anyone know the part number to the stock struts and/or the best stock replacement?

Would bad struts cause my alignment to be off or not to be repairable?

Below is a scan of the measurements give to me. I would really appreciate your help everyone. If i figure that this guy is trying to scam me, then im going to cancel the debit charge with my bank. Thanks everyone.

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/fuzzy69/Misc/Specs.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">


Peace Out!!!

Have you ever been in a wreck? Your caster is way below spec(though you probably have some good turn in-nothing to really worry about). Check if there is any fluid leaking from your strut. My car only bounced once when all of its struts were blown, so I don't think that is a very good indicator. If your still on the original struts I would be surprised if any of them still work after 90,000 miles.

A good upgrade would be KYB GR-2's which carry a lifetime warranty. You can pick a set of them up on ebay for about $230 shipped. If you would like to add a little stiffness to your car without sacrificing ride quality, the AGX's could also make a good replacement(you can adjust the stiffness of these shocks). Those go for about $375 shipped on ebay.

I think the bottom line is that you were not happy with their service so don't go there again. Its probably a good idea to buy all new struts and shocks and go in for another alignment. I would get all 4 wheels checked to make sure nothing is out of whack on the rear end since that can cause the car to pull to one side or the other. Also, if you go to another place show him that paper and see if the initial stuff matches up.

i've never been in a wreck, however i have hit a couple good sized potholes recently while on the highway. both hit the passenger side wheel. I'll check the struts for leakage. now that you mention that, i do remember seeing some fluid on the lower control arm a while back. it was clear and didnt smell like anything. it wasnt PS fluid or Brake fluid. do you know if the strut fluid has a smell or color?

would you be able to explain what caster, camber, and toe are? thanks.




Peace Out!!!

some strut fluid can smell like pungent piss at a bars bathroom.... not exactly, but along that range. stock gm struts. others can be fine.

caster camber toe, download this and play around with it, it tells you some basics on all three and let you see what happens...

http://nittotire.com/Interactive_%20Demo.exe

For Camber, Caster, and Toe see this thread: CCT

Blow struts will not affect an alignment. Sounds like his machine was badly in need of calibration. I would never get work done there again, not with the "ideas" he was throwing out.

Canceling the charge should be your last resort. Talk with the guy at the counter. Talk with the manager/owner. Explain that your are very dissatisfied, and need the problem resolved. Be sure to explain what options are acceptable to you (if it was me: correct alignment, or money back). If you are totally sure you have exhausted all "democratic" approaches, then get the charge canceled.

Zach is right, that caster is out to lunch. Check your control arm bushings and strut mounts for damage. If they are damaged they can screw up the caster, and would definitely screw up the toe (in, out, left, and right).

Quote:

Caster is how much your spindle leans backward (the spindle is the assembly that holds the tire, including the steering knuckle, hub, bearings). It is not easy to adjust the caster on our J-Bodies. And it is usually not necessary either. Our cars have a few degrees of positive caster. Meaning the top of the spindle is slightly toward the back of the car, compared to the bottom. This is good, when you hit a bump the backward-upward force will be more directly transfered to the strut (not to the frame). More caster will improve handling in rough terrain (with lots of bumps and such). Less caster will improve handling on smooth roads (0 being the best). Negative caster is a bad thing, always. This is something you really don't need to worry about unless you're doing radical changes to you car, like putting it on a tubular frame.

CTS: It says in that quote that our cars have a few degrees of positive caster 0 caster is best on smooth roads, which is what i normally experience. is 2.1 degrees really that bad?




Peace Out!!!

A bad strut can make the car pull CTS. My dad's truck had a bad right front strut and it would pull to the right even after an alignment. The strut helped support the weight and the right front was sitting lower than the left- so it pulled. This would have no effect on your toe though- which shouldn't affect your warranty.

Thanks for everyone's replys. one final question though. i have the option of getting some stock struts with less than 100 miles on them or some brand new KYB GR-2s. Which would be the better option, or would they perform about the same? the KYB's would cost $20 more than the stock struts.




Peace Out!!!

Quote:

The strut helped support the weight

Our struts do not support weight. The springs do that. I know on somes vehicles the struts are pressurized to add weight support, but that is not the case on ours.

Having one blown, and one good would make your car pull when you go over bumps/holes; but it shouldn't effect straight-line flat-surface driving.

Enrique: For $20 difference get the struts with a lifetime warranty, the GR2s. They're basically the same thing, maybe a minor difference.

As for the caster, 2.1 is not bad and isn't really a problem. But how did it get to 2.1? It could indicate a problem. I still think you should check your bushings and mounts for damage. A seized mount would cause the car to pull too.

well i took my car to another shop that i know gives good service based upon feedback. they did an alignment check and confirmed that the strut is not blown, but just bent. so i'll have to replace the struts ASAP. they did not mention any bad mounts or bushings though.

i would like to replace the strut mount while they are off. should i replace them with 2000+ mounts or 95-99 mounts. im not too familiar with the differences and advantages of either. thanks.




Peace Out!!!