Inner Tie Rods - Garage fail!

[Skeeter]

Like I said, the 'Renault Specialist' sticker on their window and on their website has been pulled into question.

Hind sight is a wonderful thing.

 

[Chip-mk1]

Like I said, the 'Renault Specialist' sticker on their window and on their website has been pulled into question.

Hind sight is a wonderful thing.

Oh well, no real harm done im sure they will get there in the end, its not rocket science after all.

 

[Skeeter]

Oh well, no real harm done...

I've not seen the bill they want to charge yet...

 

[Chip-mk1]

Well just cause they want to charge it doesnt mean you want to pay it, lol.

 

[Skeeter]

Yep.

From what I've found online there is zero reason why the cost should differ from their estimate. Same amount of labor, same price for the parts.

Unless they want to charge rent on the lift my cars been sat on for 4 days

 

[Fred@BTM]

2 steering arms from dealer = £90ish
2 tre's non gen = £35ish
1-1.5labour = ??
wheel alignment = £30?

 

[Skeeter]

My quote was £299 for all the work plus wheel alignment including camber. It was the more expensive quote I got, but was the only place with a Hunter.

Garage just called, he "didn't have the full details infront of him" to be able to tell me how much its cost, lol. Trying to pull a fast one I assume.

He did query if the 2.5 degrees of negative camber on the front was right, even though I've told them I have camber bolts and the estimate includes setting up camber using them, lol. Fools. Also seemed bemused by my suggestion that they should keep an eye on the toe due to the rods being too long.

So I'm expecting to be given a random number as a cost, plus an alignment print out full of red, lol.

 

[Fred@BTM]

f**k me i'd drive to Surrey, collect the car, do the work and drop it back off again for that! Surrey darling prices!

 

[Skeeter]

I got 3 quotes, all were over £200 for tie rods. Then 60 for alignment with camber.

Garage phoned back, car won't be finished until tomorrow, FFS.

 

[Chip-mk1]

For that price is not be expecting cutting up with a grinder and sending sparks everywhere etc.

grinder should be last resort not first tool reached for.

 

[Skeeter]

Believe me if I could have taken my car from them and got it done else where I would have.

 

[Dr HMS Derv Destroyer]

Seen it done many times. Cut the off and ' hand tight ' the new ones on.

The woman that came into work with her KA was a thread away from possibly death.

Get it checked after mate, would hate to think they've not tightened them properly

 

[Skeeter]

£352 in total! £124 alone for wheel alignment with camber after quoting £60!

Station View Garage in Dorking. Avoid.

And if I can establish the Renault dealer they use for parts, avoid them too.

 

[Fred@BTM]

i hope you didn't pay that! Unless it includes a night with Tulula and some back door hammer time loving?

 

[Chip-mk1]

352 quid to change track rods and set the geo?

Wow, thats proper expensive.

Not good

 

[Skeeter]

They have also 'absorbed' a doubling in the parts cost when they ordered the correct parts, aparently. And that is cheaper than the original price they tried to charge when I kicked off.

Basically, they are saying changing tie rods is a £500 job!

 

[Chip-mk1]

They have also 'absorbed' a doubling in the parts cost when they ordered the correct parts, aparently. And that is cheaper than the original price they tried to charge when I kicked off.

Basically, they are saying changing tie rods is a £500 job!

And thats just for a hatchet job, imagine how much changing them properly would be, lol.

 

[Skeeter]

I know! Lol.

This experience has solidified my findings that all garages with Hunter alignment machines are manned by utter monkies. The 3 places I have used have all been terrible.

 

[Tony Hunter]

I'd have come down, done the rods and even stroked your manhood for £500

 

[Skeeter]

Deal!

 

[ThomasBrentnall]

f**k me that alignment is expensive. Place near me (ETS Derby with Hunter is £25). Not sure if it includes camber but still!

Have you told them you will never be going there again?

 

[Skeeter]

I certainly have.

Alignment was £60, plus another £64 for 3/4 an hour for Camber adjustment. From what they told me that was 3/4 of an hour to adjust 1 of the camber bolts.

 

[ThomasBrentnall]

I certainly have.

Alignment was £60, plus another £64 for 3/4 an hour for Camber adjustment. From what they told me that was 3/4 of an hour to adjust 1 of the camber bolts.

Good!

45 mins for for one bolt?! Mental, that also puts their hourly rate at £85 an hour :S Is it an independant garage?

 

[Skeeter]

Yeah £70 an hour ex VAT.

Yep, an independent place.

 

[Chip-mk1]

I want to buy shares in them.

 

[Skeeter]

Interestingly, I have managed to magically gain some camber. I've just got the Eibach bolts, yet they have set it to just over 2 degrees either side, which is well above the 1-1.5 usually seen with the Eibachs.

Although do lower springs introduce a bit of camber too?

 

[ThomasBrentnall]

Yeah £70 an hour ex VAT.

Yep, an independent place.

Fuuuuck! Expensive.

Can't help on the camber question, I have no clue about suspension setup/alignment etc!

 

[daveski]

Threads like these make me so glad Mick @ Diamond is round the corner and people like Chip don't live far away.

Least you've got the car back Skeeter!

 

[Chip-mk1]

Threads like these make me so glad Mick @ Diamond is round the corner and people like Chip don't live far away.

Ha ha, we need another beer/burger/spanners fest at some point.

 

[MG cup]

I can get 4.5 degrees camber on my cup so its a myth that you can only get 1.5 deg, you just have to push the wheels in while doing the geo and not rely on the bolt doing everything.

edit: lowering a Clio will have a very small effect on the camber or caster due to it being a Single wishbone Macpherson strut arrangement. When I say small I mean minutes not degrees.

 

[JackJack]

Interestingly, I have managed to magically gain some camber. I've just got the Eibach bolts, yet they have set it to just over 2 degrees either side, which is well above the 1-1.5 usually seen with the Eibachs.

Although do lower springs introduce a bit of camber too?

Iirc yes they do and i think you will also have a little negative as standard.

 

[Chip-mk1]

I can get 4.5 degrees camber on my cup so its a myth that you can only get 1.5 deg, you just have to push the wheels in while doing the geo and not rely on the bolt doing everything.

edit: lowering a Clio will have a very small effect on the camber or caster due to it being a Single wishbone Macpherson strut arrangement. When I say small I mean minutes not degrees.

I beleive the cups have more camber as standard from the subframe pushing the wishbones out?

Not sure what the official figures are and if they are accurate, but when Ive seen people use camber bolts and have it checked after theyve had better figures on cups generally IIRC

 

[MG cup]

I beleive the cups have more camber as standard from the subframe pushing the wishbones out?

Not sure what the official figures are and if they are accurate, but when Ive seen people use camber bolts and have it checked after theyve had better figures on cups generally IIRC

Yeah cups do have more camber standard it was just a comparison, the 1.5 degrees that some people say is all they can get is almost nothing over a standard 172.

Like I say, just twisting the camber bolt will not give you max achievable camber with Eibach bolts, you literally have to adjust them to max and then push the wheel in while on the hunter and you'll see the figures jump.

 

[Chip-mk1]

Yeah cups do have more camber standard it was just a comparison, the 1.5 degrees that some people say is all they can get is almost nothing over a standard 172.

Like I say, just twisting the camber bolt will not give you max achievable camber with Eibach bolts, you literally have to adjust them to max and then push the wheel in while on the hunter and you'll see the figures jump.

We got 2.5 on my mrs old one with camber bolts IIRC

And I agree, its well worth giving the wheel a nudge so all the bits of play work in your favour as you do it up!

 

[Skeeter]

Just worked out that had I accepted their charge for the loan car, the 'doubling' of the cost of parts, and the full hour for camber before I pointed out he said it was 45 minutes, the total cost all in for 2 new tie rods would have been....

£621!

 

[Chip-mk1]

Just worked out that had I accepted their charge for the loan car, the 'doubling' of the cost of parts, and the full hour for camber before I pointed out he said it was 45 minutes, the total cost all in for 2 new tie rods would have been....

£621!

621 for TWO of them?

wow, what a bargain, must be buy one get one free! LOL

 

[George182]

Just worked out that had I accepted their charge for the loan car, the 'doubling' of the cost of parts, and the full hour for camber before I pointed out he said it was 45 minutes, the total cost all in for 2 new tie rods would have been....

£621!

Jesus!

 

[Cup_Phil]

For under £350 I did both tie rods, new steering column, new steering rack, full EPAS conversion, new outer track rods, powerflex bushes all round and 4 wheel hunter laser alignment.


As for the camber argument - it depends what you use. The camber bolts only do about -3.75 even on a cup, but my KW coilovers allow so much negative camber that the tyre wedges against the coilovers lol

 

[MG cup]

Hers a screen shot of one of the times I went to get the geo done, had nearer 5deg another time on one side before setting. Standard cup shocks and wishbones which were brand new and so was everything else.

And what 4 deg looks like > broken.

 

[Stu172cup]

At 70 quid an hour for alignment im off on ebay for an alignment machine

Sod pishing about don anything else for half that rate