k frame bolt holes worn

[HBD Calais]

Hey guys i just took my car to a suspension specialist and got a quote of 2850 to fix everything i know not all of it needs doing cause the brakes and rotors wor replaced 15000 km ago and they said they need doing. they said the bolt for the lower control arm was moving where it is attached to the k frame which i thought would be a new bush but they are quoting replacing the k frame because the bolt has worn the k frame. does anyone know if this is likely or if a new bush is put in then it should be fine. they also said they had to replace the whole steering rack because one of the seals needs replacing which seemed excessive. and are the x member mounts really $310

[old mate]

this suspension specialist wasnt PEDDERS was it?

[M01ST]

im with old mate wasnt pedders was it??

[Zeussy]

Does the car make any odd noises going over bumps?
Does the car 'pull' one way or another randomly through a corner?
Does the cars suspension 'sag' on either side?

If you answered 'NO' to all these questions, my guess is there would be next to nothing wrong with your suspension. Maybe in need of new shocks and sway bar link pins, if anything. Well under the quoted price.

I had the lower control arm bolts loose for quite a while, flogging around in there - weren't torqued up tight enough when I replace the bushes in mine.
Result = Doing the bolts up really tight. Really tight. There is a metal casing inside the bushes, the K frame clamps down ont his casing, making it rigid as. I can't see how a bolt hole can flog out to the point where the whole crossmember needs replacing.

With the crossmember mounts, which mounts exactly do you mean? The lower control arm to k-frame/crossmember, or crossmember to body? crossmember to engine? lol, because there is no bush between the crossmember and the body/chassis rails

[HBD Calais]

Yea it was pedders thats why i didnt really tust them and was going to get a quote from another person or just get my usual mechanic to see if any of it need doing.

[Zeussy]

I only ever use them for their $14/28 point safety check's, when I'm too lazy to find out "whats broken" lol, at least they narrow it down for me
Only thing with their 'checks' if you fit new shocks then take it to them, they try to tell you your shocks are almost worn out...

Or to supply parts if they give a decent trade price, other wise I try to steer clear of them

[db_notso]

get it checked by another mechanic
NORMALLY just bushes get done if a bolt was rubbing on the k-frame and stuffed it it would be noisy as a auntie hummer (or something bleeped by sensors)
GET IT RECHECKED cheaper to get a second opinion than fork over the cashola!~

[HBD Calais]

Hey zeussy
yea as i turn right depending on how hard i turn is cuts in harder unexpectedly which i think is that lower control arm bolt moving around, yea i wasnt sure weather to believe that the bolt hole was flogged out cause i questioned him on the fact that there are bushes in there and shouldnt it just be the bush is gone and that was causing the movement, but he tried to tell me it wasnt that and i didnt really know so couldnt really argue the point to much. not really sure about which x memeber it is just says rear suspension x member mounts worn require replacement $308 on the quote.
but to me the whole quote sounds dodgy because i dont know but i wouldnt have thought this would take much over a day to do and if it takes 10 hours of labour that mean they are charging 150 an hour labour which could be right just seams like everything on the quote was really expensive and alot of it not necessary.

[HBD Calais]

yea fair enough i was always going to go somewhere else so will probably do that or just take the quote to the mechanic that does all out farm cars and ask him to put new bushes in the k frame and work out if anything else on the list needs doing.

[Darcon666]

pfffff.... Pedders, as already stated is some other thread.... I'm over there crap tacticks and their products.

Only use them for the $14/28 point safety check/test and then tell them to frack off.

[Zeussy]

Hey zeussy
yea as i turn right depending on how hard i turn is cuts in harder unexpectedly which i think is that lower control arm bolt moving around, yea i wasnt sure weather to believe that the bolt hole was flogged out cause i questioned him on the fact that there are bushes in there and shouldnt it just be the bush is gone and that was causing the movement, but he tried to tell me it wasnt that and i didnt really know so couldnt really argue the point to much. not really sure about which x memeber it is just says rear suspension x member mounts worn require replacement $308 on the quote.
but to me the whole quote sounds dodgy because i dont know but i wouldnt have thought this would take much over a day to do and if it takes 10 hours of labour that mean they are charging 150 an hour labour which could be right just seams like everything on the quote was really expensive and alot of it not necessary.

Ahhk, fair enough.. Had the exact same thing with my VY, had me puzzled for agess. Because when I was under there testing the bushes - with a big pry bar, (flexing the joints to see if there was any movement) it felt tight to me. :/

$14/28 point check came up with that, which was the Passenger/near Side Lower Control Arm Inner Bushes. And $1500 worth of extra's

Is it really noticable above 60km/hr, on right hand turns past 3 o'clock (with hand at the top of the steering wheel, turn right until your hand is close to the 3 on a clock face) Cause thats where mine was, took ages to figure out exactly 'what' it took to get it to do it.

You can try tighening it up #### off tight, like seriously tight. (I'm a pretty big fella/strong, and I was busting my nut doing it up with a half inch breaker bar - 50cm long bar) But if it was like my first bush, the steel inner sleeve had cracked, from hitting a gutter (not sideways, avoiding some other dick at a set of lights, cut me off bad, me doing 60km/hr) If its like that, it will need replacing, which requires a hydraulic press to insert the bush.

Yeahh, rear crossmember's apparently wear mounts, but mine has over 160,xxxkms on it and no movement. And my old VT had over 220,xxxkms, with no movement. Maybe if the $308 was the installed price, but if it was just for bushes it seems a bit much. Never bought them but, so not 100% sure.

$1500 for labour alone sounds rich, but "people gotta eat" and if people keep paying them, they'll keep charging that. (not you )

Sorry for the long and messy post! Hope you can understand some of it

[HBD Calais]

Na that been heaps helpfull the problem is exactly the same and yea they have done pretty similar with adding heaps of stuff to the quote, thank heaps for that mate

[Zeussy]

Maybe don't show him the quote, LOL, unless he's a good bloke and you trust him heaps.

Basically ask him for a quote just to do the lower control arm inner bushes and while he has the arm out to press the new bushes in, get new rear radius rod bushes as well. The ball joints should be sweet. Should only be a few hundred, parts and labour. Parts alone wouldn't cost that much, I got heavy duty urethane/rubber bushes for the lower control arm inners.

Mayyyyybe, the front radius rod bushes aswell, but if you do them, replace them with a nolathane type bush. Red/blue hard plastic type. These are easy but, and can be done anytime, quickly. Not like you need pull half the car apart to get to them.

And while he has it there doing the job, just say "ohh and while you're there, just check over everything..." Cause he's going to be looking right where all the action is, doing the job.

[Calaber]

This business with Pedder's franchises quoting for large and costly repairs for apparently simple faults never seems to go away. The point has been made in other threads that Pedders outlets are franchises and that not all of them behave unethically, but it seems to me that they must have more than their fair share of crook outlets, with the number of excessive overhauls recommended.

I wonder if anybody on this forum has ever attended a Pedders outlet and been quoted a reasonable amount for exactly what was faulty, and not been quoted for heaps of unnecessary additional work?

I certainly wouldn't go near them. There are plenty of suspension specialists around other than Pedders to go to.

[soop]

I just replaced every bush in the front end of my mates VR Calais. The WHOLE lot cost $150... And thats for Nolathane stuff.

[glenn l]

not all pedders stores are franchises, some are company owned.

[wortus]

As far as the lower control arm mounting holes go, take out a bolt and have a look otherwise make sure they are tightened to the specified torque WITH THE WHEELS ON THE GROUND BEARING THE VEHICLES WEIGHT.
As far as the power steering goes is it loosing any fluid? If it is degrease the rack, pump and the hoses and areas around these parst and see if you can see a leak, you may need to remove a boot from the rack, if there is oil in it then it needs fixing if there isn't then it's not leaking internally. First place to look if there is fluid leaking is the pump and the hose connections. The fluid if it gets onthe suspension bushes (rubber) can stuff them.
If the rack appears OK and not leaking much change it's fluid and try for example a Nulon product which may stop the leak for a good while. I have seen brand new racks on the internet sometimes cheaper than a reco one.
As far as front ends ont hese cars go it seems the most likely bush to fail is the oil filled castor rod bush.