Front control arms gone after 53k on GTS

[vc commodore]

For the problem at hand.....Generally parts are only warranted for 20,000 k or 2 years.....So honestly those parts being 53,000K old, I can't see any warranty being given, despite me being appauled at the lack of mileage gotten out of them....

If you get them replaced free of charge, great, but don't get your hopes up....As for going through so many pairs of tyres in a short period of time, I'd be asking why they haven't checked your suspension.

Most tyre stores have a record of the car's mileage and tyres fitted, So I guess the question is, have you been going to the same shop, or have you been store shopping? If it's the same shop, I'd be asking them what they are actually doing..

Best of luck

 

[vc commodore]

Highest hourly rate unqualified spanner spinners in the industry.

As someone who's not great at tyres and can strip , fit and balance in 5-10 mins most the time the $35 fee is a joke tyre disposal is only $5.

I was smashing them one day laughing cause the old boss was like I hate strip fit and balances we could be making real money. I was like you charged him $25 cash and there's 4. That's $100 no taxes and will take me Half an hour that's almost double our usual rate before tax.

Most workshops are $120-150 an hour if you can't do a decent four corner alignment in an hour stop yarning to the guy on the hoist next to you.

The majority of tyre stores want to charge more for a strip/fit/balance because they make no money on the tyre.....So they have to make some money with it some how....I had a boss 10 years ago that used to charge people $50 for this, when they bought in new tyres they bought else where, because he made no money from the sale of the tyre.

Now half a laugh at this...Holden was charged $15 per tyre to be fitted and balanced back in 2002...Holden supplied everything....ie the lube, valve stems and wheel weights...They paid the $15 for the labour to have them fitted.....Where I worked we were belting out 200 steel rims per day, inbetween our regular work....

 

[vc commodore]

Except the car owner doesn't realise that cost(throat)-cutting in the tyre industry means that the fitter doesn't have time to run around the car checking for borked suspension ... blame Tempe Tyres for that entire situation, I know I do.

5 minutes for a quick check isn't having no time....It's the younger generation not giving a toss about learning....The phone in their face is more important...

Unfortunately, the only dealings I have with Tempe is on the wholesale side of things....they haven't opened a retail outlet in Adelaide yet

 

[J_D 2.0]

Actually last time my (septuagenarian) mother bought tyres the fitter suggested that the wear on the prior ones wasn't quite right and she should get the suspension checked &/or adjusted. Wasn't a service they offered either, so wasn't them upselling.

She found a good egg then.

 

[wobbles123]

Hi Guys,

Just went for my pink slip, and got these pics back. Both front control arms, front caster arms and sway bar link valves/bushings are busted.
Quoted $1850 to fix the lot, as cannot replace the bushings, have to replace the whole arms as a kit apparently...

Chatting to the local mechanic, they recommended I take it back to the Holden dealer first, and ask if they would fix "on good will" as these items should not be broken after 54,000KM's under normal/low usage. They noted that HSV / Holden, might fix certain items well after the warranty (2013 model) if they have broken before the expected KM usage. They felt these should be due for a replacement around 80-100kms. I only drive in the city and have very low usage.

The last time I took the car for a service, HSV replaced for free several parts that should not have broken at the Kms usage - but stopped at replacing the LED back taillights (several LEDs have gone). I tried to re-raise the LED issue with HSV but they said no (the dealer was surprised as they felt the LEDs should not be gone so soon either).

What's your take on this - and approach to the service centre? Just rock up with the pictures and ask for these to be considered fixed for free due to the milage, call ahead, send pics first - and how to word the conversation?

I guess the reason I'm seeking a free replacement, is because I bought Conti's 1.5 years ago, and the insides of the tyres are bare, they think it was due to the arms having some sway for a while now, 1+ years from my notes, as I asked it to be aligned due to it pulling to the left during the last service and it continued to do this after I left.

$1850 to replace the controls arms etc and also having to stump up for new tyres with just 7,000KM is a bit too much for me, and I think the damage to the tyres (only obvious once on the hoist) was caused by the faulty control arm / sway bar valves.

Anyway - thought I'd reach out here and see if anyone else has had similar issues and been successful getting parts replaced by Holden/HSV that should not really have failed before 54,000KM or more/less?

Someone on another forum also mentioned there are recalls on some items or they are aware of issues to certain parts failing before their time - so always worth asking what can be replaced under goodwill etc...

There was a recall for the 2013 - 2015 VF's by GMH in March 2015.....front ball joints to be re-torqued....they were done on my 2013 SV6....I do not know if this applied to the Holden/HSV vehicles at that time or whether this is your problem or HSV's with all the modifications.

 

[RevNev]

Accordinf to ACL, the service that they are paid to perform must be delivered with due care and skill...

So, if some bush is worn, or they faffed the alignment in their haste, and the consequence of such is that a tyre or tyres chew themselves out prematurely, then the shop is liable for any consequential damage that their shoddy workmanship caused...

In reality it doesn't work like that. All it takes is evidence of a kerb scrape on the tyre and the defence is hitting something (which they have) and the wheel aligner is excluded from liability. It's extremely difficult to prove that a wheel alignment was done incorrectly particularly over the time it takes for tyre wear to become visible. That's the reason so many are bad at the job!

 

[RevNev]

Being in the trade for many years, I can tell you, the biggest problem is the younger generation don't give a toss....I have tried to teach many of the younger generation the basics of checking for suspension wear and reading tyre wear problems and the little turds are more interested in getting the car off the hoist so they can shove their phones back in their face....

What have you got idiots like this working for you in the first place? I'll tell you why! Because you can't afford to pay the money for someone good. It comes back to the large majority of customers wanting the "cheapest job", not the best workmanship. The other problem is, when the "cheapie shop" goes bust, there's another 2 "cheapie shops" who open up to continue the cycle. If you advertised a wheel alignment for $25, a shop around the corner would do it for $20 until someone offered a free alignment.

I'm glad I gave retail road car stuff away in 1985, it's hard business to earn a living unfortunately.

 

[krusing]

Welcome to crappy OEM Holden Bushes,
I replaced my VE arms with SuperPro myself,
And also replaced the arms on my VY myself,
Got a wheel alignment on both cars !
The rest is history !

 

[vc commodore]

What have you got idiots like this working for you in the first place? I'll tell you why! Because you can't afford to pay the money for someone good. It comes back to the large majority of customers wanting the "cheapest job", not the best workmanship. The other problem is, when the "cheapie shop" goes bust, there's another 2 "cheapie shops" who open up to continue the cycle. If you advertised a wheel alignment for $25, a shop around the corner would do it for $20 until someone offered a free alignment.

Firstly, I don't employ them...I'm the smuck that has to try to train them...It has been at a few places I have worked at.....Not just my current place I work at.

Pay...Yeah, fair point....These young idiots want $2,000 a week to be trained, a managerial position, within the first month of employment....So yep, difficult to compete with those demands....

Truth be known and it's not just the tyre industry, youngins want their phones glued to their face...So what they do is rush the job, or switch off to anyone trying to teach them the proper way, so they can get back to their phones because their mates have just described how they had a good dump in the crapper and they have to view it and comment on it...

Yeah, there are some shite shops getting round...There are also some good ones, where the prices are fair and the workmanship is top notch...It's upto the individual to research the good ones....

 

[vc commodore]

In reality it doesn't work like that. All it takes is evidence of a kerb scrape on the tyre and the defence is hitting something (which they have) and the wheel aligner is excluded from liability. It's extremely difficult to prove that a wheel alignment was done incorrectly particularly over the time it takes for tyre wear to become visible. That's the reason so many are bad at the job!

The number of people I have come back complaining I stuffed their alignment is unbelieveable....When I get the car on the hoist and point out witness marks where they have wacked something, then the excuses come thick and fast.....

I'm not one of these people that say, you hit something, see ya later...I actually prove it, by showing them....

It ain't hard to prove an alignment was done incorrectly buddy...You get one done every 10,000K and if it was done incorrectly, the signs of abnormal wear start showing by then.....

However this is where the young idiots come into play....You try and teach them what to look for and why a tyre has worn the way it does and they have turned off because the phone is more important....So it comes back to finding a place that is good at what they do...And there are a few around Adelaide...