hey guys, let me begin with this, i've got next to no mechanical knowledge, i barely understand the question i am about to ask, thats where you come in my wheel alignment was off really bad, 2 front tyres were fine outside, completely bald in the inside. hasn't been done/checked since i bought the car ~1.5 yrs ago. I had changed the tyres since then, but apparently that doesn't include a wheel alignment (i know now). i replaced the 2 front tyres but now need to quickly correct any additional issues and re-align the wheels to keep these tyres longer than 6 months... Before replacing anything I took it to pedders and for $14 they did an underbody check, and had a few complaints. I am hoping to find out how urgent this maintenance is and how much i should expect to pay. i have a place in mind which was recommended by my tyre guy. car is a vz commodore. front suspension strut mount plate - compressed front suspension lower inner bushes split front suspension inner tie rods excessive movement rear - RH leaking shock (i think this is probably bs.. can't visibly see anything) so in total they quoted me over $1k to fix it, which i thanked them for and left. costing me only $14 for the diagnosis. realistically, how much could purchase the required parts for, and how much labour should I expect to have them replaced? Remembering I don't think its something I could do myself. I don't even know what these things look like. appreciate any input you guys might have.
The only thing on that list that I see requiring attention that can contribute to tyre wear is your inner tie rods (commonly called rack ends). Get them replaced and then get another wheel alignment done and you should be good to go.
thanks for the reply mate. my biggest concern has been preventing the same kind of wear on the new tyres (not cheap as im sure you all know). i'm going to a place tomorrow to get it looked at and hopefully after a look they can give me a better idea on what actually does need done and the price. I don't mind doing it, if it will prevent issues in future.
lower inner bushes split being control arm bushes? rear shocks brand new for stock height will cost you less that 100-150ish, go to the GSL ralleysport section and PM greg. new strut top mounts/bearings for the front will cost you 100$ on ebay, 160$ for a good set. i paid my mechanic 250$ to install new shocks/springs/a few new bushes front and rear. so wasn't bad for labour.
rear shock you can change on your own its a extremely easy... just the car up to the point where the wheel is almost off the ground and undo the bolt to the hub... undo the top bolt in the boot and then do the reverse to install the new ones
Pretty much this. They cost about 40-50 bucks each and take #### all time to change. Other than that its basic stuff that most commodores will have wrong with them. You probably wont be able to visibly see a leaking shock. In the rear you probably wouldnt even notice it till it got bad. As NAAB said, The only thing on that list that would affect tyre wear would be the rack ends. Replace them and get an allignment.
