Do new coffin arms need fresh wheel alignment?

[Tinker]

It's a loooooooooong story for another day, but at the moment it comes down to one question: if you have new (rear) coffin arms, do the wheels need fresh wheel alignment?

 

[infrasilver]

Yes, especially the rears.

 

[Tinker]

Thank you.

 

[Tinker]

Yes, especially the rears.

I told the indy this and he insists it's not so.

He's taken 20-month-old rear coffin arms off my car and put new ones on, trying to track a rogue noise. (The noise was traced to a not-tight-enough crossbar.)

After he put the new coffin arms on, the car went for wheel alignment. (This alignment by chance and was booked before the noise occurred and before the coffin arms were removed/replaced.)

Now, he wants his new coffin arms back and wants to put my old ones on again. I'm not happy with this, not least because I don't want to pay £100 + VAT for another alignment.

He insists another alignment is not necessary.

 

[Chris W]

I'm no expert on this but if everything is marked up with a blob of paint would this help to ensure everything goes back ok?

Tinker I feel for you in this, I hate it when one gets charged for trial and error work, or when something is done, you pay, and then find the problem still exists. Why is it garages (and central heating engineers "its probably the PCB") get away with this?

 

[GT4]

OP: yes

 

[PeterS]

Strange. Some questions, if I may.

If it wasn't the coffin arms why didn't he take them straight back off again?

Have you paid for them?

If not, and you knew they were coming back off, why did you get the alignment done?

(Why not give him your good condition coffin arms and pay him the difference. It would save labour costs)

 

[Tinker]

PeterS Strange. Some questions, if I may.

If it wasn't the coffin arms why didn't he take them straight back off again?

It was the end of the (second) day. He said he'd already spent 5 hours on the car. And, presumably, he saw the coffin arms as consumables.

Have you paid for them?

Nope.

If not, and you knew they were coming back off, why did you get the alignment done?

The car was already booked in the next day to Porsche for alignment (£100+VAT), so I told them about the noise problem. They found it & cured it (insufficiently torqued crossbar) and then did the alignment.

Why not give him your good condition coffin arms and pay him the difference. It would save labour costs.

This is the nub of the matter. He's offered to replace my original coffin arms and charge me nothing. I'm pi$$ed off, though, because that will mean him having the car for a 3rd day and me having to have a new wheel alignment.

Most of all, however, I'm very pi$$ed off, because he says Porsche are not telling the truth about the cause of the noise, that it wasn't the crossbar and that with changed coffin arms the car doesn't need fresh wheel alignment.

Basically, it's not the money that irritates me, but being messed about and put in an awkard position.

 

[PeterS]

If it was a loose anti-roll bar then he is probably a bit embarrassed.

Probably thought, "usually coffin arms, I will just do them"

Do you intend using him again?

There is often a difference between what is legal, what is moral, and what is the right thing to do. (Just ask an MP!)

 

[993S_Ocean]

Tinker, you say the indy spent 5 hours and couldnt find the clicking noise / route of the problem... did they charge you for all of those 5 hours?

Sounds crazy that a good indy can spend 5 hours and not find it yet OPC found it... did OPC find it very quickly?

 

[Tinker]

Tinker, you say the indy spent 5 hours and couldnt find the clicking noise / route of the problem... did they charge you for all of those 5 hours?

Sounds crazy that a good indy can spend 5 hours and not find it yet OPC found it... did OPC find it very quickly?

Nope, it took the OPC 2 hours.