Jackpoint woes - BMW Forum

bitcore · 07-12-2004, 09:51 PM

Ok, so my car has been in and out of this shop that specializes in tires and brakes and stuff, they can do everything else as well. A local shop, run by a guy that my dad likes and trusts. I've taken it to this shop about 8 times. Tires got slashed 2 times, I needed tires 2 other times, M3 bushings install + alignment, and now to fix my AC for the 3rd time. (dealership wasn't a lot of help the first time)

I dont know what happend this last time, but my rear wishbone (right rear control arm) is REALLY bent hardcore. I'm talking about, some serious force went into bending this. It's like I was doing a power slide at 40 mph into a curb kind of bent The axle would take most of this force since it’s parallel to what a side impact would be if I slid sideways into a curb, so this was definitely a force from underneath.

Apparently what was happening or what happend last trip, was that the guy that lifted up the car didn't know where to put the jack pads, so he put them somewhere where he thought would work fine, and that 'normally supports the car anyways'. Pic below, Red circle is where he put the pad, blue circle is where you are suppose to put it (in the front, there's another for the rear that the tire is blocking in the pic):

It's definately the rounded square jackpads.

It's clear that this does not look normal.

Bent the thing all the way up to the swaybar...

This must have been after one lift, last time it was in the shop was to put NEW rear tires on since the right rear tire was *EVENLY* bald, and now the fresh new tire I have on it has worn down 50% on the inside after 2 weeks of driving to work. The camber is $*&#$ed...
This just goes to show, Make sure your mechanic really DOES know what he's doing if you arn't using a certified dealer. I was just trying to save some bucks from avoiding the stealership.

BTW, Does anyone know the part number for one of these, I think this guy's really overcharging us in parts, 450$ for a condensor? Bavauto's most expensive one is 300$, and it's for the 5 series.
EDIT: nevermind, I called bavauto and they got it all for me. I love them

Deloriant · 07-12-2004, 09:54 PM

Ohhhh shit man, I'm sorry, that blows!!!

bitcore · 07-12-2004, 10:01 PM

I'm not lookin for pity I'm gonna see if I can get them to fix it for free since they broke it, I just wanna show everyone what CAN happen if their non dealership mechanic dosn't jack the car up right.

Maybe this should be posted in the faq or some crap.

edit: Whoa, 1111 posts

*wishes for a 2004 AC Schnitzer-pimped-out supercharged silver M3 w/ a moon roof and mad crazy 5,000$ sound system*

El Presidente · 07-12-2004, 10:43 PM

I would contact a lawyer about pursueing damages from the shop if they refuse to fix it.

Furious · 07-13-2004, 12:57 AM

shit thats not how its suppose to look at all.

Kevin325i · 07-13-2004, 01:15 AM

Somebody put the jacks about 6 inches too far in on my car before I had it. There's a little indentation where it happened, and it's starting to rust at the edge. I gotta get it up on the jack at school before winter and clean up the rust.

Kevin

bitcore · 07-13-2004, 09:05 AM

He's gonna fix it, we just have to pay for it.
I'm getting him to use bavauto parts instead of the stealership since the price is a lot cheeper (75$ for the arm at bavauto, 100$ at the dealership)
I'm also going to get him to replace the swaybar bushings while he's got it all disassembled since it's not much extra labor.

Any sugestions on what else to replace while he's got the backend of my car disassembled? I wanted to do the RTAB's, but that's still a lot of work, $300+ that I don't have.
I thought about shock mounts but they want to replace the shocks as well, I'd rather just get bilstines all around with lowering springs and replace the mounts then...

I think what I oughta do is sell it and get an M :P Yah right...
318, here I come

007ben · 07-13-2004, 09:36 AM

why do you have to pay for it?

El Presidente · 07-13-2004, 09:46 AM

exacty. You are not liable for any damages done by the shop...thats why they have insurance. If he doesn't you need to go to another shop from now on.

Actually, you need to go to a new one regardless.

bitcore · 07-13-2004, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by El Presidente@Jul 13 2004, 11:26 AM
Actually, you need to go to a new one regardless.

Agreed, I'll let them fix this and my AC since they already diagnosed it. I'll talk to my dad again since he's good with these things.

My father's argument was, he can't proove that they did it. I dunno, that WAS the only shop I've been to, and it's difficult to say "hey guys, you did this, I want you to fix it for free."

jllphan · 07-13-2004, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bitcore+Jul 13 2004, 11:15 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (bitcore @ Jul 13 2004, 11:15 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-El Presidente@Jul 13 2004, 11:26 AM

My father's argument was, he can't proove that they did it. I dunno, that WAS the only shop I've been to, and it's difficult to say hey guys, you did this, I want you to fix it for free.

[/b][/quote]
It wouldn't be hard at all if it where me. You drive up to the shop with your pics. Slam them on the ground next to the lift, and say, hey wow, look at those freakin lift marks on my car, they match up perfectly with your freakin lift! So guess what, I'm gonna take my car and have it repaired by someone competent enough to use a lift, and I will send you the bill!

I'm sorry dude, but if a couple of schmucks don't even know how to get your car off the ground, I sure as hell wouldn't let them work on it. Not to fix what they have diagnosed, or what they have broken!

Look at it this way. If your dad paid a work crew to re-shingle you house, and one of the guys bashed a hole in your roof the size of a fire hydrant, would you expect for your dad to pay for it to get patched up? Yeah here is the money for the re-roofing, or and here is an extra $400 for the hole you put in my roof. Yeah, right.

BlantonG13 · 07-13-2004, 11:02 AM

In all reality, to make it right, they should even pay for a new tire since yours is all kinds of Effed up right now, you didn't even know about it. As long as you have all your records of repairs and maintanence, that should be proof enough that they did it. Thats rediculous. You should not have to pay. Yeah, it is definitely time to find a new mechanic, or at least make sure the person that works there that messed up your ride, never works on your car (or any for that matter) again.

bitcore · 07-13-2004, 12:25 PM

I dont wanna be hard on the guys, imean, they have a lift that lifts cars up SPECIFICALLY by the far edge of the LCA towards the shock or the bottom of the shock itself, they normally do work on ford's and chevys...

I guess what Im going to end up doing is say, if you don't charge me for the labor to change the controll arm, and replace the swaybar bushings while it's all disassembled, I'll pay for the parts. Everyone think that's reasonable? I don't really have solid proof that they did it except for the fact that my car hasn't been on any other lift in the past 8-9 months.. (BMW dealership, and they HAVE to know what they are doing)