we all know how hard it is to please others...

I've done auto mechanics longer than maybe any other job... about 20 years...

but it's still frustrating when you pay another man to work on your car(s) and get them back with as many new issues as you left with...

One shop put exhaust from cat back on my 'new' 4.0 Aero. He had the tailpipe 6" off the ground. he brought it back in cut and welded more and now its maybe 8" from the ground. I'm gonna put air shocks on soon, but it could still be closer to the wrap around bumper cover there. And coming out ahead of the factory outlet at a 90* angle. not a 45* like factory.

The '94 3.0 was at another shop replacing rear axle seal and upper control arn bushings. driver side only. now the rear axle make a Ssshhhhhhhhh sound you can hear inside while driving like water running at any speed over 25 and he got the control arm 'stands' out of place on top of the frame member (he obviously removed them) and the steering wheel, & alignment no doubt, are out of place. The steering wheel has NEVER been off on this van , not even when the bushing was bad. He didnt take loose the outer tie rod end, I checked that. I WASN'T planning on paying for an alignment!! $70.00!!

Tommorrow I'll check for axle oil and call the mechanic to ask him how it went & ask him about the new noise. I'll live with the low, right angle bent exhaust pipe for now.

I sound like my dad. everytime we got our Volkswagen transporter back from the dealer he would complain how they didn't do something right and often had to bring it back to get THAT fixed. The mechanics over here generally aren't too keen. I heard in Germany they wear white jackets like doctors and have to be licensed and trained.. An my mechanics here are Ford supposedly factory trained, close to master tech status!!

My family is of German descent on both my parent's sides. We are discerning & demanding. We require high quality near perfection. Little tolerance for sloppy work. Dad used to say, "If you want anything done right you better do it yourself!"

 

I can't see how you can expect to replace the upper control arm bushings without doing an alignment afterwards.

 

Maybe you should take it to GERMANY to get worked on!

Ray

 

LOL that's funny ! ,"Maybe you should take it to GERMANY to get worked on!
" Hahahahahaha

Who cares? its just life aint it?? A nice beer and i quickly forget it..

If a person is careful he can get a front end back CLOSE to where it started. in this forum there are instructions how to mark those parts to get them back in place right. Guess I'll have to do some of it my self, whether I want to or not. I can set toe myself.

 

Possible, but very unlikely.

IF you mark position of the control arm mounts onto the spacer plate exactly, and mark the plate onto the frame exactly, AND you press the new bushings into the mounts to exactly where the old bushings were, you will come close to original alignment settings. Remember that major changes in settings can be made by moving those parts as little as 1/16".

Anytime you touch front end parts, you really should have the alignment checked and reset.

 

concerning your exhaust-I had a nova that once had a new dual exhaust system installed on it. I couldn't get the shop forman to readjust my exhaust. My solution. I placed a thick board (any soft wood will do) on my floor jack and positioned it where it had to be at and before jacking up the cup of the jack/board combo I also placed a board up and on facing downward to protect what I didn't want to be touched (readjusted) and after a couple of strategic placed pushed up areas with my large floor jack my exhaust was exactly where it needed to be. Remember that if you try this you have to actually jack the area up higher than what you need too because of the flexing of your exhaust system.-Good Luck

 

On my catback, I had to have the tialpipe redone because the guy failed to fully anticipate the full motion of the rear axle, and the pipe was hitting the axle whenever I hit a bump. It pinched off one of my airline hoses too. So he built a new one and made sure it stayed away from as much as possible which is very difficult for 2.5" tailpipe and the tight tolerances around that axle. It is perfect this time.

 

Must be some of that high quality, precise German engineering.

Klaus Dieter Cook
Houston, Texas (originally from Frankfurt, Germany)