Friday, August 01, 2008 - 04:38 pm, by: Maurice Diggler(Mau_rice)
Hey guys.
I need some opinions here, first I'll start with the full story. (I'm just a bit hazy on the specific dates but they aren't really important)
6 months after getting my Soarer I got sick of it looking like a dune buggy so I went down to my local Pedders and checked what they had to offer and ended up leaving with 4 lowered springs and a wheel alignment and was extremely happy with how the car looked and handled. They told me the bushes were pretty much rooted (as I expected) and I planned to book it in soon after.
Fast track 12 months or so, I saved up some $$$ and went back to Pedders and booked it in for 4 new shocks (Sports riders or something) and all my bushes done, before I paid I went and had a look at the car and first thing I noticed was the front end was lower by what looked like about 15mm on both sides, I walk out of my house every day and always wished it was a bit lower on the front and my wish had came true, I asked them why and he ripped out the tape measure and said it was the same as when I came in, I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me and didn't think much of it.
On my first test drive in the hills later on that day I approached a turn with a little bit of pace, new shocks were nice and stiff and I didn't notice as much body roll and all was great, 2nd corner I turn the opposite way and THUMP... the front outer tyre rubbed on the inside of my guard (Not on the lip, up inside the guard)... I immediately thought WTF and kept on drive, drove around a few corners slower and it was fine, pelted into the next one and the other front tyre rubbed on the inside of the guard horribly.
I ended up going back to Pedders and the guy I dealt with originally wasn't there, I spoke to someone else and told him that something was wrong, my front end was rubbing ect and that it was probably caused by the lowered front end, he told me "Changing shocks doesn't effect ride height at all" and that there was something else wrong.
Fast track a month or so (I wasn't driving the car much at the time) and I still had this problem, even going in a straight line and hit a pot hole the tyres would bang up into the guard so there was obviously something wrong, I asked them if they could have put the wrong shocks or springs and they said they only have 1 set for the Soarer so it's not possible.
I ended up chewing out my 2 front tyres, I got them replaced, crack the sh1ts and went back to Pedders telling them to fix it, they took the car for a day and told me the alignment was out a touch but said that wouldn't cause the problem, they told me someone had fitted bump stops that were a little too small for the car and they put on ones as per factory and the problem should be fixed.
It was raining and a friday afternoon so I couldn't put it through it's paces to see if the problem was fixed. Next dry day came around and I took the car out, driving along normally going over pot holes the rubbing had improved but not disappeared and on corners with any kind of aggression it would rub badly still.
I went back angry again saying nothing had really changed and so on and they basically told me "Well I don't know what we can do" I told him that their springs and my shocks were great, no dramas, the problem lied in their shocks or bushes and it needed to be fixed. His attitude changed a bit and he said "Well, you do have 18" wheels, that's probably why" I told him that my tyres are only 10mm wider than stock and that I never had this problem with my standard 15yo clapped out Toyota ones but I do with their brand new ones.
Now... The problem is... they said "We will just fit bigger than factory bump stops, and keep on making them bigger till it stops rubbing" I am starting to get worried, they shouldn't be forced to make the car non standard in a desperate effort to make it work, by adding bigger bump stops that reduces the suspension travel making it less effective. I don't know what to do and I can't afford to keep buying new tyres every month.
All up I have given them about $2300 for all that work and the car is unenjoyable, I was hoping to do some hill climbs later on this year but I can't.
What should I do? I should have just got a set of coilovers to begin with and never bothered...
Friday, August 01, 2008 - 10:02 pm, by: Michael Crimp(Zen1953)
Hi, I have always had good service from their Cairns center where they tune suspensions to the mileage and specifications of the car not the factory recommended numbers. They haven't seen my 32 yet. But I have heard not so good reports about other branches. Anyway I suggest you take your complaint to head office. Phone them up and ask who to address an email to and put in all details inc people, dates, invoices etc and say think you've been badly dealt with. and shafted with BS by experts so they could reasonably say if it was a problem why didn't you push it further before. Good Luck I had a similar (in an obtuse way) type of issue with Caterpillar and after complaining to HQ in the USA needless to say I was partially satisfied but Local agent to this day still deny's his crews lies. Good Luck
Peter Nitschke Junk Filterer South Australia UZZ30 UZZ31
Friday, August 01, 2008 - 10:11 pm, by: Peter Nitschke(Pen)
Pedders stores are franchises, so any particular store may be good or bad depending on the owner and it's manager (usually the same person). Complaining to head office helps, as they don't want individual stores dragging down the reputation of the entire chain. Also mention that you have raised the issue on popular car forums and will continue to do so until the matter is resolved.
It's your car, I would bet that your first impressions of the height drop were correct.
Check for any photos you might have before the job was done. Look though cruise threads too if need be, you might find one showing the car sitting a bit higher than it is now.
You could also ask to see where they wrote down the original height, but don't give them time to fudge it, ask to go into the office with them while they find it.
Check pics first though, as it could give you excellent ammunition.
Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 07:59 am, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
Maurice,
Get a tape measure and post up the distance from the centre of the hub to the wheel arch front and rear. (or from the ground as I think i have that measurement also).
Somewhere on this forum I posted the measurements for my stock TT suspension before I fitted the Teins. At least you'll know what the stock height should be.
I get the same 'rub' up inside the guard occasionally if I hit a big pot hole or bump. Mine hits almost centre of the tread pattern on the inside plastic guard liner. Mine is lowered a bit, but the rub doesn't happen much. I need to go out and check the heights and adjust it all again as it has probably sagged in the last 18 months.
Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 01:19 pm, by: Matthew Sharpe(Madmatt)
Definitely don't let them just keep fitting bigger bump stops. Bump stops are there for when the car is under extreme loads or circumstances, not for constantly stopping suspension travel under ordinary driving conditions. Excessive suspension travel means the spring rates are wrong or there is insufficient dampening.
Thursday, August 14, 2008 - 10:07 pm, by: Brendan McGannon(1jzspec)
hate to say it mate,but pedders shocks are s-hite! they blow there seals so often its not funny,they are cheap,made in korea and all they do is put there sticker on to pass them as something you would want to pay money for,as a result they have very poor dampening,although they may feel stiffer, when under load they simply give up,im a mechanic and if i had a dollar for everytime ive looked at my job card to see 'customer reports suspension clunking/rubbing' only to find pedders shocks fitted.....id be rich.if i were you id cut your losse's and fit either new oem shocks or get some tein super streets or the like,fitting larger bump stops is only reducing your suspension travel-very dodgy and wont fix your problem! sorry for the essay!
Friday, August 15, 2008 - 04:12 pm, by: Maurice Diggler(Mau_rice)
Thanks mate, I got in touch with Pedders Head Office and spoke to a nice guy there who sorted it all out, I told them I was concerned about their methods of correcting my problem and asked what options I had.
I ended up taking it back and they put the correct bump stops back on and just fitted spring spacers to bring the ride height up a bit, thing is, they have 5mm, 10mm and 15mm ones available and he ended up putting on 10mm ones, but due to the design of the suspension arm (I dunno WTF he was saying) it made the ratio 2:1 and the 10mm spacer actually raised the front of the car up 20mm on the front
The problem is fixed, it doesn't rub or hit the guard anymore, all is sweet in that department but now the car looks like it's running stock front springs, looks like a dune buggy, I think I'm gonna take it back and request they put 5mm spacers in which will drop it down another 10mm and hopefully still work properly.
I have spent so much fricken cash there that I really REALLY find it hard to go an purchase a set of $1400 coilovers and pay for labour and wheel allignment again, that would mean I've nearly spent 1/2 the cars market value on suspension lol... One day maybe haha. at the moment I'm too over it.
Sunday, August 17, 2008 - 12:36 pm, by: Maurice Diggler(Mau_rice)
I'd rather not say as might have to go back there and get more work done, so I don't want them seeing this, cracking the then using my car in their next customer car sponsored drift video.
If you heard Brunswick are good, give them a go mate. Probably safer.
Monday, September 01, 2008 - 10:08 pm, by: Michael Crimp(Zen1953)
Hi Maurice, If you were an ordinary bloke who settled for ordinary things and mediocrity you would have a Daihatsu or a Hyundai or something mediocre But you are not, you have an eye for beauty and comfort and a passion for the finer things in life - So you have a Soarer. I can assure you and many many men can testify that Beauty, Comfort and Passion may seem inexpensive at the beginning but in all aspects of human existence the price of Soaring in the presents of Beauty Comfort and Passion has always exceed the original cost. If you want your beauty to be perfect spend the money without regret and you'll never be sorry. My answer to the Soaring cost of maintenance is to find another UZZ32 for parts.