| Author |
Message |
Russell Rohde
Tinkerer
Queensland
Soarer 1JZ 2.5L TT (JZZ30)
Posts: 37
Reg: 07-2006
|
How's this for a balls up. Over the last week of so, I've had a mad steering wobble in the wheel above about 65-70km/h and for about 3 or so weeks, its been pulling fairly decently to the left. So, I rolled into the local Tyre Shop and asked for a front and rear alignment and balance of ALL FOUR wheels. So the balance was $6.50 per wheel and the alignment was $65 front only or $75 for front and rear.
About 45 mins into the job, the balances are done and they tell me mt front passenger wheel was out by about 170grams!! - guess that explained the wobble. The bloke waddles back out, moves the car onto the wheel alignment bay. bout 10 mins later, i hear this god almighty bang and crash. Being bored sh1tless, with nothing to read and only some crap cooking show on TV i figured i'd go investigate. Now, Since i know what alignment does and 'theoretically' how to adjust it, i dont know what practically happens or what to 'actually' do to adjust it. So anyway, the dude •••••• up and sent the spanner flying across the workshop hitting another car - HARD.
Anyway, they tell me they have set my wheels to factory spec. They said my front left was toeing out by .5deg, my front right was toe in by nearly 3.5deg, My rear right was toe out by nearly 3.5 and positive camber by 2deg and the rear left was perfect. So I paid the guys $13 less than I figured it would be and they tell me "Oh, we didn't balance the back wheels - there is no need to cos if their balance is out, it dont matter - you cant feel it in the wheel and dosen't affect tyre wear". I might just be a simple Electrician and Engineer, but i'm sure that any kind of 'out of balance' in a wheel causes early wear which results in safety issues and my needing to fork out for tyers sooner than I need to and at $330 each for rear wheels, I dont want to have to be doing that.
So, anyway, today, i'm cruising along the inner cit bypass at about 11:30 and when i got in the tunnel I could her this 'clanking' noise reverberating off the walls. Pulled up and found all four of my wheel nut covers were only finger tight and noiced my wheels had been swapped left to right so all my treads were running reverse!!
Damn!
anyway, thought I'd kick it off with a 'little' stuff up on a relatively simple and often performed job at any "professional" tyre store. |
Peter Nitschke
Junk Filterer
South Australia
GT4.0 V8
Posts: 8907
Reg: 11-2004
|
Rear wheel imbalance can be felt in a Soarer.
Certainly looks like they qualify for a Twonk award! |
Brian Timms
Goo Roo
New South Wales
TT Soarer Goodness.
Posts: 1026
Reg: 12-2006
|
I have had the MECHANIC put oil in the radiator for a service.
I had gone to work via the mechy, dropped off the car, and walked the rest of the way to work. Car was due for Service, oil, filter, coolant, and diff and gearbox flush as well (this was a Mazda 626 5 speed manual).
Got the call at 10:30am telling me the car was just on a test drive and will be ready for pickup at 11am, total cost $225 all up.
I get there and lift the bonnet, check the oil, it's nice and golden, and a fraction above the full mard (exactly how I like it), so I start the car, and go in to pay the people (not suspecting anything at this stage).
Anyway, there is a little old lady winging about this 'clutch wear' issue she is having, and it takes about 20 minutes to pay, meanwhile car is idling happily outside.
I pay, come out, sit int he seat, and the heat guage is sitting about 3/4 the way along, definately not normal, as it was a coolish day, and the car has never seen over half wy on a stinking hot summer's day with A/C, something's wrong for a car with normal coolant flush.
I shut it down and demand the head mechanic come to check.
He comes out and goes "She's been running, I am not opening that radiator I might get burnt", so I got a rag, and opened the mongrel myself jumping back and as the cap opened".
Guess what, the cap sat there, no pressure at all in the radiator, and we both looked at each other totally shocked.
We both walked up, looked into the radiator, and saw the golden oil inside.
At that point I said "I think a refund is in order, and you need to clean this •••• out", and I left.
Got a call that afternoon asking if I could leave the car, which I did.
The next day, about 2:30pm, I get a call, they have finished the car, it's got a new water pump, new radiator, new pipes, and complete high pressure engine flush, all labour covered, all parts covered.
I have never let my car go for service since that time.
Apparently the apprentice (it's always the apprentice that twonks it) pumped oil into the radiator thinking it was an oversized oil cooler that needed filling, I blame the head mechy for not supervising his non-qualified staff, and not checking before calling the customer up.
Needless to say I haven't been back to him.
B. |
David Vaughan
Goo Roo
ACT
V8 Ltd manual
Posts: 3706
Reg: 07-2005
|
I believe both stories, unfortunately.
Still, while the stories are getting good, way back in the 1960s there was a car called the Renault R10 (look it up yourself). It was a rear-engined thing with swing axles, back in the times when rear engines were terribly rare, unless you drove a Volkswagen, and homicidal suspensions were normal and cheap.
Pulling into a petrol station (and remembering petrol prices were a hell of a lot lower then) the owner asked the attendant to filler'up.
Filling the tank for you was something they did in those days, rather than expecting you to do it yourself. After all, it gave them the opportunity to spill a litre of petrol down the side of your car and make more money. No self-stopping pumps back then, but I digress.
Anyway, while the owner went inside to look for a spare fan belt, an essential spare in primitive days, the attendant removed the nearest cap at the back and started filling. As the owner came out of the store he called out, "Hey! It took only ten cents worth!".
Then, as petrol spilled from the radiator over the exhaust, the car caught fire.
I am sure it was sorted out amicably.
 |
Adrain Parsons
DieHard
Qld
JZZ30 tt
Posts: 521
Reg: 08-2005
|
stuff that crap!! i would have wanted blood, lol |
Russell Rohde
Tinkerer
Queensland
Soarer 1JZ 2.5L TT (JZZ30)
Posts: 40
Reg: 07-2006
|
Alright, I have another. a Read kicker.
About 4 or 5 years ago, I had a very neat, straight, tidy, quick 93 ED Falcon. Driving home one day, I got under it and at about 6 or 7000rpm, it just stopped dead in the water. It would restart but only idle. any throttle and it would shake violently then stall. After 2 hours RACQ came to do a 'road side' repair. Deemed the place the car was broken down in 'Too Dangerous' a position so it had to be towed. another 2 hours later, the towie rocked up. took the car to Southside Ford (birubi St, Woollengabba - Brisbane). After 2 days, they say the car is repaired. 'The fuel funp was faulty' They say. 'Replace it they did'. Go, get it, and on test drive instantly I know it's still f'd. take it back and 'Get to it first thing in the morning' they say. Go back after it is repaired 3 days later and they say the 'Apprentice dropped the brittle backing of the faulty fuel pump into the tank' then proceed to tell me it's 'a common fault'. They tell me they removed and cleaned the fuel tank and then replaced the fuel filter and pipe from tank to filter. and gave a courtosy full tank of fuel.
Get in, test drive and it STILL F'D!!
Go back in and go TOTALLY ABSOLUTLY MENTAL!! (i'll explain why at the end). They take the car and get back onto it straight away. Nearly a week later, they call me up and say it is definitly fixed. And it was. Tured out that when I revved bugger out of it in the first place, it cracked the shaft at the base of the dizzy and when accelerating, the timing would retard or advance or something and just stall.
They only charged me for the price of the dizzy and refunded me all other invoices I'd paid.
***So you know, the reason I went fully BoNkErS was that on the first day without a car, I had a bet on that I could make it from Eagle Farm to Brisbane CDB on push bike faster than the guys at TAFE could in their cars. I was about 100m in front after 5 or 600 metres when i hopped up a gutter (in the pissing down rain) and the back wheel slid along the gutter. I still have a massive scar on the inside of my right knee (size of my hand fully out stretched). Cost me more to repair the bike than what it did to repair the car after all their F ups.
i have another story about a mob that does power steering (wich i found out later does all power steering FOR Southside Ford and is OWNED by Southside Ford!!!). Power sttering hose blew. Replaced hose and rack (rack was my choice as i know it was worn and old). so the refirbed rack they fit was faulty and leaking. Take it back and they DIDN'T replace the rack, they replaced a faulty ball joint instead!!. By this point, It was Christmas eve and I was meant to go to my parents house about 3 hours away that night. So I though F it all, I'm going. the leak blew itself right out half way there that night and I thought F it all, i'll make it there on manual steering and refill it to get home. Walked in on their first day open and threw 3 big (now empty) bottles of power steering fluid across the reception room into the bosses office. They pulled up my record of what happened with the dizzy and they repaired it and never charged me a cent.
not long after that, I cracked the head during a night of burnouts, donuts, figure 8's etc. got compression lock at high rev - engine stopped instantly, broke and engine mount, squashed crank bearings and got the ••••• something bad. Gave the car to a mate for free and said "good luck - needs a new motor". then bought my Soarer and so far only thing that's happened is my harmonic balancer thew itself off and broke everything from engine to radiator - and battery to air box. Fixed that myself and it's been 100% ever since!! |
Ryan Rankovic
Goo Roo
Victoria
Soarer TT GT-TL
Posts: 1023
Reg: 07-2005
|
i havent had anything terrible happen to me
however my panel beater put a v8 hub on the rear left of the car, with a V8 rotor, but a TT pad for the caliper.
when i went to get new rotors, the brake place had to cut off the brake dust guard, and was shocked to see how the pad had worn on a smaller rotor.
im never going back to the panel beater as the overall quality and service was •••• |
Mike Triggs
Goo Roo
Western Australia
3.0GT G-Pack
Posts: 1022
Reg: 07-2005
|
Mine's fairly minor. Before we left Norfolk Island (where labour is cheap) I had a major service done, timing belt, plugs, water pump etc. Within a few weeks of picking up the car, the new water pump was making a lot of noise. The mechanic took it off and discovered a bearing was shot. The water pump was replaced under warranty- but I had to pay for labour. This wasn't overly expensive, the mechanic said it was an easy job after doing it only a few weeks previously.
The irony was, the Norfolk shop had sourced an aftermarket (non-Toyota) pump through NZ, while the pump that came off looked near-new and may well have been replaced when the timing belt had previously been done 40,000kms earlier, in Japan (there was a sticker on the cam cover).
Given the history of the "new" pump, I've hung onto the Toyota pump! |
Jose-Antonio Castillo
Goo Roo
NSW
Soarer VVTi
Posts: 1480
Reg: 07-2005
|
No mechanical stuff ups here. Although while waiting to get my car serviced a workshop dog decided to piss on my front bumper lol |
Russell Rohde
Tinkerer
Queensland
Soarer 1JZ 2.5L TT (JZZ30)
Posts: 42
Reg: 07-2006
|
That's halarious!!! I used to live EXTREMLY close to the Gabba and I charged people to park in my front and back yard. Remember A time when my State Manager parked there - Charged him $10 then got drunk while the cricket was on and proceeded to pee on his door handles and in the air con air intake just below his windscreen!! |
Dave Billings
Goo Roo
Louisiana
SC 300, 2JZE, 5 Speed
Posts: 1147
Reg: 06-2007
|
How much time have you all got??? LOL  |
Aaron Mead
Goo Roo
NT
Celsior 1UZ-FE Mines, JZZ30 1.5JZ-GTE To4z
Posts: 1876
Reg: 03-2006
|
Alice Springs mechanic who is distributor for Haltech: Thought he was top ••••• came to darwin to do a haltech install, wired the cam angle sensors to the coolant input on the haltech. Wouldnt let anyone else touch the wiring etc...
Wanker. |
Russell Rohde
Tinkerer
Queensland
Soarer 1JZ 2.5L TT (JZZ30)
Posts: 44
Reg: 07-2006
|
Dave:
At the moment, I have heaps of time. Officially unemployed. Just enjoying my time off. Should have a job in the next couple of weeks. I could have 6 months off and just live off the equity of my other place but I think my fiance would kill me if I did that!! |
Callum Finch
Goo Roo
WA
Soarer TT & Corolla
Posts: 3814
Reg: 09-2005
|
Hey Mike! I didnt know you were a West Aussie now! |
Glen Muller
TryHard
Victoria
V8 Soarer UZZ31
Posts: 204
Reg: 12-2007
|
Brian Timms wrote on Wednesday, March 05, 2008 - 06:27 pm:
Apparently the apprentice (it's always the apprentice that twonks it) pumped oil into the radiator thinking it was an oversized oil cooler that needed filling, I blame the head mechy for not supervising his non-qualified staff, and not checking before calling the customer up.
How the HELL could you get that wrong? A radiator is a radiator, isn't it?
My own mechanical blunders? I don't get too adventurous, so I can't think of anything. I do know my brother replaced all the sparkies on his car in the wrong order, that was pretty amusing. |
Luke Cairns
Tinkerer
victoria
Single Turbo Soarer
Posts: 51
Reg: 12-2007
|
I took my auto to get built up and to have a hi stall put in, it all got done and all seemed to be going well the stall was set at 3500 (there decision cause im no expert at this id thought id leave it up to them) anyway put it on the dyno made no where near the power it should and was slipping bad, took it back they said they might have to lower it abit to 3200, did that back on the dyno it went still same thing. rang the auto mechanic up and started talking to him only for him to tell me that most of the soarers he does have 2500-2800 stalls. my reply was WHY THE $&*# didn't you tell me that from the start and i would have just gone with a 2800. now its going back in next wednesday to hopfully fix the problem and i can start making some power |
Kevin Trac
TryHard
2141.sydney.nsw
jzz31
Posts: 140
Reg: 10-2006
|
I didnt use the jacking point to jack up the car and made a dent in the floor. |
Adam Parisi
Tinkerer
SA
UZZ30
Posts: 85
Reg: 07-2005
|
I dropped a bolt into the engine somewhere. I don't think the timing belt's picked it up yet. |
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo
North Island
JZZ31
Posts: 3422
Reg: 10-2005
|
Adam Parisi wrote on Friday, March 07, 2008 - 12:45 am:I dropped a bolt into the engine somewhere. I don't think the timing belt's picked it up yet.
Thats what magnets are for. |
Braden Murdoch
DieHard
NSW
Cressida 1JZ TT
Posts: 842
Reg: 04-2006
|
I didn't do the bolts up tightly enough on my adjustable cam gear, and it threw 3 of them into the timing belt area. Smashed the timing belt and the sprocket on the crank, and the crank angle sensor.
Mate blew a heater hose on the way to rescue me (he had a spare belt) and killed his starter motor when the coolant leaked all over it. Overheated his car etc.
When towing his car home, the tow car did a big end bearing cos he hadn't put any oil in it...still made it from Wallsend to Kurri and back with a car on the trailer and no oil lol
Big weekend! |
Miles Baker
Goo Roo
Vic
66 Mustang GT Convertible, 55 Chevy Bel Air, 69 Firebird 455, 73 Corvette 4sp T-Tops
Posts: 1213
Reg: 08-2005
|
Just found one.
Some drop kick had put the carb on my Mustang back together and exchanged the primary and secondary jets. No wonder it's been running so rich, it's had a jet 9 sizes too big in the primaries!! |
Brian Timms
Goo Roo
New South Wales
TT Soarer Goodness.
Posts: 1029
Reg: 12-2006
|
My own blunder was doing a rush oil/filter change before a long weekend away going from Sydney to Canberra and around the scenic areas, got up at 4am to service the car (planned leave at 5:30am), drained the oil, and left it sit for 20 minutes while I went ahd had breaky, came back and forgot completely that the oil was draining and went to start the car to roll it down off the ramps and move it, realised as I started the car it was oil-free, and very friggin quickly shut it off.
Anyway, removed the filter, oiled the lip on the new filter and fitted it, replaced the sump plug, and filled the engine with oil.
Started and stopped it quickly a few times to get oil around the head and turbocharger, and after 45 minutes it was done, and running nice and smooth, re-parked the car and went in for shower, change of clothes, get the Mrs out of bed and moving, and packed before leaving at 6am.
Got to Goulburn before refueling and smelt horrible oil smell, blamed it on the bomb in front with the blue smoke pouring out of the exhaust, paid for fuel and left.
Got to out friends place at 8:50, and there was smoke coming from under the hood, lifted the bonnet and found I had left the oil filler sitting on the custom exhaust exhaust manifold, so drove from Sydney to Canberra with oil filler wide open, lost 1 litre of oil all over the engine bay.
B. |
Luke Nieuwhof
Goo Roo
WA
Soarer TT
Posts: 2631
Reg: 07-2005
|
Getting the head unit fitted, went to pick the car up, waiting in the front and here something suspiciously like a Soarer revving its guts out. We look through the door and the head of the shop who was out the front goes out the back yelling at them and then comes back telling us that they were checking for interference in the speakers. Ahem.
Another self drama for the list, changing an oil filter and we did not realise the seal from the old one was still on there when we put the new one on. Started the car up before yells of "turn it off! turn it off!" and a fountain of oil coming out the bottom. |
Miles Baker
Goo Roo
Vic
66 Mustang GT Convertible, 55 Chevy Bel Air, 69 Firebird 455, 73 Corvette 4sp T-Tops
Posts: 1217
Reg: 08-2005
|
Heh heh once I forgot to put the sump plug back in before pouring new oil in. Oops. |
Mike Triggs
Goo Roo
Western Australia
3.0GT G-Pack
Posts: 1024
Reg: 07-2005
|
Callum Finch wrote on Thursday, March 06, 2008 - 08:30 am:Hey Mike! I didnt know you were a West Aussie now!
Sure am, Callum, in Exmouth. Nice to be able to go for a decent run- the roos and the heat are a bit of a burden though. Rarely got above 25C on Norfolk, and the biggest road hazard (aside from tourists ) was feral chooks. |
Russell Rohde
Tinkerer
Queensland
Soarer 1JZ 2.5L TT (JZZ30)
Posts: 62
Reg: 07-2006
|
Exmouth is a tops place. Been there many a year ago as a teenager - Traveling Australia in a caravan with the oldies. |
Dave Billings
Goo Roo
Louisiana
SC 300, 2JZE, 5 Speed
Posts: 1178
Reg: 06-2007
|
I installed my flux capaceter on backwards so i was going into the future when I wanted to go into the past, vise versa! Talk about some f_cked up sh!t!!! Know what I mean? I mean dinosaurs EVERYWHERE when there should have been flying cars!!!
Ok now...where did I put those shrooms? |
Callum Finch
Goo Roo
WA
Soarer TT & Corolla
Posts: 3824
Reg: 09-2005
|
Mike Triggs wrote on Friday, March 07, 2008 - 11:10 pm:Sure am, Callum, in Exmouth. Nice to be able to go for a decent run- the roos and the heat are a bit of a burden though. Rarely got above 25C on Norfolk, and the biggest road hazard (aside from tourists:-)) was feral chooks.
Haha now i remember! ¬_¬
Chalk that one up to a senior's moment =P
Still good to have you in the state of choice ;D
How did you enjoy the mango season? =3
Dave, why did you want to go hundreds of thousands of years in to the future? People would have evolved to ferral levels by then! |
Mike Triggs
Goo Roo
Western Australia
3.0GT G-Pack
Posts: 1026
Reg: 07-2005
|
Callum Finch wrote on Saturday, March 08, 2008 - 04:53 pm:Haha now i remember! ¬_¬
Chalk that one up to a senior's moment =P
Still good to have you in the state of choice ;D
How did you enjoy the mango season? =3
We missed most of the mangoes, they were bigger and cheaper over east anyway.
Good to be here although I wish someone would turn the furnace off |
Adrain Parsons
DieHard
Qld
JZZ30 tt
Posts: 541
Reg: 08-2005
|
my bad experence----
years a go i had a silvia, it need some brake work so i went to the brake shop and thay said you need new brake pads and we will have to machine the disksi told them to go ahead.
That afternoon i go back to get the car, thay told me thay couldnt get pads for it and had to order them, i thought thats ok then thay told me thay machined the disks i thought that was alittle weird, so thay charged me i think $200 or so and told me to come back in 3 days to get the new pads.
So 3 days later i take the car back, dropped it off and went to work, that afternoon i go back to collect my car, and the rude crunts say thay had to machine the disk again because the old pads(the ones thay didnt change the first time) damaged there previous machine job, thats when i went off!! so anther $300 later and i had my car back, and then thay tell me that the disks are at there minimum and cant be machined any more! so i should have got a new set !!! ive Never been back there! |
Benny Gammelmark
Goo Roo
NSW
V8 UZZ31
Posts: 2081
Reg: 07-2005
|
Some time ago I had my wheels swapped to the GS300 ones I have now. I got new tyres for them at Jax who put them on and also sold me a set of wheel nuts to go with them.
I noticed on the way home that the car was pulling left quite severely from 60km/hr during left hand cornering. I thought: "Sod this, I'm going to put the old wheels on again and find out a bit later".
I continued to take the wheels off and noticed that as soon as I took the lock bolt off the wheel was loose. I investigated further and found that all 4 wheels were only held in place by the lock bolts. The 4 other bolts were TOO LONG so they didn't do anything.
Went back to Jax. They apologised and gave me a set of genuine Toyota very nice bolts.
It was scary but the outcome wasn't too bad.
I continued to have balancing problems after that though but that's another story. Why can't tyre places balance a wheel properly? I had to go to a racing outfit to get mine balanced correctly. |
Daniel Clarke
Goo Roo
NSW
TT 2.5L 6 cylinder
Posts: 3121
Reg: 03-2006
|
When i was 15 at High school, i did work experience in a mechanical workshop... Some kid had just started his apprenticeship there also.
I knew the owners, and he knew i could do basic oil + filter changes..
So this Young Padawan says " come on bud, we got an oil change and filter change on this 4wd out front, we have to use a trolley jack cause the hoists are full".
I go inside to retrieve the Filter and Oil.. Come back out and i hear this CRunch!!! Followed by black oil running over the ground.
Seems the "new-but-im-going-to-be-fired" apprentice decided to jack the 4wd up by the SUMP on the ENGINE!!! The Trolley Jack crushed it in so hard it peirced a big hole in it as well as turning it inside out!
Yeah, that kid got sacked,lol... |
Brian Timms
Goo Roo
New South Wales
TT Soarer Goodness.
Posts: 1032
Reg: 12-2006
|
My G/f's stuff up (mine for not first checking) resulted in me trying to teach the Mrs how to jack up the old 180sx to do a tire change.
Got the hydrolic jack out and handed it to her and said "now place this under the car on the jacking point, stick the lever in, and start pumping".
She placed the jack, used he hand to get it up to contact, then got the lever and up she started going.
As the car almost got high enough to take the wheel off, it suddenly cam down BLOODY FAST!!!
I thought '••••• the jack failed, glad she wasn't here by herself' and then climbed under to find a shock and horror!!!
When I climbed under, I found the foot of the jack had gone through the floor panel of the car right next to where the ECU was, luckily missing the vital electronics, but still a 7cm diameter hole in the floor.
My lesson, always check the jacking point on the car when it gets to contact, dont just assume it's still in place and go pumping away.
Luckily it was on an S13, which was a bucket of rust anyways, not the Soarer.
B. |
Kevin Trac
TryHard
2141.sydney.nsw
jzz31
Posts: 141
Reg: 10-2006
|
That happened to my soarer
$200 repair bill |
Michael Long
TryHard
victoria
UZZ31
Posts: 232
Reg: 03-2006
|
had pedders cut the TEMS wires off the top of my struts when they installed some spacers to jack the front up a bit. Luckly i didnt needed them. they also managed to brake an ABS wire at the same time, they paid to get it fixed though. never been back there since |
|
Previous
