front bushes, wheel alignment and rubbish dealers

[matthewfr]

having had my front tyres changed by an independant fitter i was told that the front left bush was on the way out, the guy showed me how as he tightened the left wheel it moved laterally....ALOT, and how the right didnt move at all.

so i take it to my dealer twice and im told there is nothing wrong but second time around they agree to replace both suspension consoles at the front under warranty to put my mind at ease.

got the car back today and as a result i have to keep the wheel turned 10-15 degrees to the right to stop me crashing! its like they took the steering wheel off and couldnt be bothered to put it back on straight!

Ive called back the dealer and they say its the alignment but to sort it they are going to charge me!

They also said that it might sort itself out in around 100miles.

I checked with another dealer who said if they replaced the bushes they would check the alignment as standard and it would be claimed under warranty.

Who is right and who is talking B.S.???!!!!! was i right to get the suspension changed, are the dealers trying to ripp me off.

Sorry for the long post but im really confused and really p1ssed off, needed to vent.....please help.

m

 

[thePHILosipher]

I had a similar conversation with MK SEAT and they told me the same thing, if they change anything suspension related they should have done a wheel alignment.

If the wheels need aligning then it isnt going to fix itself in a 1000 miles so they are talkin on that count.

If they accept that the wheels are out of alignment then they should fix it,

How long after you took the car back did you raise it with them??

 

[matthewfr]

Thanks for the reply, i called the dealer last nigh as soon as i got the car back home because the steering was so bad.

Its made worse by the fact they dont have the facilities on site to do the alignment, they have to take it somewhere else, i think they just couldn't be bothered.

Going to speak to them today and see what they offer.

 

[muddyboots]

You need to get it done pretty soon, otherwise you'll be forking out for more front tyres much quicker than you'd expect...

The Seat dealer I used to use didn't have alignment facilities, they just take cars to the nearby fast-fit tyre place...

 

[Rory101]

Ive called back the dealer and they say its the alignment but to sort it they are going to charge me!

They also said that it might sort itself out in around 100miles.

Both those things are completely ridulous.

Call the service manager and ask him nicely to correct the steering alignment.

When my dealer changed the bush they told me they used a special tool so they didn't have to remove the arm and therefore the alignment is unaffected. Car was fine afterwards.

 

[RUM4MO]

I think that you need to name and shame this dealer, its just not good enough to hand a car back in that condition, we all expect the steering to be safely self centering - that is how it is meant to be. On the other hand, I got the ARB changed on my wife's Polo 9N a few years ago - by my dealer, and it came back with the steering wanting/needing to stay on centre, and yes the front tyre started wearing unevenly. I tolerated that as I was going to get a VAG indie to change the cambelt and fit Cupra TCA rear bushes, then replace all four tyres as they were due for replacement. The car came back okay eventually but started to wear the new tyres badly (front), to the extent that it failed the next MOT - my fault for not noticing that I suppose. Anyway the dealer (same one that replaced the ARB a few years earlier) carried out a full four wheel re-alignment and the front tyres seem to be wearing evenly now. I'm just saying that VAG dealers can, if they carry out the correct procedure using the correct tools, set the car up so that even tyre wear can be a reality (if the car is fitted with compatible road springs ect.

 

[DEAN0]

When my dealer changed the bush they told me they used a special tool so they didn't have to remove the arm and therefore the alignment is unaffected. Car was fine afterwards.

Having changed the bushes myself - and borrowed the seat official tool for the job - there is no way at all to change the bushes without removing the wishbone.

The seat official tool just makes it easier to remove and install the bush after you have removed the wishbone.

 

[Rory101]

Having changed the bushes myself - and borrowed the seat official tool for the job - there is no way at all to change the bushes without removing the wishbone.

The seat official tool just makes it easier to remove and install the bush after you have removed the wishbone.

Well you have an advantage over me as I've never done the job, but they told me they just dropped the arm and then used the tool to wind the old bush out and the new one in. We're talking about the rear console bush here?

Of all our cars, the Ibiza is the one that has always run dead true, almost amazingly so.

 

[DEAN0]

Well you have an advantage over me as I've never done the job, but they told me they just dropped the arm and then used the tool to wind the old bush out and the new one in. We're talking about the rear console bush here?

Of all our cars, the Ibiza is the one that has always run dead true, almost amazingly so.

yes - I'm talking about the rear console bush too.

I understand the "not removing the wishbone" statement now - they left it attached to the front hub but pulled it out of the console(subframe)

The OEM sport bush has a flange on it so it needs to be pulled in to the space occupied by the wishbone when removing it.

The Cupra bush has no flanges but has a metal case and it a tighter fit in the console(subframe)

 

[kidinspace]

Having changed the bushes myself - and borrowed the seat official tool for the job - there is no way at all to change the bushes without removing the wishbone.

The seat official tool just makes it easier to remove and install the bush after you have removed the wishbone.

Roughly how long did it take you to do?
I'm just trying to see if this is something i can do myself or to take it to a garage.

.G.

 

[DEAN0]

Roughly how long did it take you to do?
I'm just trying to see if this is something i can do myself or to take it to a garage.

.G.

It's about an hour a side to do but you will need to borrow the seat tool or make some kind of puller/pusher for removing and replacing the bush.

One of my mates used some M8 threaded bar and some large washers to make the tool and managed to change his bushes so you don't NEED the official tool.

 

[kidinspace]

It's about an hour a side to do but you will need to borrow the seat tool or make some kind of puller/pusher for removing and replacing the bush.

One of my mates used some M8 threaded bar and some large washers to make the tool and managed to change his bushes so you don't NEED the official tool.

Found the officail tool on ebay for £57, won't be buying that!
Just having a look on VAG-CAT to see the if the drawings shed any light on whether it is something i can do myself.

.G.

 

[DEAN0]

Found the officail tool on ebay for £57, won't be buying that!
Just having a look on VAG-CAT to see the if the drawings shed any light on whether it is something i can do myself.

.G.

The bush is not shown separately on that drawing - it is in the large hole at the back of item 23 on the drawing. The shaft on the wishbone fits in to it.

I would buy the cupra bushes ( £16 for a pair ) and see if you can find some washers just smaller than the diameter of the bushes.

Pulling the old ones out is quite easy - pushing the new ones in is the fun part cos you have to make sure one of the flats on the inner part of the bush is at the top and they are quite a snug fit.