FreakingGomer Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 I decided to go ahead and replace the struts on my cutlass to go along with the new wheels/tires and well, all did not go as planned I started out with making an appointment with Les Schwab (local huge tire/suspension place) I made the appt for Monday May 3rd. I missed the appnt and called and moved it to tuesday May 4th (fucking work). I dropped it off around 1:30pm and let them have it until around 5:45-6pm when they called me up and let me know it was done. My first Problem, they charged me $30 more than the $430 they quoted me supposedly for bushings. I paid for it and figured hey, no big deal, I got a four wheel alignment and all 4 kyb gr2's installed at a decent price for what I figured. Thats when the problems started, on the way from Les Schwab to my work (about 3 bocks) I heard a clunking noise, but decided maybe to take it back in the morning, maybe the struts needed to seat or something, I know nothing about suspensions, so I get off work at 8-8:30pm and am driving around on our back roads, a couple highways are great to test suspensions on, rough fairly straight so you can get some speed and some sweeping corners that let you hold speed, and I am rocking around topped my car out, calmed down the driving and went home. The next morning May 5th, I am on my way to work, it had rained fairly hard the previous night so the roads had the slickness that accompanies such acts, and I was going into a corner and hit the brakes hard, locked them up (or rather locked up the front left tire only) due to a truck blowing a stopsign and cuttig me off mid corner, and instead of stoppingg straight (which would have put me on another street) the front left tire pulled me into the ditch. I was doing probably 35mph when I tagged the ditch. I get myself out of the ditch, pull over to see if my car is still driveable (I don't dare leave myself in a ditch and look, the police would prolly find something illegal in the act of avoiding an accident) it looks ok, so I keep driving on my way to work and when I get there I have one of the techs put my car on the rack and take a gander at my cars suspension. The entire impact was on the front left, my right side never hit the ditch. ALL THE DAMAGE WAS ON THE RIGHT SIDE WHERE I HEARD THE CLUNKING NOISE WHEN I PICKED MY CAR UP FROM LES SCHWAB So I made an appt with the manager of the Les Schwab so that I could see what they would do about my car ending up in the ditch, I should have told you that the tech said that the strust was loose and pinching the brake line between the strut and the frame rail so I had no front right brakes. les schwab said they stripped the strut housing nut ? and charged me 120 in parts and nothing for labor because t was their fault, then they never balanced my tires, i had to make them realign, it was a cluster fuck. Basically, my car hit a ditch at 35, had no body damage, no suspension damage, just deabeaded a tire, no big deal really, but all the tires need to be balanced because there is a shimmy/shake to the steering and ride. Lesson learned never take your car to a shop, they always fuck you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baddflash Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Lesson learned never take your car to a shop, they always fuck you. Yeah pretty much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Any reputable shop (dealership) would have never charged you parts for their own fuck-up. It's like clockwork, pay more right away or pay big later, you're lucky that truck didn't flatten you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1138 Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Sounds like you should have brought your own. They'd have charged you extra for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreakingGomer Posted May 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 the funny thing is, this is the most reputable shop around pretty much, their prices are not that cheap, they aren't quick, they are just a large company that I used to have good luck with, I have used many other of their stores, mainly in Madras/redmond/Bend, but never have I used the shop in the town I live, that being Newberg, and in Newberg, I got screwed, I am just amazed at the risiliance of the cutlass, if I would have been driving a civic or something I'd have been screwed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Lesson learned never take your car to a shop, they always fuck you. Yep, I learned that lesson a long time ago, that's why I've been doing all my own work for 13yrs and anytime I come across something I can't do, like body work or paint, that depresses the crap outta me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreakingGomer Posted May 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 I would have undertaken myself but I have been working the past 13 days straight tomorrow is my 14th day in a row and today was 14.5 hrs and tomorrow is likely to be similar. I just never have time, and both my olds and my baja are sort of project cars, the olds needs stuff just to make it nicer, the baja is a fucking pain n the ass pos but its fun as hell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baddflash Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 anytime I come across something I can't do, like body work or paint, that depresses the crap outta me. I cringe when I actually have to take my car to a shop, I try to do everything myself that I possibly can. Every shop I've ever taken my vehicles to, except Garms Auto in my hometown, has screwed me in some form or another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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