Who should pay, the shop, or me?

[DA BIG ONE]

Well, Sometime ago I had trouble after an ARB locker was installed into my front diffential. On a trip out west the drivers side axle came out of the diff case, flange and all, but it did not come all the way out because of the AirLift bump stops I had installed to handle the extra weight of a winch/bumper combo.

After this first problem the burb was towed back to the shop in Broward County that did the faulty install, they alledged they fixed the problem, so I go on another trip, but this time the upper cv boot was slinging out all of its lube after a few hours of driving.

Back to the shop they replaced the boot and said it should be ok now!

Shortly there after, another boot is needed, this time I said screw it, and I buy a rebuilt axle unit from NAPA and install it myself, being careful not to bang unit on a hard surface which would cause damage inside, then eventually leak.

Another trip and the boot does the same thing, slinging all of its lube into the wheel well.

Now I am baffeled!

Low and behold, the AirLift bumpstop for the front suspension was damaged when the axle/flange came out of the case, friction wear from unsecure axle created a fine razor sharp edge on the bumpstop which actually shaved the outer section of the cv boot at its outer edge when on the highway, or off road when suspension compressed enough for the upper cv boot to contact the bumpstop.

[Billman]

So you want them to pay/repair it again?

Should they? Yes. Will they? No.

A Good Mechanic is hard to find. An Honest one is even harder.

Those days are long gone. It's all about money.

The more you can do yourself, the better off you'll be. Nobody will treat your ride the way you do.

Nobody touches my truck.

Good luck in whatever you choose.

[DA BIG ONE]

Yep, I will grin and bear it, learning the hardway is costly at times.

[patrick m.]

you gave them a way out when you replaced the suspect axle.
They are not resposible for an axle they did not install.

If you are a regular customer, and speak with the owner of the shop as a man, he will most likely help in some way.
If someone comes into my shop calling me a crook, this and that and etc, i will gladly SHOW THEM THE DOOR! My fault or not, if they feel they deserve some help, and speak to me like a civilized human, i will almost everytime step up.


On to the problem, these front ends do not like excessive axle angles, in fact any more than factory may cause a problem. Do you have the torssion bars cranked up?

[DA BIG ONE]

Originally posted by Patrick m.:

On to the problem, these front ends do not like excessive axle angles, in fact any more than factory may cause a problem. Do you have the torssion bars cranked up? Not cranked up at all, about 3/4" clearance between bushing & upper bellows. However, I find that the outer most area of the bellows does contact the bushing when suspension is compressed. Now considering going back to the factory setup which has more clearance.

[Billman]

Hey Big One

I have seen enough shoddy work & missed diagnosis' to last a lifetime. People calling themselves mechanics when their nothing more than parts changers.

Makes me sad to call myself a Professional Mechanic sometimes.

But there are exceptions to every rule...