OK... now before I totally lose it and go beserk on this company, I figured I'd run this past you guys. I'm trying to get my steering fixed. Alignments don't seem to work. I am finally told that adjustable castor rods will fix the problem. I put the car in, the guys do the job, and the Z steers quite a bit better. Not perfect, but close. Anyway, that's not the point. On the docket I received is says that I got a "castor bush adjust kit" - $245.00. Ok, I realise there are adjustable bushes on the market, and if that's fixed the problem, then I don't really need actual adjustable arms. Slowly but surely the steering goes bad again. This time me and the old man pull the wheels off, springs, camber arms, etc... have a good look at the (apparently adjustable) castor arm and bush... and this is what we see... Now I'm no mechanic (although my old man used to be), but I can't see ANYTHING adjustable on this. Am I wrong? Have I been shafted? Is there an adjustment somewhere I'm not seeing? Have I just bought a $245 set of shiney red bushes? Am I entitled to find new and inventive ways of breaking items such as kneecaps? I'm pretty sure I've been shafted, but then I really don't want to go in there and get worked up when I'm actually mistaken. Perhaps time to write out the meaning of 'tact' and 'patience' 100 times... Thanks for any help guys. Mark
well... To me, I am no mechanic... But the definition of adjustable means:- quote "To regulate or modify by minor changes." unquote (oxford Dictionary) which means there are different settings...YES?! from your pic, THERE ARE NO MOVING PARTS, DIFFERENT SETTING HOLES, NOTHING DUDE... so from that definition, I would say you been shafted. what basdards! But, don't take my word for it, get a few other opinions first!...good luck mate :thumbsup:
Looks like you're... looking at the radius rods not the castor rods. You certainly have new urethane radius rod bushes. Here are the adjustable castor arms: They are $395 from UAS. The adjustable radius rods looks something like this (from the UAS web site): So, in fact, if the bushes (on the castor arms) are adjustable then they have installed what they claimed to have installed. Have a look inside the bush to see if there is a thread or locking arrangement for adjusting them. If there isn't then you may just have an expensive set of urethane bushes.
Adjustable camber bushes They are located in the upper control arm. As pointed out, those are the radius rods. Check the arm at the top. See Ya, Garry
Now I'm confused... OK, as far as I knew, Radius Rods = Tension Rods. Correct? Item descriptions on www.ttzed.com use the name interchangeably. It's the Tension Rods I thought were adjustable when I left the shop - which would make it also adjustable Radius Rods, them being the same thing. Check this thread to see an example of what I thought happened... New Tension Rods I also thought that Tension Rods altered the castor (see article link above). Which makes them the same thing as Adjustable Castor Arms. Correct? Which would mean that both items shown in your post would perform the same job? I've probably confused you now... hehehe Anyway, if you've had a quick scan of the article above, then you'll see what I "should" have had done. And there's nothing adjustable in the current equipment I have that I can see. Oh, and if my thinking above is all messed up, please let me know! Cheers, M
I think you have been scammed. All you got were new urethane bushes. I dont know how much they but look around TTZ and UAS for their prices.
Yes. Adjustable tension rods alter the castor. Have a look at your upper control arms... just maybe they put some concentric/adjustable bushings in here. If not, that's a lot of $$ for replacement bushings and you're correct, they do not appear to be adjustable bushes. (they work on a concentric cam and locking bolt which these do not have) Good luck,
You're right... unless you can find some form of adjustable component on the urethane bushes then I think you've been shafted. They are certainly not the adjustble castor bushes that you have been charged for. All the best sorting it out. Will catch you on a cruiZe soon I hope. Cheers MikeZ
What was your steering problem to start with ? ....... You state that the steering was better after they fitted the tension arm bushes but then went bad. Can you elaborate a bit & you might get some more helpful input. If you have camber problems then fitting adjustable tension arms (the ones in your pictures are NOT adjustable) will not solve your problems, you will require either adjustable upper control arms or a camber bush kit for your upper control arms. I think the bush kit gives very limited camber adjustment so is only good for slight camber variations. Look at your upper control arms to see if they might have fitted a set. Either way, looking at your photos you have not been supplied with a "castor bush adjust kit" of any description. Definately deserves further investigation :thumbsdown: p.s the tension rod bushes you have pictured are about $100
Those two items pictured are a replacement for the same part... Both do exactly the same job but one has a rose joint and the other has a urethane bush. They are both options for replacing the original nissan caster/radius rod (Yes they mean the same thing in this context). What has been supplied here is a replacement bush to replace the worn out, oil filled bush that nissan supplies. It is not adjustable in any way but I would be double checking the cost of buying such a bush before jumping up and down. They recipt may be worded wrongly but may still represent the correct cost. Look up ttzed.com and UAS for comparitive pricing before knocking off any knee caps. AB
Does that price include labour? The price of a set of bushes such as that will range from 90-150 (Maybe 200 depending on where they buy them). If the $245 includes labour then it's probably about right as I believe they can be a bitch to get the original bush out and press the new one in. A bit more info on your steering problem might help us help you. AB
I got some 2 years ago nearly.... ...and they were $60 trade price. Not a bitch of a job with the right equipment. If they don't wanna come out put the oxy on them to persuade em out. Put them in the freezer, then press them in with an appropriate hydraulic press. (the bushings that is not the rods)
To answer your questions... First of all thanks for your input guys. I was finding I had in incurrable pull to the left. I was told that providing the camber on both sides was equal, whether in spec range or not, that wouldn't be my problem. I knew my silicon filled tension bushes were leaking and old, and a few places I asked said that was probably my problem. (I just noticed yesterday on TTZED.com that in the explanation about adjustable tension rods they say they can fix these seemingly incurrable pulling tendencies.) So I then order a new set of Noltec bushes from TTZED. $100. Take them in to the local and referred steering shop and drop it all off, asking for the tension bushes to be installed, and an alignment. I get a call later that day saying the bushes I've provided are useless, they won't fix my problem - I need adjustable castor arms (or similar item). They get prices, and it ends up being $122.50 perside for the adjustables, which I was happy with. I pick up the car, ask if it drives straight, and he says... "yes, but we had to max out the castor adjustments to make it work." Now the steering was pretty good after this. It wasn't perfect as I've mentioned, and it has gone to crap again unfortunately. Being curious as I am sometims (aren't we all with our Z's), me and my old man decided to pull the wheels off and have a look around at this point. Couldn't for the life of us see anything adjustable. (Everything to do with the camber, upper control arms, A Piller, etc, is stock standard.) All we saw were the new red bushes, that were basically identical to the blue Noltec ones I offered them in the first place. I've punched the center piece of steel from the bush, and can't find anything adjustable inside. I tend to think that if I can just get a set of adjustable tension rods on, the bulk of my problems will be fixed. Anyway, hope that answers your questions. Cheers, M P.S. Here's hoping I can get it sorted before the next cruise... damn I'm itching for one!!!
Ok, based on that, then yes you were scammed. I'd be going back to them and asking them to point out the adjustable caster arms that they installed, at which point you can point out that the bushes they installed do exactly the same as what you provided, at over twice the price. Time to fire up my friend. AB
Opitons and This is what you should have got if wanting Urethane offset camber pin type adjustable radius rod BUSHES. See below. Not the best way of doing it as one arm my be set high and the other low if you need only a little adjustment difference from left to right. They are good if you castor is not out from hitting gutters or poorly repaired from accidents. They are good to be able to adjust both shorter so you pull the front end forward accentuating more camber when cornering only for better handling. The ones mentioned with Rose joint and adjustable length are the best to get. Normal Urethane replacement bushes are around $100 a pair. Suspension link
Thanks for the pic... I've never actually seen adjustable bushes before, so at least now I have a better idea of what I'm talking about. Although now I just want to get rid of the bushes altogether and put in fully adjustable rods with rose joints, etc. Cheers, Mark
You do not have Adjustable Tension Rods, you have new Bushes! Make of that, what you will, but if it was me, I would say I'd been shafted.
Always possible That the workshop did not know what they had in their hands or mech working on it got it mixed up. But then they would have the invoice for it you paid over double the price for the part of what it should have been. Meaning they may not have been dishonest rather disorganized.
