A rant and a request to BC coilover owners

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Fri Jan 23, 2015 12:19 pm

"Has anyone ever come back from a free or cheap "check up" without being told something chronic/expensive/must fix ASAP is wrong?" Yes is the answer and that includes Pedders. The whole purpose of going to a specialist is because there is something wrong and one is looking for expert advice. Its boring to hear people saying that the guys working on vehicles do not know what they are doing and some cars are seen far more than others because of their population on the road. If there is a faulty wheel bearing then it needs to be replaced. The adjustment of the coilovers looks to have been covered but its also work that a trained person can do.

Snowmotion · Postby **Snowmotion** » Fri Jan 23, 2015 1:45 pm

Mr Morlock wrote:"Has anyone ever come back from a free or cheap "check up" without being told something chronic/expensive/must fix ASAP is wrong?" Yes is the answer and that includes Pedders. The whole purpose of going to a specialist is because there is something wrong and one is looking for expert advice. Its boring to hear people saying that the guys working on vehicles do not know what they are doing and some cars are seen far more than others because of their population on the road. If there is a faulty wheel bearing then it needs to be replaced. The adjustment of the coilovers looks to have been covered but its also work that a trained person can do.

Mr Mortlock you are a trusting soul..... I can assure you that many mechanics have far less still than many of the enthusiasts that drive the cars. There have been a number of stories in the sensational media about Suspension specialists (including the the above quoted) that over quote and over diagnose. Equally I have seen many mechanics fail to recognize problems that clearly exist only to be fixed by a different business.
There is no argument about replacing the wheel bearing but it is the comments beyond that that seem the most out of place.

smy0003 · Postby **smy0003** » Fri Jan 23, 2015 3:03 pm

Well, got the car up and there is so much play in the toe it's scary, good thing I stopped driving when the noise started.
Pedders, like all franchised mechanics, are only as good as the franchisee. They aren't controlled to the last detail like McDonalds; if the franchisee is a moron, then expect to be ripped off. The percentage of morons is up for debate, for sure, but I feel like I got my $28 worth.

Whether or not the coil overs are responsible is a minor detail, they need a check anyway so no worries there. Big thanks to Lightyear for lending me his C-spanners today, will be interesting to see how much preload is on there.

slug_dub · Postby **slug_dub** » Sat Jan 24, 2015 12:21 am

What sort of Sound do stuffed wheel bearings make? (So I know what to listen for!)

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Sat Jan 24, 2015 7:32 am

slug_dub wrote:What sort of Sound do stuffed wheel bearings make? (So I know what to listen for!)

Often they will make a low rumble, kind of like thunder in the distance.

If they're really bad they can make rumbles, knocking sounds, and even clicks and pings.
My Mondeo had a stuffed front bearing, it rumbled, then started clicking and pinging which was the sound of the needle rollers falling loose and bouncing off the inside of the wheel.

In saying that, they can wear and need replacing before making any noise, the best way is to every service while the car is in the air to grab each wheel and try to rock it back and forth, it shouldnt move. Then give it a spin by hand, it should spin easily and smoothly, if it's stiff or spins with a weird vibration/gumble then the bearing is likely worn or starting to sieze

project.r.racing · Postby **project.r.racing** » Sat Jan 24, 2015 9:58 am

This thread has given me a good laugh. Thanks though to the OP for sharing your experience. Pedders are sometimes funny blokes.

smy0003 · Postby **smy0003** » Sat Jan 24, 2015 10:29 am

I'll be taking hks's advice from now on. I only lift the front of the car to change oil, if I had lifted the rear last oil change and had a quick check I would've caught it earlier.

manga_blue · Postby **manga_blue** » Sat Jan 24, 2015 12:54 pm

I replaced all my wheel bearings at 150,000, standard springs and shocks up until then - just saying.

I wouldn't generalise about Pedders. They're franchises, or at least they are in the regional areas. Some are really good, some not. My local Pedders shop also does custom suspension setups for the V8 Supercar teams.

KevGoat · Postby **KevGoat** » Sat Jan 24, 2015 6:58 pm

I've used a couple of local Pedders shops for 30+ years on a variety of cars and had nothing but great service and products from them. Would have used them for my last two 5's, but wanted to learn to do things myself. But I also have friends who've been to other stores and the results been horrendous! As with any "so called" professional, it pays to spend some time asking them questions and getting a feel for their professionalism and enthusiasm, before forking out $ with them.

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