Big, bad BMW shop - What to do?

[IceStationZebra]

You could always take it back and ask to have the old stuff put back on.

[e30s52]

he didnt really touch it cuz i told him to call me with a price first. so i didnt pay anything

[Spec]

So, 1st off, yes, all of the parts were brand spankin new, including control arms and M3 bushings. He did go out yesterday and check himself (the owner) to make sure the parts were installed correctly. He also said he didn't realize how bad the camber was until he actually looked at it (derr).

I picked my car up today, and I have an appointment Monday morning with AR in Lake Oswego. Talked with David up there. I'm going to have them align the car (this is something Boyd never did) for toe and check the camber readout. I'm also going to have them doublecheck everything is installed properly. If anything comes back as Boyds fault, I will kindly ask them to repair it free of charge. If they refuse, I will report them to BBB and spread the word. I would think if another shop places blame directly at them, that they'll (Boyd) fix it for me.

The camber is ONLY really bad on the front passenger wheel. That's it. I'll try to take a picture tonight. I relaize lowering the car will add a bit of camber, but where it's at now is absurd. It honestly looks like something is bent on that wheel.

[Massive Lee]

Hey Spec.

It'll be useless to align the front until the camber issue ain't solved. Solve the camber first, then align the car. But overall, you are going the right away. Let us know how things develop. Good luck.

[Keith M]

You should have done the work yourself and used my lift for this. Then you could have flamed me (and yourself) instead of Boyd's. :D
I've heard good and bad about all the Portland area shops mentioned and have had a bad experience with the Lake Oswego one. I'm still not sure where to take my car for an alignment though. Ca'vaet emp'tor.

Keith

[Spec]

Here are pictures of the show of camber on this car. Excuse the condition and cleanliness, but look at the camber of the front passenger wheel. Do you see what I see? I'll get a couple angles later maybe - ran out of battery. It's not as easy to see on the 14" steelies, but on my 16's or my new 17's we're talking severe tire wear? This angle doesn't show it the best.

This was not there when I gave it to the shop.


Driver side:


Passenger side:


Driver side:


Passenger side:

[Massive Lee]

Looking at how the panels fit on the car, it sems like the body may have been hit or something. Driverside shot shows ill fitting fenders, grills and hood. Have you measured the distance between the shock tower?

[Spec]

The vehicle was in an accident on the driver side front corner, but it's the other side in question. And the grills/hood aren't really off it's just the fender is a piece of crap (have the part to replace it). Haven't measured anything myself yet but I should have answers as to all of the alignment specs by tuesday. ::crosses fingers ::

[MR 325]

This thread is pretty unfair to all of the shops out there doing top notch work for people like all of you. Not every mechanic is a crook. Dealerships, that's a whole different story.

[Massive Lee]

The vehicle was in an accident on the driver side front corner, but it's the other side in question.

This deserves to be the quote of the month.

For your information, a bent suspension tower on one side, will automatically affect the suspension's symmetry with the other side. If the two towers are at different angles or height, then no more equal camber on both sides.

Before Spec can rightfully blame Boyd for messing up his e30, I'd be curious to see a report from another shop. The car's condition as shown in the pictures is not too good as it seems to be a pretty much trashed car. I suspect a lot of problems hidden underneath. The front end looks all fucked up, driver door in a different color. Major accident anyone? Rust maybe?

"This was not there when I gave it to the shop."

Well, maybe you did not notice the problem when the car was at standard height.

I have in mind a post from two months ago when a member gave shit to a windshield installer because the technician did not glue the windshield to the gasket and the gasket to the frame of the car like it is done with M3s... We all make mistakes in our assessments. Sometimes, wrongfully blaming a shop can have disastrous effects on its reputation... You even mentioned yourself you were "agitated"... There must be a reason why they told you to take a walk...

Please Spec, take decent pictures of the whole car, and in the broad daylight. Measure the strut towers too. I am sure we can find the problem.

[Fidhle007]

Spec, I hate to say this but your car is fucked. I've been through this with my own car and several of my customers cars and the only way to fix your "camber" issue is to take the car to a quality body shop and have the frame straightened. When you car was hit it pushed the frame rail (and probably some other stuff) inboard a fair amount, affecting your camber. This wouldn't be as noticeable with the car at stock ride height but once you lower it, it amplifies everything. The camber on your right wheel is probably about were it should be with that amount of drop, it's the passenger wheel that's the problem.

The fender fitment is bad on the left side, yes, but if you look at the picture of the right side you can see that the front end is pretty racked. Working at a restoration shop I see a lot of this, and having sorted through it on my own car I've learned what to look for. Get your frame pulled, then get it aligned. The only thing you can blame on Boyd is the ABS light.

[Massive Lee]

Now I start to understand Boyd's reaction. You have them install some parts on a wreck and expect them to fix the car from previous damages on their own money. I know a couple of serious shops that will not even work on accidented cars or rebuilt ones as they know they are a can of gooey worms. Whatever they will touch has the potential to go wrong.

Now is the time to go back to Boyd and present your excuses for slendering them on a public forum. If they are kind, they will not sue you...

[Fidhle007]

he just said that the head gasket was blown and he had to remill the the becasue it had warped

Actually that seems like a decent quote for a head gasket and machine work, especially for an S52. We just did an M50 head rebuild and gasket for $3890 after the "friend discount." Granted she still hasn't paid up...

[Fidhle007]

Its pretty obvious the things were his fault, as they're new problems, but he's not recognizing it saying I "could have crashed the car prior to him having it". Bullshit. No problem before, problem after.

...The vehicle was in an accident on the driver side front corner...

Just quoting these so you can see how much of an ass you're being. You obviously are trying to get a reputable shop to fix some previous issue on your piece of shit car by claiming they messed it up. Whether it was premeditated or you just thought it up when you got your car back, it's a despicable thing to do and Lee is right in saying you'll be lucky if the don't sue you for libel. Face it, your car sucks and you need to go spend two or three thousand at a body shop before it's value is equal to that of the suspension you just installed. This is nobody's fault but your own and if you ever want a shop to work on your car in the future withOUT breaking it, you better start the chain of apologies now.

[mikeedler]

like i said, there is NOTHING any shop can do do add more camber to the car. there is no camber adj. possible on the front, or the rear of a e30.- stock suspension stuff.

it may not be a body shop thing either! it could just be a bent strutt tube. the smallest bend- that you wouldnt see with your eye, can equal a large degree of change in camber.

I am not saying it is either of your faults, and you also need to get the toe in adjusted to really see where the problem lies. if it is really far off, it can also make the camber off too.

lay off the guy!!! if it got hit on the drivers side, it would mean POSITIVE camber on the pass. side. you are all jumping to mighty fast conclusions-- kinda like the owner of the car at hand.