| Author |
Message |
tjet 
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2014
Posts: 3533
Location: CA & NM
|
 Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 9:51 pm Post subject: Re: Front end suspension work, trust it to Les Schwab (or similar)? |
 |
|
Look for a Porsche - Audi - BMW independent shop that can do suspension work.
They will know how to read a Bentley.
I took in my Syncro to A BMW shop. They did a fantastic alignment after I installed a 35mm lift kit. I brought in the green factory (bently) manual with the pages marked for the front & rear specs. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Jamo7
Samba Member
Joined: September 25, 2014
Posts: 124
Location: Seattle
|
| Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 9:41 am Post subject: Re: Front end suspension work, trust it to Les Schwab (or similar)? |
|
|
dsdunbar,
I am in (north) Seattle, and while I am still very much on the steep end of the auto mechanic learning curve, I did almost all of the suspension work you describe myself. I would be happy to talk with you (in person or over the phone) about the scope of work.
Updating the suspension and tires resolved the most significant drivability issues of my van, and it was very rewarding to do it myself.
I'd love to help you out if I can,
James
_________________
'84 Westy 2.1 wbx |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Butcher
Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2015
Posts: 1285
Location: Right Here
|
| Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 10:23 am Post subject: Re: Front end suspension work, trust it to Les Schwab (or similar)? |
|
|
| teej wrote: |
| TruLine in Seattle and Bellevue does awesome work and is familiar with Vanagons. They are on the spendy side, but they are true pros. |
This is a very true recommendation. They are very picky and do a great job. They are not the cheapest, but then again, quality rarely is.
Both shops have an extremely good reputation with other repair shops in the area too. I recommend them to my clients when there are weird issues I cannot do myself. When the customers and the competition are recommending them, that should tell you everything you need to know.
Last edited by Butcher on Fri Apr 29, 2016 12:32 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Franklinstower
Samba Member
Joined: September 21, 2006
Posts: 1895
Location: PNW
|
| Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 10:38 am Post subject: Re: Front end suspension work, trust it to Les Schwab (or similar)? |
|
|
| teej wrote: |
| TruLine in Seattle and Bellevue does awesome work and is familiar with Vanagons. They are on the spendy side, but they are true pros. |
Pete (Bellevue Truline) even owns a Syncro! He just got all new Power flex bushings from his wife and was about to install them on his own rig when I was in chatting last month. If you are close, He would be the one stop shop for the install and alignment.
check the yelp ratings too.
_________________
'89 Westy - EJ25/22 Frank 4.44 5mt
'75 Miami Blue Sunroof FI Standard Bug |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ServantOfElwood
Samba Member
Joined: July 25, 2014
Posts: 200
Location: The Wet Side of WA
|
| Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 10:09 am Post subject: Re: Front end suspension work, trust it to Les Schwab (or similar)? |
|
|
| DwarfVader wrote: |
You're entering the realm of "fast-food" mechanics when you go to a place like Les Schwab... eg: mostly young turks looking at your car, and the business is get them in and out ASAP, so jobs are rushed details are missed and the work is "meh." |
When I got tires at Les Schwab, they worked on the rear brake cylinders; they had "the old guy" do it 
_________________
The Ghost Ship - 1984 Westfalia 2WD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=602180
Install in reverse order of removal. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
dsdunbar
Samba Member
Joined: December 19, 2014
Posts: 564
Location: Crozet VA
|
| Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 2:51 pm Post subject: Re: Front end suspension work, trust it to Les Schwab (or similar)? |
|
|
Thanks.
I stepped away from this thread for the weekend... so wanted to comment on a couple of things:
I agree with supporting the local businesses that offer superb craft for our vehicles.
I just wasnt sure if replacing the front suspension required guru skills (highly specialized knowledge of vanagons) or the skills of a mechanic that works on cars day in and day out (I used Les Schwab but meant any big chain like LS or firestone etc).
I have a quote to replace the front and rear suspension (labor and parts) and it's a bit north of $6,000.00 (not a Les schwab quote)
That's why I was asking the question...I haven't shopped around to get other quotes (truline etc).
_________________
'89 2WD Westy "Grey Goose" - Manual 4spd
Crozet VA
Vanaru EJ25, Peloquin |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32566
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Tom Powell
Samba Member
Joined: December 01, 2005
Posts: 4855
Location: Kaneohe
|
| Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 4:18 pm Post subject: Re: Front end suspension work, trust it to Les Schwab (or similar)? |
|
|
For $6000, ship it round trip to Hawaii. We'll order the parts online. You and your significant other can stay in a hotel in Waikiki. We'll do the work here at my house in Kaneohe with my tools and you can get it aligned at the local Goodyear. For another thousand you could ship it to Maui and spend a week there camping in Hana and a hotel in Lahaina.
Aloha
tp |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32566
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
teej
Samba Member
Joined: November 26, 2010
Posts: 897
Location: Seattle
|
| Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 4:33 pm Post subject: Re: Front end suspension work, trust it to Les Schwab (or similar)? |
|
|
| Franklinstower wrote: |
Pete (Bellevue Truline) even owns a Syncro! He just got all new Power flex bushings from his wife and was about to install them on his own rig when I was in chatting last month. If you are close, He would be the one stop shop for the install and alignment.
check the yelp ratings too. |
Right, Pete is who worked on our van a couple times and Byron one time. I started going to the Bellevue location when Pete began working there instead of Seattle. They clearly know their craft and approach work like professionals.
_________________
1986+ Wolfsburg Weekender Pop-Top 2.3 WBX Manual Trans |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
levi
Samba Member
Joined: February 11, 2005
Posts: 5522
Location: Las Vegas
|
| Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 7:55 pm Post subject: Re: Front end suspension work, trust it to Les Schwab (or similar)? |
|
|
This is embarrassing, but the timing is appropriate so....
I initially went to a Vegas-local alignment shop with a good reputation.
To recap that, they claimed the rear end had no adjustments possible (hehe), and they let me drive away with both of the front jamb nuts on the tie rods loose.
This was almost a year ago and I was about to take a trip so I tightened them up, checked everything else and headed out.
In Santa Barbara I looked up a shop that I knew was familiar with vanagons and had them redo the whole alignment.
100 miles or so down the road I checked everything anyway, looks good, and I'm on my way. BUT, visually inspecting someone else's work and doing it myself are two different things.
I didn't notice the passenger radius rod. I probably just looked at the nut on the end, and left it at that.
In the last few days I've heard some clunking up right front, thought it might be the spring shifting or something, and today I finally looked at it.
I'm amazed that I didn't notice it right away, I honestly saw nothing.
So I started dismantling everything, because the spring looked properly placed.
When I got ready to take off the radius rod this is what I saw.
So, even after having someone who knows vanagons, it's a good idea to double check everything thoroughly.
_________________
One of these days I'm gonna settle down,
but till I do I won't be hangin round.
Going down that long lonesome highway,
gonna see life my way
https://youtu.be/cSrL0BXsO40 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
goffoz
Samba Member
Joined: May 09, 2007
Posts: 1486
|
| Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 8:52 pm Post subject: Re: Front end suspension work, trust it to Les Schwab (or similar)? |
|
|
| IdahoDoug wrote: |
It is the curse of life to be the type of person who is aware of the quality of work others do. I can unscrew EVERY oil filter I've ever put on a car with my bare hand. And somehow, I have never stripped an oil drain plug, or torqued a lug nut so tight I bent a tool removing it. Somehow, my spark plugs always come out easily, and all the clips on my air filter boxes are always affixed. Life is good.... |
| wildthings wrote: |
| I have never had front end work done right the first time by any shop. |
You can spend your money, and then redo all of it  ...or just knuckle down and know...even though your unsure...you will do it better..cause its your van and you DO care...and so do we
"Use the force"  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
iliketowalk
Samba Member
Joined: April 29, 2011
Posts: 614
Location: Northern CA
|
| Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 9:47 am Post subject: Re: Front end suspension work, trust it to Les Schwab (or similar)? |
|
|
| dsdunbar wrote: |
Thanks.
I stepped away from this thread for the weekend... so wanted to comment on a couple of things:
I agree with supporting the local businesses that offer superb craft for our vehicles.
I just wasnt sure if replacing the front suspension required guru skills (highly specialized knowledge of vanagons) or the skills of a mechanic that works on cars day in and day out (I used Les Schwab but meant any big chain like LS or firestone etc).
I have a quote to replace the front and rear suspension (labor and parts) and it's a bit north of $6,000.00 (not a Les schwab quote)
That's why I was asking the question...I haven't shopped around to get other quotes (truline etc). |
Ho-lee shit. $6,000. No words.
The work you described is probably 8-12 hours book time? Let's be generous and say 16 hours (2 days). The parts are $1500 - 2000, so that's $4,000 for labor... $4,000 / 16 = $250 hour.
I'm disgusted.
Unless you're personally earning more than the shop charges per hour ($80-150), buy the tools and do it yourself. Drive it down here and I'll help you do it, although I'm sure there are some good folks in the PNW that would help you too.
_________________
1986 Weekender "Birch" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
61Scout
Samba Member
Joined: November 06, 2011
Posts: 1297
Location: Shoreline/Yakima WA
|
| Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 11:12 am Post subject: Re: Front end suspension work, trust it to Les Schwab (or similar)? |
|
|
I think the extremely high quote was a "nice" way of saying "no thanks" vs just being honest and saying they don't work on them or don't know how, or dislike the owner for some reason. Clearly for that insane price any reasonable person would be looking elsewhere.
Not such a common tactic with mechanical shops, but this is VERY common with body shops who only do insurance work. They don't want to work on anything "old" nor to do complete paint jobs, or anything where the quality of their work might be scrutinized. A classic/antique ride that the owner cares about is the last car they want to work on.
While I'm appalled at the apparent lack of concern for safety by the photos posted above, I'm sad to say I'm not surprised. There's only one man in my town that I trust my van to in regards to an alignment, and he's old enough to know what a radius rod is and doesn't need any fancy laser rack to do the job correctly. Guess what? It took twice as long and cost twice as much.
-Kevin
_________________
1986 Westfalia Weekender Wolfsburg, RJE 2.3
1985 Tin Top, Subie 2.2 + 5MT
Floppy Mirrors no more: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=653018&highlight=
Remove the front spindle nut with ease: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=679567&highlight=
Remove the rear wheel bearing housing without messing with the big 46mm nut: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=679507&highlight=
-Nec Spe, Nec Metu |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
