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wtf is the rear linear linkage...

C

cliffjohnson

Hard-core CEG'er
Joined
Mar 24, 2002
Messages
1,494
Location
13th & Mass Ave, DC
and how does one go about bending it? i took my car to the shop to have the clutch replaced and some suspension work on the front done, and now they are saying that the car doesn't handle at all b/c of the rear linear linkage being bent.

all i know is that beofre i took the car in for a new clutch, it rolled perfectly smooth and straight, now it's all over the road. the wheel sits at a 45 degree angle when i try to drive straight and the you can hear the tires skidding down the road. i think that i'm being screwed...
 
sounds like they broke something and are trying to pin it on you, tell them what you told us. Tell them it never had this problem until after it was in their shop.

I personally have never heard of a "rear linear linkage" but I have a few ideas... it could be a control arm, it could be the sway bar...

My guess is they were getting the car on the lift, and some jackass didnt put the legs of the lift under the car properly and one of them slipped and bent a control arm in the back. But they didnt catch it. Or want to play the "we didnt do it" game.
 
rear control arm or sway bar.

Happens all the time when half-as.. (uh.. yeah) nitwit mechanics place the lift arms on them to lift the car. they bend and you get EXACTLY what you are describing.
 
I'm with everyone else, it's DEFINITELY the rear control arm(s). Just crouch down behind the car, and look at them. You'll probably see a nice kink/bend in them. This will cause the car to handle poorly, not drive straight, cause horrible wear on the tires, and not brake in a straight line. They are definitely at fault, and you should NOT let them get away with it.

Mark
 
so yeah, just got off the phone with them, told them that the car handled fine before i brought it in for a CLUTCH repair and now somehow the rear end is damaged. also i explained to them what may have happened and the guy said it was very possible. they are going to "look at it from the bottom to determine if they are at fault" and get back to me tomorrow. all i know is that i dropped $1600 getting this car fixed and i'm sick of putting money into it. thanks for the help
 
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