My lowering experience @ Motorsport Division

[guru]

hey fellas,I contemplated this for a long time and wasn't sure to post or not. As you can imagine- this would be quite a negative post.My story begins with the purchase of a set of H&R lowering springs from Motorsport Division at Sunway. I've been there many times buying all kinds of stuff before and sometimes came out unsatisfied with their workmanship. However I gave them the benefit of the doubt and continued to shop there. I got this set of springs early this year(08) and they(Marco Chen) installed it at a workshop behind their shop(a malay guy with superbikes). Marco was there the entire time, supervising.

the bill - 'including installation'Months passed and the steering feel detiriorated..i couldn't quite put my finger on it but got it checked out at my regular mech which worked out that the lower bush needed replacement. 400 bucks later, it seemed to be ok.fast forward couple months later(oct 08)- the steering didn't feel right again, there was an unusal feel when driving slow over uneven surfaces, if felt like the lower bush gave way again. Also the tyre wear was eating on the inside a little too much than normal. I took it back to my mech and he checked out the steering rack that seemed to have lost it's rigidity on the shaft. He suggested a repair kit and see how it goes. A complete replacement was the last option and very costly. 650 bucks later it was still the same!!Needless to say I was concerned that this may turn out to be very costly indeed.As they tinkered with the rack, one of the mechs noticed how the the pin that attaches to the lower arm rod was not aligned straight as it should. And after comparing with another car realized that the struts were mounted on opposite sides!! Can you beleive that? What crap I went through and money wasted on needless repairs when the root of the cause was some struts mounted the wrong way around! the left strut was on the right and vise versa. After switching them around the problem was fixed and all the nuts ligned up properly. But now the tyres had to be replaced because the uneven wear was causing the car to pull one side.I really don't expect Marco or Motorsport Division to take any responsibility for their mistake and I never took it up with them. I don't expect to be compensated either. I feel if I did take it up with them, it would only make me more upset and I might lose my cool over some money and pride.THE COSTS - 400(lower arm and bushes) i dunno for sure if the struts caused the failure or maybe it was time to replace them anyway.650- repair kit for the steering rack, I know for sure this was money wasted.3000- 4 new goodyear tyres, I HATE uneven wear. If your car is setup right, this won't happen.4 days- wasted my TIME! Not to mention it could have been a safety hazzard! What it the steering failed at high speed?Moral of the story- THINK TWICE AND DOCUMENT EVERYTHING PPL DO TO YOUR CAR. KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR ANYTHING. EVEN THE SO CALLED EXPERTS MAKE MISTAKES.* I will upload pics later.. I suddenly very free and decided to report this but i'm using someone else's pc.

-what it should look like

- mine not looking right

-view from left wheel arch

http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r318/marclee/shocks/th_IMG_0200.jpg- fixed

 

[loafer]

Which is exactly why I never leave my car alone at any workshops when items are being installed or taken out of, especially when it's at a workshop that is foreign to you. It's always better to supervise yourself rather than have someone else do it for you.

The only place I would leave my car without having to worry is with my own mechanic.

Lucky nothing happened to you man...

 

[jon3171]

I noticed that your regular mechanic isnt a very good one either...as he should have made a better diagnosis of the problem...that would have saved most or all your money from the start itself...i can think of two possibilities of what happened...1) Either ur mechanic isnt good enough or 2) he couldnt care less abt figuring out the problem as long as he made some cash out of you suggesting to change this and that and see how it goes...my advice to u is to find a good mechanic...a bimmer specialist maybe? and when u buy accessories, get ur trusted mech to install it...shops such as motorsport division lack experience and technical expertise...they know the bare minimum to install the part and are not even qualified enough to detect a mistake that they made while installing...the way i see it is...if u can make such a big mistake...u must have rushed the job...and from that alone u can see how much they care abt ur car and ur safety...i know one thing for sure...im not gonna even think of going there for any reason at all...thanks for sharing your experience bro...things like this need to be revealed so that it doesnt happen to others. Anyways glad nothing serious happened to you while driving.

 

[guru]

Which is exactly why I never leave my car alone at any workshops when items are being installed or taken out of, especially when it's at a workshop that is foreign to you. It's always better to supervise yourself rather than have someone else do it for you.

The only place I would leave my car without having to worry is with my own mechanic.

Lucky nothing happened to you man...

i never left my car out of sight while the springs were being changed. the superbike mech took my front struts away to get the springs changed out somewhere else..they didn't have the air compressor to do the job there.

 

[guru]

I noticed that your regular mechanic isnt a very good one either...as he should have made a better diagnosis of the problem...that would have saved most or all your money from the start itself...i can think of two possibilities of what happened...1) Either ur mechanic isnt good enough or 2) he couldnt care less abt figuring out the problem as long as he made some cash out of you suggesting to change this and that and see how it goes...my advice to u is to find a good mechanic...a bimmer specialist maybe? and when u buy accessories, get ur trusted mech to install it...shops such as motorsport division lack experience and technical expertise...they know the bare minimum to install the part and are not even qualified enough to detect a mistake that they made while installing...the way i see it is...if u can make such a big mistake...u must have rushed the job...and from that alone u can see how much they care abt ur car and ur safety...i know one thing for sure...im not gonna even think of going there for any reason at all...thanks for sharing your experience bro...things like this need to be revealed so that it doesnt happen to others. Anyways glad nothing serious happened to you while driving.

actually my mech is a bmw specialist and if you look at the pics, it isn't really easy to pick out the fault.

 

[vinode]

actually my mech is a bmw specialist and if you look at the pics, it isn't really easy to pick out the fault.

With all due respect to your mechanic, I would say the real BMW specialist is you and I, that too for each and our own BMW only. Only you know when your problem started and what was the last work done to your car. That was the starting point for u to troubleshoot. I have had my fair share of issues with even my most trusted mech, even in as simple a job as oil change. I guess other forummers may have their own experience too. Glad to hear that at last the problem was eventually discovered and rectified.

 

[jarance]

guru, I cannot see the difference between the good and wrongly install. Both picture look the same.. Can show bigger picture for clarity.

Motordivision is an aftermarker and performance supplier. They are not installer. If Marco did surpervise the work as mentioned, he would have already have gone all way out to get install for you. It was unfortunate that it was wrongly installed as claimed by you. Even your experience and BMW specialist did not spot it the first time round.

BTW, when you lowered your car, did you send your car for realignment. Anyway, I think it would be better to talk to Marco and point out the mistake to him. Let hear both sides of the story.

 

[jarance]

I have check the realoem.com, the item that you mentioned is the "front swing support". Looking at the part number, the right and left is the same number. I think this mean that the right and left side are the same. That means that they are interchangeable. I think you might means that the swing support is installed upside down.

part number: 31356780847

 

[guru]

I have check the realoem.com, the item that you mentioned is the "front swing support". Looking at the part number, the right and left is the same number. I think this mean that the right and left side are the same. That means that they are interchangeable. I think you might means that the swing support is installed upside down.

part number: 31356780847

actually it's the whole strut that was mounted the wrong sides.. L to R and R to L...

 

[guru]

guru, I cannot see the difference between the good and wrongly install. Both picture look the same.. Can show bigger picture for clarity.

Motordivision is an aftermarker and performance supplier. They are not installer. If Marco did surpervise the work as mentioned, he would have already have gone all way out to get install for you. It was unfortunate that it was wrongly installed as claimed by you. Even your experience and BMW specialist did not spot it the first time round.

BTW, when you lowered your car, did you send your car for realignment. Anyway, I think it would be better to talk to Marco and point out the mistake to him. Let hear both sides of the story.

yeah i dunno why it ended up so small!! will fix it thanks

 

[pussy]

good experience for us all...

one lesson learned is never let inexperienced mechanics touch your car even less a motorbike one..

when playing with suspension, brakes on your BMW, it's vital to let a BMW specialist do it, never compromised on safety, even one member here had his trust arm bolt hanging despite doing over 180km on the highway the day before..

but that's a different story.

 

[Mont-o]

My 2 cent...Motorsport Division should get Experience installer/mechanics for their parts or stuffs. Don't just give to any unexperience mechanic for the sake of to push the sale.
I experience this as well, when i wanted to buy stuff and require installation package he start to point to any workshop. My fren experienced once during he bought angel eyes and installed by monkey that introduced by Motorsport Division. Scract the bonet by screw driver...the signal fly off during driving.

cheers

 

[jarance]

My 2 cent...Motorsport Division should get Experience installer/mechanics for their parts or stuffs. Don't just give to any unexperience mechanic for the sake of to push the sale.
I experience this as well, when i wanted to buy stuff and require installation package he start to point to any workshop. My fren experienced once during he bought angel eyes and installed by monkey that introduced by Motorsport Division. Scract the bonet by screw driver...the signal fly off during driving.

cheers

Just curious. How did the bonnet get scratch by screwdriver when installing angel eye?

I thought you have to open the bonnet first to get access to the headlamp. When the bonnet is UP, how do the installer managed to put the screwdriver on top of the bonnet when it is slanting.

I am planning to install angel eye and want to avoid the same mistake.

 

[Mont-o]

Bro jarance....no need to be so curios lar. want to install angel eyes go ahead ...no need to tell everybody you are so curious and worry about the mistake. Just go get good installer. enuff said.

 

[jarance]

Bro jarance....no need to be so curios lar. want to install angel eyes go ahead ...no need to tell everybody you are so curious and worry about the mistake. Just go get good installer. enuff said.

OK lah..

as for me, I like to DIY if I can.. :listen:

 

[guru]

yeah i dunno why it ended up so small!! will fix it thanks

don't know why the link post the pic so small one!!..i made it big enough to see clearly but then donno why like this..last time not like this one..did anyone limit the size we can post here?

 

[ess530i]

sorry to say that most mechanics in malaysia are BS, here are my worst experiences from various mechanics:

1. windscreen shattered when replacing wiper blade (the wiper arm slammed onto the windscreen)
2. oil leak due to oil filter not installed properly
3. speedometer damaged due to mishandling by mechanic
4. mechanic using a black insulation tape to cover up the 'engine fault' light which he couldn't resolve
5. major petrol spill from underneath the car upon refueling (still a mystery)
6. installing a supercharger without sealing the gasket despite being given instructions and multiple reminders

the list goes on... needless to say i lost plenty of time & money and most mechanic even profit from their mistakes

my next car would definitely not be a BMW due to its complicity and lack of qualified mechanics (or their foreign assistants) in msia...probably go for a toyota or honda

 

[B33mEr]

sorry to say that most mechanics in malaysia are BS, here are my worst experiences from various mechanics:

1. windscreen shattered when replacing wiper blade (the wiper arm slammed onto the windscreen)
2. oil leak due to oil filter not installed properly
3. speedometer damaged due to mishandling by mechanic
4. mechanic using a black insulation tape to cover up the 'engine fault' light which he couldn't resolve
5. major petrol spill from underneath the car upon refueling (still a mystery)
6. installing a supercharger without sealing the gasket despite being given instructions and multiple reminders

the list goes on... needless to say i lost plenty of time & money and most mechanic even profit from their mistakes

my next car would definitely not be a BMW due to its complicity and lack of qualified mechanics (or their foreign assistants) in msia...probably go for a toyota or honda

Well too bad for you mate cos am a 1st time owner of a UDM and i've already decided i'm gonna drive a BMW for life lol cos it's given me so much driving pleasures and satisfaction that no Honda or Toyota could ever give me drive after drive ... granted our BMW's are a bit manja and expertise in BMW's is lacking but i do have to say that i've did my research before buying and i already know who to go when buying my BMW by visiting this forum and other bimmers forum ... i can name at least 5 workshop that are more than competent fixing or upgrading our UDM's

1)MSpeed USJ
2)Raymond Auto
3)Elegance Auto (Jln 222)
4)Arata (klang)
5)Stuggart (they have their own workshop too)
6) BMW dealership Sapura , Ingress and so on

 

[jarance]

B33emer, off topic..

where is Arata in Klang and what do they specialize in? Appreciate some info.. Thks.

 

[pussy]

don't know why the link post the pic so small one!!..i made it big enough to see clearly but then donno why like this..last time not like this one..did anyone limit the size we can post here?

HI.. dun know why... i too having the same problem...

need to check with tom...