Suspension work on truck

I had some suspension work done on my Dodge truck (2000 model , 80,000 miles) on Friday, the day before we were to leave on a trip to the beach on saturday. I took it in because it was pulling to the right and I thought it needed an alignment, but ended up getting new ball joints, shocks and some other thing i can't remember. It was supposed to be ready at 12:00 on Saturday but we ended up getting it back at 6:00...oh well.
Anyhoo...we took of for the beach as soon as we got it back. I noticed right away that it was now pulling HARD to the right and it makes a HORK! sound over bumps sometimes and a similar HORK! sound when turning the wheel , as in backing up and turning around.
Now, my husband picked up the car so details here are sketchy as he is inclined to say whatever he thinks will not make me unhappy in situations like this. He say's that the mechanic acknowledged the HORK! sound and said that if it continued to bring it back in when we returned in two weeks. My husband suggested that the HORK! sound is something normal (from the new ball joints, I think) that will go away and it seems he got this idea from the mechanic . My husband waffled on the subject of the fact that it is pulling right so it isn't clear if the mechanic acknowledged this part.
I am really concerned about the HORK! sound and wonder if we are in danger of mechanical failure on the road. I have searched on the internet and can't find a clear answer to the post operative HORK! sound. i will definately be taking it back in when we returned, but other than shaving a lot of life off my tires, is the HORK! sound normal due to new parts ? Could it be a danger HORK! ?
I took the truck to car city...my bad.

New ball joints should not be making any noise and certainly should not be making the steering pull. Perhaps they were in a rush and didn't do the alignment after the new parts were put in. Without looking at it I would have no idea if it is dangerous or not.

Ms.Thang wrote:I had some suspension work done on my Dodge truck (2000 model , 80,000 miles) on Friday, the day before we were to leave on a trip to the beach on saturday. I took it in because it was pulling to the right and I thought it needed an alignment, but ended up getting new ball joints, shocks and some other thing i can't remember. It was supposed to be ready at 12:00 on Saturday but we ended up getting it back at 6:00...oh well.
Anyhoo...we took of for the beach as soon as we got it back. I noticed right away that it was now pulling HARD to the right and it makes a HORK! sound over bumps sometimes and a similar HORK! sound when turning the wheel , as in backing up and turning around.
Now, my husband picked up the car so details here are sketchy as he is inclined to say whatever he thinks will not make me unhappy in situations like this. He say's that the mechanic acknowledged the HORK! sound and said that if it continued to bring it back in when we returned in two weeks. My husband suggested that the HORK! sound is something normal (from the new ball joints, I think) that will go away and it seems he got this idea from the mechanic . My husband waffled on the subject of the fact that it is pulling right so it isn't clear if the mechanic acknowledged this part.
I am really concerned about the HORK! sound and wonder if we are in danger of mechanical failure on the road. I have searched on the internet and can't find a clear answer to the post operative HORK! sound. i will definately be taking it back in when we returned, but other than shaving a lot of life off my tires, is the HORK! sound normal due to new parts ? Could it be a danger
I took the truck to car city...my bad.

HORKS are nothing to mess with...LOL....I had my ball joints replaced at the shop next to Superlake and Tony's..NO HORKS!....Losing a front wheel due to Ball Joint failure is not a fun thing to deal with......especially while traveling. Good LUCK on your trip.

O.k. so it's not normal and that's a big part of what I wanted to know...thanks Bob. So that at least tells me something about the integrity of the mechanic. I would have preferred he just said so.

They were supposed to close at 3:00 on Saturday but stayed till 6:00 working on my car, so I guess they were kind of over it by then but that's no excuse . We could have just left the next day if they needed more time.
I am also wondering if the HORK! sound when going over bumps could be from the new shocks not being adequate for the weight of the truck...Although it sounds like the same HORK! as when the steering wheel is turned sharply.
We are in Sayulita...anyone know a good mechanic?

Oh, and they did charge me for an alignment, shouldn't that have been part of the deal? And the truck did not HORK! when i brought it in.

B, check your FB PM.

Ms.Thang wrote:
We are in Sayulita...anyone know a good mechanic?

Call Dennis at Gecko Car Rental in Bucerias. He will know who you should go to that is reputable. He may even be able to do the work at his own place which services his many rental cars.
329-298-0339 or cell phone 045-322-120-0909

Tell him the info is from the lady he moved to Ajijic who used to live in San Pancho.
He has saved our bacon MANY times and is an outstanding person to deal with.

Hope you didn't take the trip but I wouldn't drive it until fixed

sparks wrote:Hope you didn't take the trip but I wouldn't drive it until fixed

We did drive it...from Chapala to Sayulita. Picked it up and we were gone. We were on the toll road when I turned off the (loud) music and heard the first Hork.
The mechanic had my husband convinced the hork was no problemo so he didn't mention it. We know nothing of cars , but I thought that explanation sounded like a load of crap, especially since it's pulling right.
So, now we have some names of mechanics that some of you have dealt with, so thanks!

It's bloody hot here, would be a real drag to break down...worse to lose steering and drive off a cliff, yeah?

Well, here I am again in preparation for my 3rd trip to car City to figure out the cacophony of sounds coming from my trucks new suspension.
I brought it back to them on Tuesday after we returned from the beach. The HORK is gone, but there are still problems. They did the alignment again and it is running straight enough, but they said that they did a test drive and couldn't hear the other sounds I mentioned.

1) The Thunk - sounds exactly as if I ran over a good sized rock that bounced up and hit the undercarriage. Almost always occurs when the car has been parked for a while, like when I am pulling out of my parking space in the morning. It has also occured while just driving on smooth road, just randomly and without any cause.

2) The Clank - A metalic clanking sound that seems to come from the rear (my husband and I disagree on this, he says it is in the frount) at slow speeds and only happens sometimes.

3) The Creak - like an old buggy or creaking stairs. Very random, mostly at slow speeds on the bumpy roads, not constant.

This is what was done:

Shocks - frount and back
Ball Joints - Interior and exterior
Tie Rods (varillas completas a direcion)
Brazo Pitman
Brazo Auxiliar
Alignment
Balance

I have been studying on the internet and I think that the THUNK is coming from the tie rod or the ball joint thing. It almost seems that it is coming from the steering wheel, I can feel it. The thunk is my main concern.

I think the HORK might have been the shocks, but i dunno. Maybe they are wrong.

I have not gone outside and hopped up and down on my the bumpers of my truck to try to make the sound as suggested on the internet. I guess I can do that, but I live in the middle of town...sheesh.
I think that the mechanic knows what the problem is with the THUNK but I don''t understand why they won't fix it. There are only a couple of possibilities on that one I think. Something is not right or needs to be lubed or ???

In all fairness they have been very nice and told me that if anything at all wasn't right to bring it back, and that's what I'm going to do.
I will leave it overnight for as long as it takes to hear the THUNK. That is not normal , maybe it isn't dangerous now but for sure it is causing wear and tear on something .

So I would like to ask : Is there anything that I should insist on? Questions to ask? Something I need to ask them to show me/ see for myself? Knowlege, however false, to spout?

I am going to try to record the THUNK tomorrow, it is quite loud.

I want to give Car City a chance before I take it to someone else because that is going to cost me and besides, it's their responsability.

Thank you all so very much!

ask them for the part # on the shocks they used as they might not be the right ones, they might be too short(not enough travel) . Look too see if the springs are broken\cracked also. sometimes they can make that noise if not seated properly which can happen when they put the new shocks in. its hard to tell without hearing it and looking at it. Hope they can figure it out.

Were you the one who took the truck in or was your hubby with you? When a woman is alone, there is a better chance of being taken. It's really hard to believe that you needed ALL that work done at once.

I would not go to Car City. Personal preference, plus I'm not sure I trust them. My Cousin took her 2003 Honda Pilot in and they told her it needed a new steering column. $ 10,000. pesos. WOW!!! I wished she asked me to go with her.

I know not all vehicles are the same or driven the same, but I have a 1998 Ford Explorer with 105 K miles on it. Never put in shocks or ball joints and haven't had it aligned in about 6 years. And doesn't need new shocks. Tire wear still OK. Next week I do my second brake job.

There should be no noise from new ball jopints or tie rods. Pulling one way or the other is alignment. You should wait for the truck while they do another alignment.

You are so right about that, John. Normally I would not go to a mechanic alone.
I took the truck in for just an alignment , no big deal I thought. But they showed me the play in the ball joints and the other problems. I called the husband, he came over and they went over everything with him and he approved the work. They said that the rear could go for a little while longer but I elected to go ahead and do the rear at the same time.
I have used this truck to carry loadss of hay and grain, pull horse trailers and a 24 ft camper, driven it through the jungles at the beach, miles and miles of dirt road and all kinds of stuff like that. It has been well cared for, but we use it as a truck is intended to be used. I don;t doubt that the work needed to be done, but I am certainly not satisfied and I won't go back for anything else.

One thing I forgot to mention is that they said they had a lot of trouble getting the parts off because they were all origional. Maybe they damaged something? They also checked the brakes, used an air gun to clean them out, I guess, and said they were fine.

The springs looked good to me and they have not said they need to be replaced or anything...they say absolutly everything is fine.

I am suspicious of the shocks, I will ask about the part # but I'll have to ask you guys if they are right or not! So, I should ask if the shocks are seated correctly? That sounds pretty sophisticated...I like it.

Utube has a lot of useful videos about car noises so I have been listening to them and I am almost certain that the thunck is from the tie rod. And I'm certain (almost) I have matched the hork to the shocks... but they don't hork anymore.

Thank you, fellow insomniacs.

Unfortunately, Car City has a poor reputation. You may need to go someplace else if they don't resolve it soon. I recommend Grupo Olmesa, commonly referred to as "The Michelin Store" on the Libramiento. They do excellent work and stand behind it.

David wrote:Unfortunately, Car City has a poor reputation. You may need to go someplace else if they don't resolve it soon. I recommend Grupo Olmesa, commonly referred to as "The Michelin Store" on the Libramiento. They do excellent work and stand behind it.

If you need any other work, please check with Roberto at Hernandez next to Tony's restaurant (766 0612). He's honest and does good work. He'll be doing my brakes next week. Check prices with other mechanics for major work next time, like Escalera (Juan Carlos) at Hidalgo # 448 B (carretera) 765 4424 and Francisco Automotriz (Francisco or his son) Hidalgo # 70 (access road diagonally across from Mom's Deli) 765 5907, both in Riberas. I know Escalera and Francisco is usually more expensive than Hernandez, but both do good work. Escalera has a computer diagnostic machine for the engine.

There is also Pablo in West Ajijic on the right after you pass Ristoranti di Aurora. And in Chapala, there is Ron Young, a Canadian mechanic with a good rep.

The Michelin store is way overpriced for tires. My Cousin bought two there and paid much more for lesser quality Michelin's than I did at Albarran in GDL. There are many Albarran dealers in GDL.

Where is Ron in Chapala located?

CanuckBob wrote:Where is Ron in Chapala located?

I can find out from my Cousin.

The Michelin store has the BEST price for tires, better than Costco. Plus they have an alignment bay, something the others John mentions don't.

David wrote:The Michelin store has the BEST price for tires, better than Costco. Plus they have an alignment bay, something the others John mentions don't.

Wrong again. I think I should know since my Cousin bought lesser Michelin tires there for more than I paid. I bought Michelin's at Albarran, one grade better than Costco for less money than Costco. Costco did not carry THE best grade that I put on, so I went to Albarran. Costco is overpriced on tires.

And apparently you don't know Albarran, their facilities are 5 times larger than the store on the Libriamento with so much more equipment that it makes that little place look like a POS. And of course they do alignments, brakes, shocks, and everything else, etc. I cannot say enough how well we were treated by the young English speaking manager at Albarran. I had brakes done there too 8 years ago when I bought my tires. I may need 2 tires in two more years.

You forgot one thing mentioning the Libriamento Michelin store, they have a captive audience of Gringos here so prices are higher.

I prefer to do business locally. The last tires I bought there were at a price no one else could match. I've done business with Oscar for almost 7 years. What is right for me is my personal choice, not yours. It's not right for you to tell anyone that their choice is wrong. In other words, you're the one that's wrong for saying the rude things you do. Your rudeness and frequent blasphemy are a blemish on this board.

Ron is across the highway from Soriana on that little street that runs paralell to the highway. There are some large trees in frount of his sho so it's kinda hard to see.
If I had planned to have this work done, I would have gone to Ron.