Rear lower control arms BENT by shipping the car?!

[iPhoneEngineer]

Just got a call from the dealer, who is working on Inspection II. They say the rear lower control arms on my Z4MC are pretty seriously bent, and they are quite certain it was caused by over-tightening the car during "towing". The car hasn't been on a flatbed recently, but was sent to ESS in Arizona (at high cost to me) for incomplete repair of the VT2-500 install. Now I'm on the hook for another ~$1500.

Has this ever happened to anyone else? I'm pretty shocked at this mechanism of damage.

Perhaps more importantly at this point, should I use any type of aftermarket replacement or reinforcement plates, or just have them replace with stock parts?

Thanks for all input, have to get back to them soon!

[The HACK]

Normal and not uncommon IF the shipping company used the lower control arm as a point to hook-up and secure the car. The lower control arm is designed to take stress and strain parallel to the length of the control arm and not in any other direction, and ANY bent in the arm will result in accelerated wear, since stress applied by sideways motion of the car will literally bend the arm further.

If you look at how the arm is designed, you'll see that it's not meant to take any load perpendicular to the arm at all. IF you need to replace it anyway, might as well go with something stronger and ADJUSTABLE to increase rear camber if you ask me:

http://www.tcklineracing.com/webdocs...Details384.cfm

http://www.rogueengineering.com/rogu...RM/ARCA_2.html

[Finnegan]

Wow, I've heard that this can happen, but have no first or second hand knowledge. ****.

Trailing arm or control arm? See diagram here, part 1 or part 5? Trailing arms are about 1k for parts, lower control arms are about 250 for parts if I've got my facts right. Turner makes adjustible rear control arms, so if those are damaged you might want to consider those if you plan on needing more adjustment in the future.

This may also explain when DSC was kind of a PITA at your last track day as well. I surely didn't help matters, that's for sure.

IDK about having the dealer do the work. If it is the lower control arm, then 1,500 seems steep, it is a PITA, but I'm not sure it's a 1,500 dollar PITA for parts and labor. Depends on what parts we're really talking about I guess. Indie shop, second opinion, price shopping is always an option.

Edit: I see The Hack has provided other replacement options.

[The HACK]

#5 on the diagram.

[Finnegan]

Originally Posted by The HACK

#5 on the diagram.

Yep, after thinking about it for a minute more seems like that's the spot someone might try to use as a tie down point, not the upper.

For reference, should tie down on a flatbed be through the wheels themselves only? Or?

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by Finnegan

Yep, after thinking about it for a minute more seems like that's the spot someone might try to use as a tie down point, not the upper.

For reference, should tie down on a flatbed be through the wheels themselves only? Or?

On a first hand basis, I can tell you using the wheels as a tie-down is a bad idea. Last time I had my MZ4 Coupe towed (flat tire), it left some nasty scuff marks on the wheels that required refinishing. For all 4. Not a happy camper.

The BEST and the only way these cars should be tied down for a tow is using the 4 jack/lift points. You can pop the rectangular "pucks" off with a screw driver and underneath it there's a slot where you can attach a "J" shaped hook specifically for tie-down purposes.

Of course, few are going to carry 4 of those "J" shaped hooks expecting to be towed. The SECOND time I had to be towed for a flat, I told the truck driver to fold a few terry cloths and place it on the wheel where the tie-downs go. He was happy to oblige and I was happy with the result. But this ain't a "transport half way across the country" thing, it's a 8 mile tow. For a cross country commute I'd definitely ask the transport company to use the proper procedure and tie it to the jack points.

[iPhoneEngineer]

Thanks a ton guys, this has been essential. I hadn't seen the part myself and am pretty surprised at how flimsy the "BBQ tong" design looks, so it definitely makes sense to go aftermarket. I think their exact quote was closer to $1300, but above $1200. I probably couldn't do the install myself particularly because a realignment would be necessary anyway, and I have read it can be a very difficult job without a lift because access to the frame connection point is limited.

Any other opinions on the best aftermarket replacement are much appreciated too! Haven't decided on any set one yet, but will call off the dealer doing the work.

[The HACK]

IF I had to get one, I'd get the Rogue. But this job isn't a "do it yourself" job because the subframe needs to be lowered to access the bolt connecting the lower control arm on the inside (IIRC).

But it begs the question...Why is the dealer doing the work here, if it's out of warranty? Take it to Bavarian Motorsport and ask for Ramon LeFrancois.

[Finnegan]

Originally Posted by The HACK

On a first hand basis, I can tell you using the wheels as a tie-down is a bad idea. Last time I had my MZ4 Coupe towed (flat tire), it left some nasty scuff marks on the wheels that required refinishing. For all 4. Not a happy camper.

The BEST and the only way these cars should be tied down for a tow is using the 4 jack/lift points. You can pop the rectangular "pucks" off with a screw driver and underneath it there's a slot where you can attach a "J" shaped hook specifically for tie-down purposes.

Of course, few are going to carry 4 of those "J" shaped hooks expecting to be towed. The SECOND time I had to be towed for a flat, I told the truck driver to fold a few terry cloths and place it on the wheel where the tie-downs go. He was happy to oblige and I was happy with the result. But this ain't a "transport half way across the country" thing, it's a 8 mile tow. For a cross country commute I'd definitely ask the transport company to use the proper procedure and tie it to the jack points.

Thanks, great info. I'm going to add a few more towels to my trunk kit.

[iPhoneEngineer]

Originally Posted by The HACK

IF I had to get one, I'd get the Rogue. But this job isn't a "do it yourself" job because the subframe needs to be lowered to access the bolt connecting the lower control arm on the inside (IIRC).

But it begs the question...Why is the dealer doing the work here, if it's out of warranty? Take it to Bavarian Motorsport and ask for Ramon LeFrancois.

OK, awesome. The dealer isn't doing the work -- they just found the problem, and now that I am aware of stronger aftermarket alternatives being a worthwhile option, I am having them skip the repair. Glad to get a specific shop recommendation for this work too!

[seank]

Wow. Sorry to hear that. Using the trailing arm for a tie down will do that. They are complete idiots.

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by seank

Wow. Sorry to hear that. Using the trailing arm for a tie down will do that. They are complete idiots.

Well, before we confirm that it's the shipping company...

A friend of mine went off track and spun at Buttonwillow and bent his lower control arm. They're really not that hard to damage, sometimes, with excessive lateral forces acting upon the rear suspension, all it takes is a small pothole or a slight drop-off on the side of the track to put enough perpendicular force to the arm to bend it.

If I recall, OP recently had an agricultural excursion at a local house of worship for speed? It is not out of the realm of possibility that the spin had cause the bent lower control arm, especially if he went off track sideways.

Just sayin'.

[iPhoneEngineer]

Originally Posted by The HACK

If I recall, OP recently had an agricultural excursion at a local house of worship for speed? It is not out of the realm of possibility that the spin had cause the bent lower control arm, especially if he went off track sideways.

Just sayin'.

Yes, definitely possible--I did go off-track, but had lost a lot of speed by that time, and it didn't feel very violent at all (level dirt directly off the pavement). Most importantly, the dealer said that both arms were bent relatively uniformly, which would be very unlikely from an external cause. I haven't had a chance to look myself yet, but will post pictures when I can.

[The HACK]

There you have it. If the bent arm came from spinning, more likely only ONE arm would be bent. Both arms bent uniformly? Yeah, I'd blame the transport.

[iPhoneEngineer]

FWIW, I already complained to the shipping company, and of course they have their asses covered legally -- I won't get anything from them. Not surprising, but definitely a strong reminder to all that you can't trust the towing guys to know the proper way to secure a car...I'd always assumed that since they do it every day, I couldn't possibly know better!

Really helpful info from The Hack about the jack points, since it's not obvious you can pop off the caps.

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by iPhoneEngineer

Really helpful info from The Hack about the jack points, since it's not obvious you can pop off the caps.

No need to prop me, I learned about the jack pads and the attachment from Ron Stygar.

[ANILE8]

You can change the LCA's yourself or with a friend but it is a prick of a job. Not technically difficult but just time consuming and hard to get to.

The good news is the TMS versions are much better. Stronger, lighter and adjustable.