Found that my Pursuit ute was making a clunking noise while going down the road. Fearing the worst of a failing ball joint and given the vehicles age I decided it was time to rebuild the front suspension. While stripping it I found what I suspect to be the culprit - the front swaybar link pin.
Striped the car and found that the two bushes from the chassis to the Front Lower Control Arm Front were beyond my workshop presses capabilities. So off to the local suspension specialist I go with the arms for some no bull advice...
Picked up the arms today to find this when I arrived home:
It would seem that an air chisel was used to remove the old bush. The result is a large portion of metal has also been taken away from where the collar of the bush shell would normally meet the arm - approximately only 30% of the metal is actually left there to meet the collar on the bushes shell!
Given that it's a shelled replacement bush, maybe this is ok? But to be honest I'm disappointed with the quality of the workmanship and the damage done to the arms. It feels that I paid $121.00 in labour to have someone else wreck them! Given that the arm was fitted with a new ball joint just prior and that they continued to fit the new bushes (which I had supplied) there is a lot of waste and expense now if this arm is no longer suitable to be used... I have been quoted for two Whiteline/Nolathane brand replacement arms fitted with new bushes and ball joints will cost $530.00.
On top of this they didn't remove the rear bush for the arm to chassis, which when I questioned them on this the initial answer was that the counter man didn't tell him to, then that it a more difficult bush to remove and didn't need doing as it doesn't actually do any work and wasn't worth it and would be fine for another 10 years - which to me seemed like every reason not to and more like couldn't be bothered - having seem there workmanship I'm perhaps glad that they didn't...