Quote:
Originally Posted by KCpx82
I know this is an older post, but I recently had someone replace both front struts, lower arms, wishbone, and control links, and I now have a 3/4" difference from my driver's side (US) to the passenger side. I took it back to the shop, and they said everything was fine, but I know it's not when I drive. My steering wheel is straight, and the alignment is good, but when looking at my dash, it has a lean down towards the passenger side.
I also noticed that my driver's side headlight is brighter than the passenger's, leading me to believe it's angled upwards. I noticed that while driving behind someone, the ride seems rough on the driver's side, feeling the roughness of the roads in the steering wheel, and the sound is loud.
Any help is appreciated, as I don't know what to look for to check the installation and have no idea how to tell if the spring is upside down on one side. I plan on DIYing the fix if possible because of the cost I've already had to spend, and clearly, the shop I took it to isn't capable of figuring it out.
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Step 1: Ensure you are on a level surface
Step 2: Tires are equally inflated, are the same model, and are the same size
Step 3: The critical distance to measure is from wheel centre to fender edge
Step 4: Front end of car up and on jackstands. Wheels off. Using jack, elevate wheels (one at a time) then disconnect the anti-roll bar.
Step 5: From inside the fender well, from where the strut is attached to the chassis (i.e. the strut tower’) measure the distance to the spring perch. It must be the same distance on both sides.
Step 6: Measure from the spring perch to where the strut enters the knuckle
Again this distance has to be the same on both sides
Step 7: It would be odd if there was no imbalance in steps 5 & 6, but if they match, wipe each strut clean with degreaser, draw a line around the strut where the strut enters the knuckle. Remove each strut and measure from the line to the end of the strut. The two must be the same
Good luck