Shop advice... San Diego

[killacks]

Dear Diary,

What are your thoughts on the following van issues and shop experiences? I'll try to keep it brief and add details as necessary.

My van, purchased as of 6 months ago (2009 E-150, 2WD, mild lift, wheels/tires, 106K mi), continues to have the following issues despite two alignments/rotations/balances:

-Steering pulls left constantly
-Shakes/rattles/vibrates at freeway speeds
-Steering wheel becomes increasingly off-center the more miles I drive

After getting the work done on both occasions, I've returned once or twice over the subsequent weeks to get the issues closer to "fixed." We have ended up in the same place eventually.

I trust the shop with my other two vehicles (stock Honda Accord, and Dodge Ram with lowered suspension) and have only had very positive experiences over the years. Their service is great and they always are willing to go to lengths to explain the work.

Anyhow, I think I'm becoming more faithful in their customer service, and less confident in their ability to address the van's issues? Should I go with the current shop to take the next step to investigate a deeper problem with the van, or seek a second opinion?

Your thoughts?

[rallypanam]

Who did the lift? That's where I'd start.

[Tienckb]

Agile in El Cajon


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
2002 LX470 expo ready
2008 Ford E350 EB V10 4x4 Sportsmobile PH top
Custom off road trailer

[TexGX]

Agile can take care of it.

[Tienckb]

For sure and it will be done right the first time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
2002 LX470 expo ready
2008 Ford E350 EB V10 4x4 Sportsmobile PH top
Custom off road trailer

[mikracer]

What type of lift do you have? And I agree with other above, Agile will most likely be able to fix whatever is going wrong with your suspension.

[killacks]

Originally Posted by rallypanam

Who did the lift? That's where I'd start.

I wish I knew that part of the van's history. What I see with my untrained eyes are ~3 inch lift blocks all around, Bilsteins up front along with Bilstein steering stabilizer, unknown shocks and sway bar out back. Wheels and all-terrain tires clear just perfectly up front, btw. When I bought the van, I may have interpreted that as a credit to the thoughtfulness of the parts assembled for the lift.

During the last visit to my current shop, they said that if any issues persisted, they'd like to disassemble and inspect the suspension components to help diagnose.

Perhaps Agile is worth a look. Thanks for the replies so far. Please offer any insight or perspectives that could be helpful

[rallypanam]

If it's just lift blocks it's home brew, nobody that I'm aware of offers that... So you're on your own.. Call John at Agile and see if they can help.

[Jsweezy]

If its 2wd and you are ok with that, I would just call Weldtec Suspensions. I am sure they could help you achieve the lift you want (correctly) while keeping it 2wd.

Weldtecdesigns.com

[killacks]

I had an opportunity to visit Agile yesterday. John and staff were kind enough to talk with me and take a quick peek under the van to help make sense of the current issues without pressure to upsell.

John was of the belief that the current suspension setup will continue to produce the same issues due to it's (mis)design. He also shared some insight about what my tire/wheel/alignment shop may be experiencing when they attempt to address the van's issues.

I think I've come to a couple conclusions. First, my current shop was doing their best but the home brew setup was probably serving them some issues that could not be remedied. Second, I'm sold on one of the Agile kits to make my van everything I hope it to be, even as a 2wd.

However, I'm left with two new-ish problems. 1) How am I going to scrounge the cash to get it done right? And, 2) What do I do in the mean time?