Q – I recently had my car inspected for a rattle in the front end and there was “no problem found.” When I drove my car away, I could still hear the rattle. I wondered how they missed it, when I can hear it plain as day. I took it back and they recommended new stabilizer links and bushings. I was somewhat suspicious since those parts were replaced before I ever went to them. I went along with it since they are the “experts”. Now they are telling me that the stabilizer bracket was loose and that the bushings were OK after all. My head is spinning. How could something as simple as a loose part be overlooked during an inspection? I am grateful that they did not simply replace parts that I did not need and found the problem. How did they miss it the first time? Salvatore.
A – I am a fan of C.S.I. When I see the acronym “NPF” from another shop, it is like a red cape in front of a bull. The gauntlet is laid! I like a good mystery and a challenge so I dug deeper into this for you. When they did the inspection, of course, they lifted the car. In doing so they “loaded the suspension in full droop”. When the car is unloaded, on a lift, certain components may appear to be tight which are not tight at all when the car is on the ground. It is easy to be fooled. I have been.
Stabilizer components are supposed to be unloaded during normal operation on a smooth road. In fact, if you install a new, cool, full zoot stabilizer bar, the instructions clearly state that final adjustments should only be done with the car on its own weight.
I then put on my Sherlock Holmes hat and look for red dust around a joint, discoloration or an oddly different color on the surface around a joint. In the case of your car, the tip off turned out to be shiny metal around two components that should have been firmly mated together. Indeed the bushings had been replaced. If a new fastener had also been installed and properly torqued, I would not have had this opportunity to dazzle you with my wit and wisdom. MC