Need advice on bc coilovers

[Jdr1337]

Hey guys, I had BC racing adjustable coilovers put on my car, and i know they are pretty cheap but the ride quality is just horrible, wavy on the highway, hard thuds every little bump, and knocking clunking and squeaking noises from the rear end. I took it back to the shop that did it, and it is actually worse now. I took it to a different shop, for another opinion and the mechanic there took a look and pointed out a few things. The gap between the fender and tire was different between pretty much all 4 corners, and you could see the tension on the springs was not consistent either based on the space between each coil. The original shop has had it in twice since the initial install, and refuses to refund me any portion. Of labor for the install. They want me to bring it in so they have a chance to "make it right", but I am worried they will screw it up worse. The second shop quoted me 5 to 600 to set preload correctly, and corner balance. Should I even bother letting the first shop try again or just eat it and learn an expensive lesson?

I assume the second shop knows his shit because just by looking at it, and without me telling him he was able to guess the particular ways it rides badly.

[bkevind]

BC are inexpensive but pretty decent in my past experience. What you describe is definitely install / setup error.

The ride should be fairly smooth, and if it's bouncy it should be adjusted (don't slam it). it will be fairly stiff, but compliant within the range of the shock - which is not a huge range. You may notice abruptness and a bit of a clunk when running over a 2x4 type of bump.

They worked well for me on a bumpy track (different car).

I can't advise you to go back to the shop that has messed it up 2x, but if you go that route get assurances. You need to know exactly what they plan to do, because it needs to be different than what they've done before. If it's the same tech that doesn't know what he's doing, then I'd be worried.

If they strike out 3x and won't do anything to solve it for you, they are proving their incompetence and at the least I would let it be known publicly what your experience is (don't stoop to slander or anything like that, stick to the facts).

The other shop sounds like they know what they're talking about and have laid out a solid plan to you. Sucks that it will cost you. You can save a bit by foregoing the corner balance.

I did the install myself (3 times actually as I tried different suspensions) and I never had any issues. I'm not a master tech. I installed it, drove it to the race shop for alignment, done. I never bothered with corner balance and still managed my personal best time at my home track with the BC BR setup.

[VR Baron]

I did Pedders coilovers Year’s ago. If they follow the instructions they shouldn’t have a problem. They do have to set the preload correctly, usually 5-10mm rear and 2-3 mm front, or whatever the bc instructions say. This has to be done correctly. Then set ride height. It isn’t hard. It seems the shop that did it don’t know what they are doing, or from your description, don’t care and want to rush through it and get paid. For good ride set them at 8-12 clicks from soft and try that. These have stiff springs do ride won’t be great unless on a smooth road. Also don’t slam it. Best drop is 1” front, 1-1/4” rear so you don’t get into rear axel issues

[Olddudesrule]

Installed BC Racing ER Series CO's over a year and a half ago, and have had nothing but a great ride from them since the install. I thought the ride was improved slightly from my OEM 1LE ride, and haven't have any of the issues you seem to be having. Something isn't right with the install, or maybe you have a defective strut on one or more corners (seems unlikely). While BC's are a lower priced set up, I thought the quality was on par with the Pedders Xa's. I would suggest removing all four corners and starting from scratch. Make sure preload is set correctly, and the rest of the install is per specs.

[Jdr1337]

Yep, It is in the shop with the guy who actually knows what he is doing now. Will update after I get it back today.

[Jdr1337]

So far he said so far non of the sleeve lockers were tight at all.

[bkevind]

Originally Posted by Jdr1337

So far he said so far non of the sleeve lockers were tight at all.

Geeeez. Glad to hear you are being taken care of properly.

[VR Baron]

Originally Posted by Jdr1337

So far he said so far non of the sleeve lockers were tight at all.

When they tighten the lock rings make sure they use a blunt drift or something similar. A sharpe tool can crack them, possibly.

[hesster]

A tip I learned for my years in the GM Prototype shop was to Paint Stripe all fasteners, including the BC Lock Rings. I inspect them every year to look for anything that may have backed off.

[Olddudesrule]

Great idea! Come across it all the time while working on the car, but dammit, didn't even think about it during the install.....