My car was taken to a shop to have the TEIN FLEX coilovers installed. One of the upper mounting bolts in the rear that are welded/pressed onto my '08 350z chassis was broken off while they attempted to remove the right rear shock. They sawed it off, drilled through the same spot where the bolt was so that they could place another bolt in.

My question is two-fold. First, would this jeopardize the structural integrity or performance of that particular rear suspension? (There is a reason why Nissan decided to weld/press the bolts there onto the chassis right?)

Second, if so - can I have that area/part replaced? (I was told by Nissan parts department that the bolt cannot be replaced because there is no such part.) Can I replace that particular section so I can have the OEM bolt back?

In addition, they installed the rear springs incorrectly with the adjustment base (gold ring) on the bottom (see pic) instead of on top. I had to take the car back to them to correctly place it. The thing is that I drove the car for about 50 miles. Would that improperly installed adjustment base cause some damage?

The rears also have a rattling and clinking sound... like loose washers and loose fitting. =(

Help please!

 

wow. FAIL. what shop was this as so ppl wont go there...something as basic as a coilover install gone this wrong i believe its the first on the forums too, dont recall ever seeing this problem.

but im sure it would be fine using a bolt...but in most systemes ive seen the bolts are either part of the strut or the chassis...so id be weary with a bolt replacement, unless the bolt was also welded in. (also no part number because its part pf the chassis...just as it appears)

unless you were driving on really rough roads, i dont think the upside down springs would sustain any damage.

 

If this happened to me, I would probably have my car towed over to GT Motorsports in rancho cucamonga.

 

um.. no go at reading install directions?

 

I'd have it welded in, but that's your only real choice at this point anyways.

How hard are directions to read.. I've never installed TEIN coilovers in particular, but I can't imagine it's that difficult.

 

I have TEIN flex coilovers and the directions are about as long as a Chinese cookie statement. Not only that, but most of the verbage is in Japanese. I successfully installed my shocks onto my car with no problem.

 

Here's the replaced bolt (on the right). It's longer and I think the installer forced the nut in because he had a hard time screwing the nut in.

The thing is... I would like to replace the bolt with the same material strength, size, thread, and specification as the OEM bolt - and have it welded/pressed back onto the chassis. I've emailed Nissan inquiring more info about it. Hopefully I can get more info as to how to get that same identical bolt...

 

GTM definitely sounds like a shop I can trust.
http://www.gtmotorsports.com/pages.php?pageid=2

Just hope it doesn't cost me an arm and a leg!

 

if i were you id get the shop to pay for the repairs/damages since it was their idiocy in not knowing how to correctly do this install.

 

It should be as strong as the welded bolt, if not stronger. I would just leave it along. No one will ever see it.

 

I will try. The thing is I will most likely take it to another shop and have it inspected for correct installation. From the rattling sounds coming from the rear, I am driving with a lot of worry to and from work. I've read from this forum that many people experience sounds coming from their TEIN FLEX coilovers, and I would definitely like to have it fixed with a shim, lubricant, or properly torqued nuts/bolts.

 

You think so?
There is a reason why Nissan decided to weld/press these bolts into the chassis rather than like most other cars. There must be a reason for this design, right?

There are several things that concern me though:
(1) The hole that was drilled is most likely larger than the bolt. Therefore, over time with constant stress and vibration - the bolt will start to vibrate/loosen?
(2) The angle at which the hole was drilled could affect the angle of the bolt - and thus, the angle of the shock?
(3) The bolt material strength may not be as strong as the OEM bolt?

or...
(4) I might be overreacting and being paranoid...

 

might be over thinking this one...but also rust may form where the hole was drilled into since the wheel well is pretty much exposed to the elements...and thats definitely not something youd want.

 

You gotta do what you gotta do, But the bolt they put in is fine. it just locates the shock and holds it there. there are no forces on those screws except during extension and if it's tight it's tight.

JET

 

The only reason the OEM bolt is like that is so that you only need to remove the nut to get the strut off. There is no access to the top of the strut from the inside of the car. When they added the new bolt, now it makes it very hard to remove the strut without the bolt turning. This is probably why it is so long, so they could hold the end of the bolt (threaded end) to tighten it. Should not be an issue as long as the bolt is tight and you never change your suspension again.

 

^+1..........solid aluminum rear strut bar in the way

the oem bolts are weak anyway. Very tiny and their shear strength is very low. I snapped one of mine. Used JB weld to hold the head in place and everything went back together just fine.

Id rather snap the other three and drill/replace with stronger bolts then go through the trouble of rewelding the stock stud back into place.

 

what happened is not all that uncommon. As mentioned, the stock "stud" is very weak, and shearing it off is not unheard of. There are quite a few parts of the car that are like this.

The way they solved it is perfectly fine and will not cause any issues

 

Seriously? Why fix it if it ain't broke? lol
I'd leave the other 3 bolts alone...

So it seems that people have broken these bolts off as well...
It does hurt to see a part of my new car broken off and drilled into.

 

I would not even think twice about going back to that shop for anything. Bunch of idiots who can't even install the coil overs correctly.

 

sorry to hear that.