Bent rear under brace from jacking the car at wrong jacking point.

IS2000 · 10-12-2010, 12:59 AM

I went under my Z today and found 2 dents on the the rear undercar brace (one on each side of the car). A local shop here probably used the brace as jacking points instead of the chassis rails. Should I be worried of the damage? Does this affect the rigidity of the car, or is it purely cosmetic? I also noticed on the right side, the brace touches the gas tank, while on the left these is about 2-3mm of gap in between them.
First two pics below are the right rear and the rest are the left rear.

WarmAndSCSI · 10-12-2010, 01:41 AM

That brace is definitely useless now. Its whole point to begin with is to be rigid, and it is definitely no longer rigid. How many shops service your Z? I'd go knocking on their door and make them pay for a new one + labor and take it somewhere else to install or just do it yourself.

This is why I'm glad I'm equipped to do all work myself; it seems a general rule that your average "mechanic" has an IQ no higher than 85.

kenchan · 10-12-2010, 06:56 AM

Yah, that's one sad shop whoever did that.

ClemsonWill · 10-12-2010, 07:01 AM

Most mechanics just don't care about quality as much as quickness. I know several techs at major dealerships. They all get paid per job so the quicker it gets done the more jobs they can do. I would definitely take it back.

spearfish25 · 10-12-2010, 07:19 AM

I wouldn't sweat this. It's minor and still doing everything it's supposed to do. I'll post a pic of mine some time. About two months after buying my car, I saw that the leading edge of the same brace was folded oven on itself. Looks like someone had taken a spin and bottomed it out. Fact of the matter is it makes no difference...and I track my car plenty.

IS2000 · 10-12-2010, 09:03 AM

Thanks for the inputs. The thing is most shops (even the reputable ones) in this country don't admit when they made mistakes. If they do, they'll probably repair the damaged part instead of replacing with a new one. The 370Z is also rare here, so OEM parts are hard to come by. I think I might just have to live with it, or replaced it with an aftermarket braces when they become available.

SoCal 370Z · 10-12-2010, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IS2000

The thing is most shops (even the reputable ones) in this country don't admit when they made mistakes.

Are we talking about Thailand, or the USA? Because they do the very same thing here in the USA.

370Zsteve · 10-12-2010, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IS2000

I went under my Z today and found 2 dents on the the rear undercar brace (one on each side of the car). A local shop here probably used the brace as jacking points instead of the chassis rails. Should I be worried of the damage? Does this affect the rigidity of the car, or is it purely cosmetic? I also noticed on the right side, the brace touches the gas tank, while on the left these is about 2-3mm of gap in between them.
First two pics below are the right rear and the rest are the left rear.

get your *** to that shop and demand full replacement of the damaged parts. Your car's suspension is toast.

IS2000 · 10-12-2010, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCal 370Z

Are we talking about Thailand, or the USA? Because they do the very same thing here in the USA.

Well, I had better luck while I was living in L.A. and had my EVO worked on by great shops and mechanics. I can't say the same here in Thailand. Most shops would just rip-off customers with counterfeit or used parts. Mechanics are also poorly trained.

Waiz · 10-12-2010, 12:47 PM

I would have a conversation with the shop manager for sure after this or look for another shop.

kenchan · 10-12-2010, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IS2000

Most shops would just rip-off customers with counterfeit or used parts. Mechanics are also poorly trained.

so how's that different from 90% of LA shops?

spearfish25 · 10-12-2010, 01:27 PM

The shop clearly made a mistake and it's worth pursuing. But it's a bit dramatic to say there is major damage here. This is really nothing to worry about.

WarmAndSCSI · 10-12-2010, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spearfish25

The shop clearly made a mistake and it's worth pursuing. But it's a bit dramatic to say there is major damage here. This is really nothing to worry about.

No it's not a huge deal, but that brace that was put there for chassis rigidity is now useless. It would piss me the hell off if a shop did that to my car. Granted, they could have pinched a brake or fuel line or something worse...

spearfish25 · 10-12-2010, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WarmAndSCSI

No it's not a huge deal, but that brace that was put there for chassis rigidity is now useless. It would piss me the hell off if a shop did that to my car. Granted, they could have pinched a brake or fuel line or something worse...

How is it now useless? Yes it's very slightly bent. But it's a metal piece that is still completely intact and bolted in place. It still resists any longitudinal forces placed on it. Frankly, from the pictures it looks like cosmetic damage only. I'd bet my nuts you'd never notice any difference in performance.

WarmAndSCSI · 10-12-2010, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spearfish25

How is it now useless? Yes it's very slightly bent. But it's a metal piece that is still completely intact and bolted in place. It still resists any axial forces placed on it. Frankly, from the pictures it looks like cosmetic damage only.

If there were a dent in the Bay Bridge do you think they would allow vehicles to traverse it? Or would it be still "completely intact?"

Just because it's underneath the car does not make it "OK" for it to be bashed up. That piece needs to be replaced. The visual damage doesn't even tell the half of it if they actually placed the entire ~1400 lb rear weight of the car upon that one point.

10-12-2010, 01:41 AM	#2 (permalink)
WarmAndSCSI A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2010 Location: SLC, UT Posts: 1,671 Drives: '08 Evo X \| '10 370Z Rep Power: 19	That brace is definitely useless now. Its whole point to begin with is to be rigid, and it is definitely no longer rigid. How many shops service your Z? I'd go knocking on their door and make them pay for a new one + labor and take it somewhere else to install or just do it yourself. This is why I'm glad I'm equipped to do all work myself; it seems a general rule that your average "mechanic" has an IQ no higher than 85. __________________ '10 PW 370Z 7AT - wife's car - Project Raspberry Cheesecake '08 Evo X - built motor+trans \| BB-X @ 32 psi \| CH3OH \| self-built+tuned - ??? WHP '01 Galant V6 - built motor \| GT35R \| self-built+tuned - 550+ WHP (retired)

10-12-2010, 07:01 AM	#4 (permalink)
ClemsonWill A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 12,045 Drives: a Civic VP! Rep Power: 446	Most mechanics just don't care about quality as much as quickness. I know several techs at major dealerships. They all get paid per job so the quicker it gets done the more jobs they can do. I would definitely take it back. __________________ Slightly modded

10-12-2010, 07:19 AM	#5 (permalink)
spearfish25 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Naples, FL Posts: 4,117 Drives: to work Rep Power: 1857	I wouldn't sweat this. It's minor and still doing everything it's supposed to do. I'll post a pic of mine some time. About two months after buying my car, I saw that the leading edge of the same brace was folded oven on itself. Looks like someone had taken a spin and bottomed it out. Fact of the matter is it makes no difference...and I track my car plenty. __________________ 2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z

10-12-2010, 09:03 AM	#6 (permalink)
IS2000 Base Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Bangkok, Thailand Posts: 41 Drives: 09 370Z version ST. Rep Power: 15	Thanks for the inputs. The thing is most shops (even the reputable ones) in this country don't admit when they made mistakes. If they do, they'll probably repair the damaged part instead of replacing with a new one. The 370Z is also rare here, so OEM parts are hard to come by. I think I might just have to live with it, or replaced it with an aftermarket braces when they become available. __________________ 09' JDM 370Z Version ST. 08' Mini Cooper S 03' USDM EVO8

10-12-2010, 01:27 PM	#12 (permalink)
spearfish25 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Naples, FL Posts: 4,117 Drives: to work Rep Power: 1857	The shop clearly made a mistake and it's worth pursuing. But it's a bit dramatic to say there is major damage here. This is really nothing to worry about. __________________ 2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z

10-12-2010, 06:56 AM	#3 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141521	Yah, that's one sad shop whoever did that.

10-12-2010, 12:47 PM	#10 (permalink)
Waiz A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: SoCal Posts: 9,262 Drives: Z33 & GE8 Rep Power: 460	I would have a conversation with the shop manager for sure after this or look for another shop.

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