| Vibration, vibration, vibration...
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| RSM |
This is a little bit long so please bear with me.
I went to a dealership 2 weeks ago to have an engine and coolant change. When I was about to pay, the adviser told me that the mechanic who did the work has noted that the front engine mount is broken after taking it for a test drive. I asked the adviser what the symptoms are of having a broken engine mount. She said there is a significant amount of vibration and some harsh engagement when changing gears. I told her that I don't have these symptoms yet. She said it is not a safety issue but I should try to have it fixed within 3 to 6 months. I wanted to do some preventative measure so I scheduled my X to have it done. After the work is done, I noticed some vibration which wasn't there before and there is an audible thud when changing gear from park to reverse when the engine is still cold. I brought this issue up to the dealership. Their mechanic said that the I didn't feel the vibration before because one of the 4 mounts is broken. I feel it now because now there are more contact between the engine and the chassis. Is this true? There is vibration from idling to driving. He said that the vibration when driving is due to my tire which could be out of balance. I have around 30 to 40% tread left. I went to Big O tire to have the wheel balanced. There is still that shaking and vibration from low to high speed. I brought it back to them and the guy said there is not much they can do because of the tread left. Here is my question to you guys:
Should I buy 4 tires to fix this problem? I am planning to buy the tires next year but because of this irritating vibration, I might have to do it earlier than that. What about the vibration during idling? Which tire brand do you recommend? I'm planning of getting a Goodyear Triple Tred because this is what the majority of members in this forum recommend. As always, I will greatly appreciate any input that you guys may have to help me out. Have a great day! |
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| quiXilver |
1. Do you see/feel the vibration on the steering wheel?
2. Does the vibration increase with engine RPM? One way to eliminate the tires and suspension as variables is to rev the engine safely while the transmission is in PARK with the Emergency Brake ON to say 3000 RPMs.
Thanks,
quiXilver |
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| proman |
Congratulations! Looks like the dealer successfully re-direct you to the direction that they will be off the hook.
Use your common sense. They told you your car have a problem and it did not show any symptom. Now they said they "fixed" the problem and the symptom appears. Then they redirect you from an engine problem/work quality problem to tires, which they never touch so of course they are not responsible for whatever problem you have after the repair. And now you believe you have bad tires?
You can go ahead replace tires, I guarantee you the vibration will still be there and they will find another excuse to make you spend more money, but will never get your problem fixed, until you are tired of chasing it and they rip enough money from you. Hope you get my point.
I feel is, the mechanic must had done something wrong which cause the problem appear right after the repair. From my experience, for engine mount, the bolt/nut have to be torqued correctly or engine vibration may occur. Of course he will not admit it and you have nothing to prove it. This is why I don't others touch my car, especially dealerships. Once they got you money, they will try everything possible, no matter how ridiculous the excuses are, to push you around if there is a problem. All most people can do is spend more money and hope it will be fixed. But unfortunately, the mroe money you spend, the more you let them touch your car, it's possible the more problems will appear. |
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| RSM |
quote:
Originally posted by quiXilver
1. Do you see/feel the vibration on the steering wheel?
2. Does the vibration increase with engine RPM? One way to eliminate the tires and suspension as variables is to rev the engine safely while the transmission is in PARK with the Emergency Brake ON to say 3000 RPMs.
Thanks,
quiXilver
When I rev the engine while on Park, the vibration doesn't increase. It remains at that level regardless of the rpm. When I drive it, the vibration increases. At 120, the vibration and shaking on the steering wheel become stronger. I also feel my legs sort of beng massaged because of the vibration starting at 60. This is why I feel my tires are contributing to this. |
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| quiXilver |
Hmmm...Short of being a suspension issue, it does seem like a wheel/tire issue. I assume Big O Tires inflated the tires to the correct pressure and balanced the tires correctly. One thing that did happen to me on they way home after I had new tires mounted and balanced was the wheel weight flew off. I heard a loud thunk. One of the rear wheels was then out of balance and had another shop rebalance. They did confirm that one of the rears was out of balance by 4 oz.
It is really odd that these vibrations did not occur before the engine mount work. Perhaps the mechanic during his test drive after the engine mount work was completed hit a pothole that may have affected the suspension. This happened to a friend of mine just recently with his 07 Camry. The person who took it out for a test drive hit a curb or pothole. His rim was scratched and the tire had a gouge. He complained and they replaced both the rim and tire.
I know this doesn't help you much. I wish I can be more definitive.
quiXilver |
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| TURBORED |
Originally posted by quiXilver
1. Do you see/feel the vibration on the steering wheel?
That's the symptom for the broken engine mount.
Easy to tell when the car's idling at stop light. |
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| RSM |
quote:
Originally posted by TURBORED
Originally posted by quiXilver
1. Do you see/feel the vibration on the steering wheel?
That's the symptom for the broken engine mount.
Easy to tell when the car's idling at stop light.
There are actually 2 issues here. 1st is the increase in vibration during idling and then there is the increase in vibration and some shaking of the steering wheel when driving. I can feel the vibration more in both situations after they replaced the engine mount. I hardly noticed it before and there were times I had to look at the tachometer just to see if the motor is running when idling. Now, I don't have to do that. All I need to do is to feel the steering wheel. I went back to Big O Tires and they rotated the tires. The hard shaking of the steering wheel at 120 disappeared. I am suspecting that the rear tires which were originally at the front are not balanced properly. Big O said it is time to replace them as there are only 30 to 40% tread left. My wife doesn't feel the vibration when it is idling. She said there is supposed to be some amount of vibration and that I should always remember that this is a truck and not a luxury car. |
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