by Bammo on Sun Feb 09, 2020 11:50 pm
OK time for an update folks. I was heading to Sydney anyway so I jacked up the front of the MN and removed both front struts. Pulled the tubes out and hand carried them to Ultimate. They guys there serviced them in time for me to collect and return. They fitted new bushes and supplied a new set of 2 piece spring bottom mounts (the twisted metal base that the thin end of the coil spring sits on). I really only wanted the shocks repaired so was a bit miffed that the price was higher for the new bushes etc as I thought the old ones were OK but we reached a compromise.
I went to install them and learned a couple of things.
1) The two piece spring bases were not the same dimensions as the one piece bases - they were noticeably longer which put more pressure on the spring and changed the orientation - made getting the bases of the shocks into the bottom mounts very difficult. I scrapped them and reused the original pair which fitted much easier. I took the time to inspect the old top bushes as well and in the process mixed the old and the new up. I literally could not tell them apart so remain a bit confused as to why I had to shell out for new ones but perhaps one of the bottom bushes was the cause of Ultimate's concern.
2) They discarded the metal retaining clip on the strut for some reason, this is what the wheel speed sensor cable is bolted to. Went to do final assembly and had to cable tie that on until I can get to SCA and buy new ones.
3) (And this one is ALL on me!) I was able to reinstall the struts with the front of the car jacked up (on a pair of stands) no problem but for the life of me I could not get the top wishbone arm back into the brackets. I eventually figured out that the old trick of putting the jack under the bottom arm wasn't working because all the weight was being taken by the stands. I put a wheel on one side temporarily and it all went much easier after that. So lesson for today is, if you are changing the front struts on the ground (not a lift) do them one at a time!!
So the Triton is back to normal in driving - just like it was for the first 12 months after fitting the Ultimate gear the first time around. The shock failed after 12 months - was under warranty but I delayed getting them fixed so I had to pony up the money. They were unable to offer an explanation as to why it failed other than "it had sand and dirt in it".
My experience with Ultimate Suspension has so far been a bit of a mixed bag. They were helpful and accommodating but I can't help but feel a bit ripped off for being charged for extra items above the quoted service, for them losing the clips and for the fact of the premature failure of the unit in the first place. Its hard to keep all customers happy all the time I know but this hasn't been an encouraging experience...