Bought my Transit Custom Limited new mid 2018 and its been great so far, it came with 16" alloys. I'd had a few enquiries regarding front brake kits for them so I thought I'd develop a 6 pot kit using our van as a test mule, this meant fitting 18" wheels to clear the front brakes. The new wheels had more offset than the OE wheels and I soon noticed that the one rear wheel was just inside the arch and the other was at least 10mm further in, after confirming all the wheels were the same offset I put a camber gauge on it and found the O/S/R has 0.5deg positive and the N/S/R has over 3 deg negative camber!! It’s a solid beam axle so no adjustment, this was totally not noticeable with the old wheels as they sat well inside the arch so nothing to reference them off visually. Anyone had the same issue or any Ford techs know if this is a common thing??

 

I've known a similar thing on a rear wheel drive non custom transit, but not known anything like that on customs tbh, I'm pretty sure some of the old connects used to suffer with similar issues too, I'll check a few customs for you as I get them in if you like? Is there any sign of damage or fatigue on the rear beam?

 

You would hope that their tolerances are not that far out. My guess is that it was damaged before being sold new, I have heard of quite a few stories of damaged vehicles prior to sale. My friend crashed a car that he was taking to have pre hand over clean, I think they told the customer it was delayed and repaired it.

 

No signs of anything untoward on the beam, it's only done 15k miles and I only ever carry a max of 200kg so no where near its capacity. It’s at Ford now, the acknowledge the fault but say they don't know how to fix it!!!!! I've told them to unbolt the stub axles and if needed I will measure them up to see if they’re bent.

 

Its a posibility with the beam but all of the paint is original for sure.

 

They don’t know how to fix it? it’s a sorry state main dealers are in

 

Will be interesting to find the fix...it has to be something silly and one off surely, you would not expect a mass produced vehicle to be that out?

I had Tiger 6 Lotus 7 replica and I noticed the axle was off to one side, i spoke to Jim at Tiger racing and he said that they are all like that and just add a 10mm spacer on one side.

 

You'd be amazed the amount of stuff some main dealers dont know how to fix. We used to do all the in depth work for our local dealer as they could/only wanted to do servicing and tyres and didn't want to get involved in anything else as it wasn't cost effective and their 'technicians' didn't have the skills so they sent it to 'mechanics' to sort out. Amazed we are being told all the time 'technicians' are better than 'mechanics' when it's just a buzz word the Americans came up with to make the job title look glossier.



Oooops sorry went into one there ha ha


Edited As wrong words on predictive txt

 

They aren't mechanics or technicians, they are just fitters IMHO.

 

You've hit the nail on the head there, fitters are a plenty but proper old school mechanics very thin on the ground

 

yea, I’ve got a couple of mates who work at dealerships, they have a good understanding because they have a passion of cars, but they tell me some horror stories.

it still baffles me, considering it’s a beam set up, surely they should be looking at replacing the beam, or at-least trying to measure it, but as we are aware a dealers approach is to just throw parts at it until the issue is hopefully fixed.

 

This is how simple they are... I asked what the next move was and he replied: I think its best if we book it into the bodyshop to see if its the bodyshell!!! I told him they needed to start with unbolting the stub axles off and check those and then move onto the beam if they are good

 

nothing like a bit of forward thinking, you should of tried to get him to explain how the body is making the wheel tilt

have they taken your advice as surely they would know who you are? Especially as I’m guessing it’s a local dealership, I’m not saying you’ve done the “do you know who I am” speech I mean even my DHL driver knows you are as he drops off at your yard

 

No idea if they know but I've told them how to tackle it and even offered to run the stub axles in one of my lathes to check if they are straight, I said I'd do it free so lets see what tomorrow brings. Heard nothing today.

 

You’ll probably get told tomorrow that the body shop haven’t found anything

 

Does it have a panhard rod fitted? Maybe by fitting the larger wheels the axle shifted over. Mk2 fiestas had this issue when lowering them. On those you had to fit an adjustable panhard rod(basically shorter in length to centralise the axle again. Just a thought.

 

Their first step would be a new axle ?

 

I really wouldnt.

Most dealers barely manage basic servicing. ( and their "servicing" is barely an oil change lol )

 

I reckon first step is to unbolt the stub axles and see of they are bent and if not move onto the axle. If they get the axle exactly level then they could take camber readings off the flanges that the stub axles bolt to. The beam is a square section that looks very strong so my money is on the stub axles being bent. If it wasn't for the fact the van is still under warranty I'd be doing the job myself

 

Exactly...so get them to fit an entire new axle lol.

I'd doubt they would have any ability to measure. Is the stub a bolt on piece ? ie bearing unit ? Or is it an old type stub axle that sticks out ?

 

One of my mates works for one of the VAG groups, he said one lad had his tool box moved and behind it was a massive pile of brand new pollen filters, he’d taken the new filters out the box then threw them behind his tool box as he couldn’t be arsed to change them.

i can’t remember what his excuse was but the lads wound him up for ages about it.

 

Just bolts off, see pic

 

Wound up ? Should have been sacked.

Customers pay dealers a clean fortune to have their cars worked on, so there should be no excuse for anyone defrauding them by not fitting parts they are charged for, whether at a management level, or at the man on the tools level.

It's like a friend who used to work at a dealer....and at teh end of each month they'd get a bonus if there were no "comebacks"....I was like, WTF's that ? Basically if there were no customer complaints after any service work etc.
I was like holy fuck you arent serious ? It should be if there are comebacks, you get a good fucking slap or wages docked.

 

So a flat flange either side, and also a parallel shaft ?

Should make some form of measurements a lot easier then

 

I know he got a good bollocking but he wasn’t sacked, but as you’ve pointed out, not surprising with main dealership ethics, problem is they have most new car owner by the short and curlies, and this stigma of main dealer servicing being better and keeping a cars value, where as it couldn’t be further from the truth in some instances.

 

May be a daft question, but it is possible to bolt it back on 180 degrees to how it came off? If it is bent then you should then get positive camber. I'd it stays the same then that would mean that its mating face, ie the beam is bent.

 

No, the hole spacing doesnt allow that as they are different top to bottom. I did tell them they could swap them side to side though.

 

My first and last experience of working in a main dealer (always worked in independents) they gave me a timing belt to do on a Mitsubishi Outlander. Just a belt, no tensioner or guide pulley etc. I was gobsmacked and almost refused to do the job but I had only just started. They told me this was procedure and just the belt needs fitting. I didn't stay there too long! What didn't help was the guy on ramp next to me just did services and pdis all day long and earnt loads in bonus and productivity was high, I got all the shit jobs, never earned bonus and moaned at my productivity was too low. Hated the place, the politics and the bonus scheme was a scam.

 

Well its now fixed. The dealer took me up on my offer to check to see if the stub axles ran true in my lathe, they didn't.. One was 0.4mm out the other was 0.15mm, those figures sound small but they make a huge difference. New stub axles fitted under waranty and its all good now.

 

So do the new ones sit properly parallel, or is there some angle/camber built in from the factory ?

 

One deg neg

 

It all depends on the person really. The truck world is in a very poor state kids don’t see it as they job they want even though they can earn very good money compared to cars. The older very very experienced people get treated like shit or are coming to the end of there time. Collage and the qualifications system is a joke it’s just there to provide the nice certificates that look good in reception. The kids learn the trade properly if there pared with someone who can be bothered to teach or has time. Some of the kids about now make some serious fuck ups and can’t do big jobs or involved electrical diagnostic jobs. But there are also some who are very switched on and learn fast

 

One of awers old Vans was a Ford Transit custom 65 plate . Well it went into Ford as all of a sudden
( This is the list of faults )
hill start
Speedometer
cruise control
i think there was something else but I cannot remember well they had it 5 weeks and admitted they was struggling to fix it they had done ECU,S and Fuse boxes programming . And they still couldn't sort it . Then out of the blue we get a phone call it's all fixed 👍
Well to say my boss was happy and pissed off at the same time was a understatement
So he went him self to get it and have it out with them with the bill . On arrival they just tried to shug it off as one of them things . We the boss demanded to see the chap that fixed it . This is ware it got funny the mechanic admitted he was struggling with it when a customer come in the work shop and wots Rong with it you have had this in for some time one ( he was told the problem )
He replied change a wheel bearing and change the probe going to it . And that turned out to be the problem all along a wheel bearing . And you think your in safe hands going to the main dealer

 

I really can't imagine too many people think that ?

 

I’d disagree, I think we are still in the minority with that view, the flashy showrooms and sparkly clean workshop and excessive labour rates woo the general public into thinking they know what they are doing.

glad Martin got it sorted though, I was betting on the beam being out was it just bad quality control or bent?