[Alfanut]

Ok... so got it up and wheel off....

Shock had unscrewed from the top...

Pictures telling the story... note not all damage captured... :-(

Cleaned the threads on the top of the shock and the top Mount(via the right sized tap and thread file... in stock at dads place... )

Cleaned a burr off the spring collar... and put some lock tite on the thread and screwed it’s on...

Not sure how I feel about it all yet... definitely not happy...

But it’s back on all 4 wheels...

Even did a rough camber check...

Just have to tighten Everything up and put the wheel liner back in...

I’ve done a visual inspection of the left hand side rear and it looks ok...

More to follow...

Hugs
Ap


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A better result than you were thinking, I bet. Still worrying that the shock top would unscrew like that. Did you find the correct torque value? Better check the others while you’re in the frame of mind. It might save more heartache down the road. Cheers and great news it wasn’t a catastrophic shock failure.

 

[Redracer]

Sorry to read this acp, hope that it's just cosmetic damage.

I have this image of Mansell at the Adelaide GP in 1986 struggling to bring his car to a halt and imagined that it may have felt like that for you as you tried to bring your 4C back under control.

Cheers,

Alf.

I was Watching this live when it happened!!! I couldn't have been happier! Prost won the Championship because of this...NOT a Mansell fan!

 

[acp]

A better result than you were thinking, I bet. Still worrying that the shock top would unscrew like that. Did you find the correct torque value? Better check the others while you’re in the frame of mind. It might save more heartache down the road. Cheers and great news it wasn’t a catastrophic shock failure.

Torque on the shaft is interesting... can’t hold it...

locktite on it... and we did the best we could...

Still in shock from this week... :-(


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[Docron]

Who initially installed your coilovers way back when?

 

[Lawrence Wild]

How does that even happen? I thought the shocks would be pretty much only subjected to axial loads, so how can it unscrew itself?

 

[Alf Alpha]

How does that even happen? I thought the shocks would be pretty much only subjected to axial loads, so how can it unscrew itself?

Maybe a really pissed off Ex ?

 

[acp]

So the shocks were installed by a reputable mechanic in Sydney, who did the other repair work on my car after I rode over the lane divide and required lots of stuff on the left hand side of the car.

The shocks were bolt on and I have confirmed with the mechanic they were installed as they arrived from the factory. They were not disassembled in anyway...

Thankfully the ex had nothing to do with this... hehe

 

[acp]

From Scuderia AutoArt:
“... We as Novitec Australia do not sell Alfa Romeo parts. This part of the business was sold by Novitec several years ago therefore other than the name has no involvement with the company we import for.

Unfortunately we cannot help with this enquiry.”

The alfa side has been sold to sportiva... which means it’s not novitec itself... http://www.novitec-sportiva.com/de/

 

[Alfanut]

From Scuderia AutoArt:
“... We as Novitec Australia do not sell Alfa Romeo parts. This part of the business was sold by Novitec several years ago therefore other than the name has no involvement with the company we import for.

Unfortunately we cannot help with this enquiry.”

Useless bastards. So many companies here don’t support us but scream blue murder when we buy on-line from oversea vendors to the point of having our Govt change the import tax rules to their favour. May a pox be on them. Oh, and very sorry to hear. Squadra, I’m pretty sure, will be able to help as their prices are reasonable.

 

[acp]

Useless bastards. So many companies here don’t support us but scream blue murder when we buy on-line from oversea vendors to the point of having our Govt change the import tax rules to their favour. May a pox be on them. Oh, and very sorry to hear. Squadra, I’m pretty sure, will be able to help as their prices are reasonable.

I just got a phone call clarifying what’s going on...
I’ve updated my post above...

I’ve been pointed in the “right direction” to talk to squadra sportiva...

Regardless it’s the same design and manufacturing...

Also I’ve fired a query off to the company that sold the shocks to the workshop.

Cheers,
Ap

 

[tibby]

I just got a phone call clarifying what’s going on...
I’ve updated my post above...

I’ve been pointed in the “right direction” to talk to squadra sportiva...

Regardless it’s the same design and manufacturing...

Also I’ve fired a query off to the company that sold the shocks to the workshop.

Cheers,
Ap

Squadra Sportiva=

 

[acp]

So as an update:
1. Contacted the place where the workshop purchased the shocks from... they have now got the photos and some details... they have said they have passed this onto the manufacturer

2. I did attempt to contact the manufacturer directly... they pushed me back through the seller...

So not sure what will happen next.

AP


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[acp]

So squadra has been back in touch...

Asking some questions, to which I have replied...


Cheers,
Andrew p.

 

[acp]

No further commentary from squadra or tmc...

would have been nice if they just sorted it...

I’m rattling their cages a little now...

currently the car is on all 4 wheels, so at least it’s not stuck in my parents garage... i don’t trust the shock... and can’t drive it...

preparing for a chat with ACCC.

cheers,
Andrew P.

 

[Alfanut]

...Maybe they think if they keep quiet you might go away. Glad you’re not falling for it.... Gotta keep persisting with the enquiries.

 

[4CRacer]

...Maybe they think if they keep quiet you might go away. Glad you’re not falling for it.... Gotta keep persisting with the enquiries.

Everybody’s knows that André is not like this. I think it is quite unfair to write something like this. It is simply very difficult to say something substantial to this case as there are other people involved who just claim they didn’t mess up. The Novitec branded product is produced from KW. It has passed all quality checks in assembly. Same at the shipping department from Squadra Sportiva. Is it still impossible somebody there messed up? No, not as long as people are involved! Is it more likely that somebody else messed this up who is not as experienced and doesn’t have a defined internal process to ensure quality? Definitely more likely to happen! The bodyshop can’t be responsible because they have good reputation and it says „wasn’t me!“? What about the reputation of the suspension in general? Multiple dozens have been sold with not a single problem. I have about ten 4C customers on my trackdays, that all run a Novitec suspension for now tens of thousand kilometers on street and thousands on track. Not a single problem til now. I would say it is the most intense track tested suspension you can buy. And that can be said for all different versions beginning from the street version up to the competition suspension. But that doesn’t exclude a potential mistake on a single set.

So what do you expect Squadra Sportiva exactly to do? Please also keep in mind that Andre‘ has to contact his manufacturer for a comment and that we have a lockdown here in Germany. KW is still producing but most service processes for sure take much longer now. But as there has been no structural failure of the material but a loose connection I honestly don’t expect KW to react different than to point on their quality ensurance system and that there is no evidence of a failure of that. Just guessing...

As it is not possible for the end-link to twist after been assembled to the car and I am not aware of rotation tendency of the plunger rod I think the end link has been loose from the beginning. The corrosion shows that it had too less thread turns for quite some time. Normally a good mechanic will check if the endlinks are loose just in case. So I see responsibility at the repair shop in the first place. That will probably not help you much and sure a no comment shipping of a new pair from KW would be a fantastic move by them even if it is probably not their fault but I am a little pessimistic on that.

but thats just my five cents to this topic.

I wish you all the best for this case. Stay safe and healthy!

best regards
Alex

 

[Alfanut]

Everybody’s knows that André is not like this. I think it is quite unfair to write something like this. It is simply very difficult to say something substantial to this case as there are other people involved who just claim they didn’t mess up. The Novitec branded product is produced from KW. It has passed all quality checks in assembly. Same at the shipping department from Squadra Sportiva. Is it still impossible somebody there messed up? No, not as long as people are involved! Is it more likely that somebody else messed this up who is not as experienced and doesn’t have a defined internal process to ensure quality? Definitely more likely to happen! The bodyshop can’t be responsible because they have good reputation and it says „wasn’t me!“? What about the reputation of the suspension in general? Multiple dozens have been sold with not a single problem. I have about ten 4C customers on my trackdays, that all run a Novitec suspension for now tens of thousand kilometers on street and thousands on track. Not a single problem til now. I would say it is the most intense track tested suspension you can buy. And that can be said for all different versions beginning from the street version up to the competition suspension. But that doesn’t exclude a potential mistake on a single set.

So what do you expect Squadra Sportiva exactly to do? Please also keep in mind that Andre‘ has to contact his manufacturer for a comment and that we have a lockdown here in Germany. KW is still producing but most service processes for sure take much longer now. But as there has been no structural failure of the material but a loose connection I honestly don’t expect KW to react different than to point on their quality ensurance system and that there is no evidence of a failure of that. Just guessing...

As it is not possible for the end-link to twist after been assembled to the car and I am not aware of rotation tendency of the plunger rod I think the end link has been loose from the beginning. The corrosion shows that it had too less thread turns for quite some time. Normally a good mechanic will check if the endlinks are loose just in case. So I see responsibility at the repair shop in the first place. That will probably not help you much and sure a no comment shipping of a new pair from KW would be a fantastic move by them even if it is probably not their fault but I am a little pessimistic on that.

but thats just my five cents to this topic.

I wish you all the best for this case. Stay safe and healthy!

best regards
Alex

I know this is not like Andre, if in fact it is he who is dealing with it. Good communication doesn’t cost anything and goes a long way to smooth over this kind of thing especially when someone wants to use his 4C and can’t due to the failure of fairly new part.

I’ve been waiting patiently for parts ordered 4 months ago. There has been good communication between the seller and myself and am fairly (not completely) confident the parts will arrive and am not overly worried. It’s when emails are not answered that people start to get miffed. When you’re on the other side of the planet and can’t go knocking on doors one also has the feeling of powerlessness too.

 

[acp]

As an update... from the latest communication from Squadra:
- squadra has asked that I deal with them... which is what I am doing...
- Squadra is (apparently) talking with KW and Novitec...
- whilst some news was due yesterday, I was told that this has slipped until next week(at least I now have a communication channel open)

At the end of the day I’m happier that some communication is occurring...

 

[alfa1105]

As an update... from the latest communication from Squadra:

• squadra has asked that I deal with them... which is what I am doing...
• Squadra is (apparently) talking with KW and Novitec...
• whilst some news was due yesterday, I was told that this has slipped until next week(at least I now have a communication channel open)

At the end of the day I’m happier that some communication is occurring...

Hi Andrew, I can't help to not think that these were not tighten properly from the start.From the look of the last few threads being rusty as well.If there pulled up tight, very hard to come to this.
Cheers Dario.

 

[acp]

All,
another update...
12/02 - received email at 12:43am from squadra stating they will respond within a day... stating In there that I needed to respond if I didn’t get an answer...
14/02 - received email at 3:39am from squadra checking if I got the first email... and stating that they needed some additional time... ”I will come back on Tuesday or Wednesday.”
I responded with a thank you email on 14/02 at 4:09am (yes I woke up early lol)...
18/02 (Thursday) 5pm(Australian Eastern Time) - I have asked for an update...

I am waiting...

Hi Andrew, I can't help to not think that these were not tighten properly from the start.From the look of the last few threads being rusty as well.If there pulled up tight, very hard to come to this.
Cheers Dario.

Thx Dario... I agree, it can’t have been tight for a long time... :-(