Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: wedge on 11 April 2013, 18:42:45
-
hi all
after my last post about worn tyre camber problems, i was advised to get all bushes, wishbones etc checked by a garage i trust, unfortunately i don't have one :'(
could anyone suggest a garage, or an Omega friendly person in north yorkshire, preferably around Ripon area that could help with the check
as suggested i've spoken to nigel langs garage in bolton about full wheel alignment and as said all the other bits need to be right first
(i'm in a wheelchair which is why i'm not underneath myself)
again thanks in advance for any help :)
-
Is Wakefield any good?
-
so is it the tracking needs doing ?
-
On an Omega, It's a little more complicated. The front wheel toe, or "tracking" is only the tip of the iceberg. The two large nuts at the bottom of the front shock absorbers slacken and allow a little side to side movement, providing adjustment to the "camber angle" (Movement away from the vertical) and also the rear arms have a rod towards the rear of the vehicle with a threaded section which allows adjustment of the rear wheel toe angle, therefore the best option for an Omega (especially being rear wheel drive) is a system of lasers mounted on all 4 wheels which accurately measures all 4 wheels in relation to each other.
In addition, being such a heavy car, the front lower arms are subject to a lot of stress, and the rear rubber bushes tend to wear quite quickly under braking. So its worth replacing both before 4 wheel alignment is carried out.
-
so is it the tracking needs doing ?
"tracking" on its own on an Omega is a waste of time and, more importantly, money. To set the car up properly, both from handling and tyre wear requires a full geometric set up by someone who has the right equipment, knows how to use it properly, and puts the right settings on .. and "in the green" is not good enough. Must have accurate figures that take into account the fact the car is now more than a few years old and things have settled and worn.
WIM Chesham - or one of their "offshoots" are about the only folk who know and understand this. Highly Recommended by anyone who has been there I believe .. certainly by me .. I drive a fair distance to get it done correctly ... as the difference is paid for in tyres worn out on the edges very early in their life .. and at £140 a corner thats an expense I don't need, so less than the cost of 1 tyre and the job is done right .. :)
-
thanks for the replies,
Andy wakefield is fine, about 50 mls, but worth it if it's someone that knows, are you meaning yourself?
Entwood, nigel lang that i mentioned is one of the wim offshoot garages that have been suggested on here for the full geometric set up, so i'm glad you've backed that up :)
-
And I will be looking for a trustworthy garage too, as I have just bought a 2.6 CDX, thats got a fully stamped book, plus is in an excellent condition. I suppose I could just get the Vauxhall garage that did the MOT and servicing (incl cam belt and tensioners) to do it, but they are very very expensive, like OTT expensive lol
-
They are right in saying the parts need to be right, I went to Langs en route to a holiday and my wishbones were shot, they replaced them at some considerable cost! I could have done them myself for a quarter of the cost :'(