So after getting my car back from AAMCO for the second time, my transmission appears to be working normally. They also replaced my bad PS pump.

So I get the car back and notice the air dam is loose and making noise while driving. They apparently lost most of the bolts for that and the plastic guards in the backs of the wheel wells. I got it temporarily reattached and am going back in tomorrow to have them fix it. Also they somehow screwed up my alignment so I want them to fix that too.

Now I open the hood and see they apparently dented the pulley on the pump while installing it and it's chewing up the belt. So they need to fix or replace that now.

Finally while driving away I got a check engine light, code P1646 which I believe is a bad O2 sensor.

This car is either literally falling apart or these morons are making it worse whenever I take it there instead of fixing the problems

 

At time when a transmission is removed and replaced they need to make room by removing the exhaust system and other things related to it. Just make sure that they pay for the sensor if they broke it. As for the other stuff make sure they take responsibility for the repairs. It is sad when you place trust in a shop and they provide you with less than quality workmanship. AAMCO is a big company and they do not need bad publicity. As for the car I hope you can get it sorted out so you can enjoy it.

 

Sorry to hear about your situation. Please keep us posted.

 

I've gotten almost everything sorted out at this point. I went back to AAMCO last Saturday and had them fix the bent pulley, read the code again, and told them they owed me some new bolts and retaining clips.

They put the bolts on the bottom tray and got new clips from Advance Auto Parts while I waited. Then they un-bent the pulley which seems to have made it stop clicking/chewing up the belt. The read the code again and got the same P1646, but one guy suggested I take off on the highway to attempt to clean it. I tried that and the light has been off for a week now so I'm guessing it worked.

I also contacted the seller I bought the PS pump from off eBay and told them it was bad. This was before I realized the installer had bent the pulley. Nice people that they are, they told me to toss the one I have and are sending me a free replacement that will be here Monday. So now I have an extra pump in case this one really is bad, but it seems to be fine now.

With the bolts back on, PS pump fixed, and the check engine light off I've addressed the most pressing issues. However, I still have a few more things to take care of. First, I was told by my usual repair shop when I stopped by yesterday, that I have a bad lower control arm bushing on the front right side which is causing an annoying creak/pop when accelerating/braking/turning. I'm just glad that it wasn't the strut. I also need to get an alignment and test my front rotors for warping.

 

My lower control arm bushings have ruptured and the silicone fluid leaked out. Ugh. Clunks like crazy.

I found replacement lower control arms at online sources. I "think" these particular, inexpensive replacements are simply rubber bushings and not the liquid filled ones.

Also, if your front rotors are warped, I purchased the drilled and slotted ones on the 'Bay, along with ceramic "posi-quiet" pads. They were very inexpensive and work perfectly. No dust, plenty of stopping power. Squeaked for a few weeks, then bedded in and all is well.

 

Interesting, I didn't know the OE bushings had fluid in them. I'll have to ask the eBay seller. Any advantage to having the fluid?

The shop I went to that diagnosed the bad bushing said that most likely it was damaged by AAMCO as a result of removing parts to access the transmission. I'll see if I can get them to own up and replace it.

As for the rotors, this is a 4 wheel kit I got from eBay as well. 4 drilled/slotted rotors with ceramic pads, it's the brakemotive kit that many other members have used. I put them on about a year ago and I've had the warping now for at least 4 months. I've just been dealing with it with all of the other projects I've been working on, but it's getting worse now so I'll have to address it soon.

EDIT:

I have yet to hear back from the seller of the bushings. This is what I was told regarding the bushings from an eBay seller who I'm looking a purchasing a set of new control arms from:

"Fluid Filled Bushings have High Failure. These are Made of all Rubber but have the same Characteristics of the Fluid Filled ones, such as Hardness & Density."

Does anyone care to comment on the accuracy of that statement?

Here is the link to the set I'm considering: http://r.ebay.com/BqL2fO

And this is the link to the set of bushings only: http://r.ebay.com/YJgNvy

Thoughts?

 

I'd go with the rubber ones. Liquid filled ones are not ideal for good suspension control. However, I have not done the swap yet, so I don't have first hand knowledge. Others on this forum say the aftermarket ones work perfectly and ride great.

 

Yeah as I can't even find aftermarket fluid-filled ones I was just going to get the solid rubber ones. Now it just comes down to cost vs. labor. Obviously the brand new arms are more expensive than just the bushings, but my mechanic told me new arms would require less labor ($60/hour).

I'm planning on doing both sides at the same time because I assume the solid rubber bushings will feel slightly different and the bushings on the other side will probably need replacement soon anyway.