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Swaybar endlinks replaced - caster now too positive

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by hellobenjamin, Jun 1, 2022.

  1. hellobenjamin

    hellobenjamin New Member

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    Hello all!

    I recently had my front swaybar end links replace at the dealer and now the caster settings are out of spec (~7.0 both sides). The car has the TRD lowering springs and TRD rear swaybar installed.

    The car's alignment was perfectly in spec prior to the end link replacement and as far as I know there is no caster adjustment. The suggested remedy is to replace the control arms (and while it's apart, shocks and bushings). They offered me a quote of $2500 for the entire service.

    I'd love to hear your thoughts!

    Thanks.
     
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    You made an agreement with them to fix your swaybar links and now they're trying to charge you $2500 for their screw up? If someone did this to me I'd be their worst nightmare and demand a refund, file a BBB complaint and research all lemon laws / car repair laws in the state with plans to contact the attorney general if they insist on scamming you... More to the point if we had valid consumer protection laws in this country this stealership would of gone bankrupt and went out of business long ago!
     
  3. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    But there are other parts in play lowering springs etc ?
     
  4. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Are you sposed to have a certain endlink? Were there caster shims in place that were not put back on?
     
  5. hellobenjamin

    hellobenjamin New Member

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    Great questions. The car sits on TRD lowering springs but had no caster issues prior to the end link replacement. As far as I know there were no caster shims installed but is that an option for the Prius?
     
  6. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    The front ends are very similar to Corollas and they're all kinds of silly shims at front end shops can put on these things I'll have to go look I don't know which all of them they are they're going all kinds of weird places I'm not a front end person by trade but I have a friend who is and he has a wall full of these various and sundry shims not the GM metal kind these things are go between the bottom of the strut and the control arm between the ball joint and the bottom of the strut then there's some that go on the back of where the rear drum brake mounts changes some angle back there there's a few of them I just don't know why you would be so far out of caster on an end link change even if the end links are wrong I wouldn't think they would be pulling a half inch of caster but anything is possible do you have one of the old and links that you had I'm assuming the dealer or whoever just threw the old ones out and now you have nothing in your casters off and everybody's standing around scratching their head marvelous.
     
  7. hellobenjamin

    hellobenjamin New Member

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    Thanks so much for the response. I'll look into all of the above. Much appreciated @Tombukt2 !
     
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