Here's a little eye opener, Get out and get under! Options

[Howard]

So my newly acquired 914-V8 has a bit of front end shake. Take it to local tire place, they balance and notice struts are leaking and clank a bit. So balanced, aligned and strutted, I'm on my way.

Out for a drive, front really gets shaky and a bunch of free play in wheel. Limp home, jack up car and take a look. Gee whiz (I think I said it differently) the steering box was not bolted to the frame. Nice holes, nice threads, no bolts. Installed bolts. Thanked powers that be, as I had just come off a curvy road with some serious drop offs.

Back to tire shop, tech says 'they told me to replace struts, not check anything else'. Mutters a few other things, and realigns. Car still shakes, of course. Car sat for a long time on new tires, and they now 'guess' tread separation. Nowhere near round, of course, but hey, they did balance. Think I'll take my business elsewhere.

So what have we learned, kids? I learned "Trust everyone, then double check". I had my granddaughter in the car last week.

Irate old fart goes to tire store with grenade laucher: Film @ 11.

[Air_Cooled_Nut]

I tell them to not do any other work than what we've agreed to. If something happens/needs to be done that's different then all work is stopped until they contact me.

Never!, ever!, use power tools when putting wheels back onto the car. Always hand tools and properly torqued. I personally check the torque between 50-100 miles afterwards (just need to do that once, accounts for any initial looseness).

I drive the car into the service bay for 'small' jobs (ones where you stay in the waiting room). If I have to leave the car for bigger jobs (all day at the shop) I remind the owner/mechanic about my car (lowered, special starting instructions (my VW), etc.).

Just through experience from being bitten in the past, I double-check the work done. Luckily, I'm experienced enough to know what has to be touched to fix/repair part(s) x and/or y so I can make sure everything is as it should be. Can't tell you how many times the monkeys 'forgot' to put on my chrome valve stems or put on their crappy stem caps instead of my chromed, O-ringed, emblemed caps (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

Trust no one except yourself...and even then, check your own work as if someone else had done it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)