SEAT Ibiza woes

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Sat 3 Mar 2007 20:12
SEAT Ibiza woes - bimmer-driver
Recently took my 2003 Ibiza 1.2 to my local trusted mechanic to look it over because it was pulling all over the place and wandering about. Gives it a quick look over a says its the back wishbone bushes that are gone, but he can't do them because you need all kind of fancy things to do them because they're not metal but plastic and they sit in an aluminium frame.
So I book it nto the local SEAT dealer I bought it from last summer,as its still got an approved used warranty only for them to say that the bushes are 'within tolerances' but more seriously the front subframe is bent and that I must have smacked a kerb.
I'll admit i bumped very lightly into the kerb the other week when it was snowing, but its put a slight chip into the alloy, nothing more so I seriously doubt that bent the subframe unless its made of cheese, and it was wandering before that anyway.
My question is- what can be done with a bent subframe? Do I need a new one or can it be mended somehow?
It also makes me doubt how thorough the checks on SEATS approved used scheme is
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Sat 3 Mar 2007 21:19
SEAT Ibiza woes - Aprilia
Bending the subframe would require a substantial impact - I would also expect the suspension arm to be bent.
Rectification depends on the degree of bending. A small amount may be repairable by pulling on a jig - more substantial would require replacement.

I would be inclined not to trust the dealer at this stage and take the vehicle to a good independent bodyshop, or at least somewhere with a good 4-wheel aligner (Jim Beam, Sun, etc) and get some figures on your alignment. Might cost £50-100, but then you have something to go on.
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