Big story, short point - don't ever go to SSS

[cespenar]

Just thought I'd share my experience that I had when using SSS in Palmerston North.

I had a 96 Curren ST208 that I wanted to get lowered. After ringing around SSS were offering the best price so I went in to get some King Springs installed. When I went to get the car I noticed it was sitting higher at the front than at the rear (about 30mm or so) to which they replied "don't worry that will settle, just go and do some slow full lock turns and take it out for a drive and you should be all sweet". So I went and did that, got my wheels aligned and after a month the car still looked like a ridiculous wedge.

At this stage I decided to check my theory that SSS had used the wrong springs, so I decided to ask King Springs in Australia directly which were the proper ones to use. Surprise surprise the front ones SSS had installed were incorrect.

Armed with this knowledge I went back in and told them they had used the wrong ones and that I wanted them to put the proper ones in that King Springs had told me. They told me this was fine however because my car wasn't in the catalogue they would have to charge me labour. That turned out to be a load of BS because I later checked the catalogue and it was in there.

So they put the correct ones in, and said I was good to go. So did the usual run-in, noticed a bit of a knocking sound but thought nothing of it, and then when I went in for an alignment again, I was told by the dude (who evidently didn't know a lot about cars) that my front springs weren't captive (they were actually captive but i'll get to that) and that I'd fail a warrant.

Back to SSS to tell them, they said "Nah they were captive as. If they're not captive anyway its perfectly safe, the springs aren't going to go anywhere" Again a load of BS, they can cut brake lines. I protested my annoyance at them not telling me that they weren't captive, to which they responded "This is what we hate, guys like you who come in and want their own springs put in and then they're wrong and they blame us". I was like WTF? They put the wrong ones in to start with! I had simply told them the proper part number. They said I had two options, either pay another $200 to get the wrong ones put back in the front, or go to a dodgy place and get a warrant. Since my warrant was almost due and I was by now getting low on cash, I decided to opt for the dodgy warrant, which I passed with flying colours.

So drove about 2000km with these knocking springs, under the impression nothing was wrong (at the time I was a huge newbie, didnt know anything so blatantly believed what I was told). After a little while my mate who was an apprentice mechanic came up and I asked him to see if he could check it out. So we jacked up up the front, rattled around the wheels; discovered the springs were actually firmly captive, and that the SSS plonkers simply hadn't tightened the strut bolt up. It wasn't even finger tight! A highly dangerous nut to have loose on a vehicle, if it had come off the whole suspension assembly would have fallen out - just imagine the damage at 100km/hr round a corner. So we tightened it and everything was fine, next warrant was from a Vehicle Testing Centre.

I expressed my disgust at SSS's extreme disregard for customer safety, demanding some action be taken. Their response: "I will talk to the person involved [with installing] and they will definitely get a slap on the hand". I tried to get some of my money back for all the dicking around they put me through - it did end up costing close to $900 for a $600 job - but they kept changing their story and it was going to be too difficult for me to prove anything.

After that, as is always the fact, I heard stories that SSS had been in trouble before for dodgy practises, they would install audio equipment and alarms, keep a copy of the alarm remote, go out and nick the stuff they had installed and re-sell it at a later date. I admit I cant verify that to be true but I certainly wouldnt put it past them.

In short, don't ever use SSS in Palmy. Go somewhere else.

[Dell'Orto]

Yes, its well documented that that company are quite dodgy. Our sales rep used to work for them, and said they do some shady crap.
Im sorry you had to deal with them in the first place, always ask around

[cespenar]

Yes, its well documented that that company are quite dodgy. Our sales rep used to work for them, and said they do some shady crap.
Im sorry you had to deal with them in the first place, always ask around

Yeah thanks man, I'm waaay more careful now, but it's always the case, after the fact I had lots of people telling me they were s**t

[Emperor]

Mate got his alarm installed in his R34 by SSS, he had no problems.

[cespenar]

Mate got his alarm installed in his R34 by SSS, he had no problems.

I'm sure they do some stuff alright, I had another mate that went to get his alarm reprogrammed because SSS had done it once before perfectly, but the second time, it was for EXACTLY the same thing, they charged him 10 times as much as the first time and he didnt get his car for a week.

[Akane]

I'm glad some of my bad-luck-with-dodgey-mechanics aura rubbed off around the Palmy area

Anyways, bad luck, nothing you can do, been there done that myself. Just steer clear of them next time and tell your mates about it, take it as a lesson learned.

[sergei]

Thats another reason to learn how to do it yourself...
I never fix my car at mechanics, just casual bearing press and visit to exhaust shop, but thats about it.
Before I was stuffed arround by lots of mechanics and amaizing how they can't admit that they don't know, but instead they come up with some BS.
I had clogged injectors (tipical 20v fault, lots of black smoke under load, rough idle) and whent to one mechanic, they poinited to WTS. There was nothing wrong with WTS (I replaced with brand new one, no difference). So I went to another, and they said that my camtiming was wrong - ignition timing was ~23 degrees (they probably did not jumped TE1 and E1 connectors), so "ECU was trying to compensate, hense lots of black smoke". Again loads of BS. It cost me less to get s/h injectors then brand new WTS! and it takes about 10min to swap them over.
First mechanic charged me ~$200, second $250 and WTS cost me ~$100 (retail ).

[cespenar]

Yeah I know what you mean ever since then I try to learn how to do it myself, just sometimes you lack the proper tools needed so unless you want to buy some expensive tools that you will seldom use theres little choice but to go to a mechanic...it's very unfortunate that there are a lot of bad ones out there

[RE20]

lol @ SSS , id rather pay more and get something from somewhere else than go through them! Their prices are far from great anyway , as for service? ummm yeah ok!

[NA Drifter]

don't get me started about doggy panel shop...in Palmy!!
which they will "steal" stuff from your car as payment!... which is taking stuff from your car without asking and then didn't let u know until you find it out the hard/dangerous way!! I hate orange colour

[eritate]

hehe ive heard some dodgy stuff about SSS

They did a full install on a mates mate's car.

They did sound and alarm like their best one

And about 2 weeks later the car was broken into and sounds stolen

The theifs knew where everything was and what to steal and what not to etc

I recommened that you go to redfox for your audio needs and if not redfox. Repco

[Ash]

I know several ex-sss guys, the amount of dodgy ass stories they have is just unbelievable.

Avoid them like a plague.

Oh, and Mikes Panel Shop. $&#$% theifs. Pity they are the only guard rollers in Palmy area.