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Thread: VERY IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING! - Camskill Lower Suspension Arms

  1. #41
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    Arms etc

    Always a tricky subject! Dom B was spot on in his post back in August. The OE manufacturers and their supply base spend a vast amount of time and money ensuring that their products are safe above and beyond their intended use (with respect to environment - loads etc). It is very easy for an aftermarket agent to take one of the OE parts and faithfully reproduce the outline product - that is the cosmetics and the key fitment details (in the Ball Joints case its taper, gauge diameter, thread etc). What can be overlooked - often with dire consequences is the real detail; material conditions (not just the surface hardness), durability capacity, sealability performance etc all of which can have a seriously adverse effect on longevity of a product. Where an item is "safety critical" then ther can be serious repercussions!

    My advice: for key compoents / assemblies (inc steering - suspension - transmission - braking etc) stick to the OE part or second best to parts that are manufactured by reputable companies that do supply the same genre of product for an the OE market (although they might not supply that exact same part). It might be a bit more costly in the outset but what value do you put on your life and the life of others.

    Sermon over!

  2. #42
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    Quote Originally Posted by orionn2o
    Don't be too hasty to blame Camskill for the product as they are only the distributor.

    If it is found to be faulty then talk to Mike there. He will in turn talk to his suppliers. Since my problem he has been very honest and a good contact. Although my issues are still unresolved at this moment.
    That's good going, I'm still awaiting a satisfactory response after 2 yrs, in my mind they are a sh!tty company with no regards to customer service

  3. #43
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    Well paul we'll see. I may hear nothing back forever!

    I should really chase him, hmmm job for tomorrow!
    '97 EVO 4 GSR

  4. #44

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dan_G
    This is very serious.

    On the way home from work this evening turning right off the main A90 road in rush hour to head down to newburgh down the A975.

    Had complete failure of the ball joint ( the metal below the tapered shaft snapped) on the lower arm on ther drivers side.

    This caused the wheel to pivot on the upper (boomerang shaped) arm and swing the complete wheel around into the wheel arch.. this then ripped the inner CV joint from the transmission, so i lost drive and steering.

    I was only doing 10mph and somehow manged to drive fwd enough to clear the oncoming 60mph traffic (before the inner cv joint came out i guess)

    i managed to jack the car up, remove the wheel then tie the lower arm to the hub with rope so i could get it onto the reovery truck.

    i am currently very tired and very very p!ssed off.... this story could have very easily ended so much worse....

    I just could not live with myself i did not post this warning and someone else has the same happen. this happening with increase speed and in different circumstances does not bear thinking about.

    I believe the ball joint was overly tight/stiff in its socket and the torque from the steering has eventually, through fatigue stress, cause catastrophic failure.

    Be warned. if your steering is stiff get it sorted.

    I will never be using non main dealer suspension arms on my cars again.

    Right, i need a stiff drink.

    DanG

    just reading this ..havent read the whole thread but i feel i have important info.

    Did you all now that mitsubishi usa did a recal in 1996 (tll this day) and this affects not only the galant (93 onwards till i dunno) and the mitsubishi eclipse gs,gst,gsx awd and spyder(same front suspension) and eagle talon esi,tsi,tsi awd, chrysler sebring rs,esi,dodge avenger esi,sebring cabriolet, etc etc

    The problem was that the lower armns werent mounted properly in the factory and water built up in the lower balljoint boot..causing the joint to rust and get stiff/snap off

    Mitsbishi germany asked their dealers to look they did a recall too, (austria also) and they came to the conclusion that cars with sport suspensions and larger 17"wheels (17" was an option) suffered more .. rubbish as they swapped each pair anyway..

    i had mine done too..

    what i did was checked them priodically fr excessive play and stiffness,noise etc ..and bought a new set every two years (they are dirt cheap and changed all 4 lower arms 3 times during ownership -overkill yeah.)

    Symptoms for a bad lower ball joint is a popping/groaning noise on low speed turns or when parking,moving around a parking lot etc .

    Lots of other cars suffer from separting ball joints .. especially larger heavier cars,ball joints are service items that wear.. like tyres and brakes..but are often neglected.


    BOTTOM LINE : THERE WAS A RECALL. BALLJOINTS WEAR,AFTERMARKET ARMS ARE JUST AS BAD/GOOD (LOL) .

    - AND THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS CAN ARISE DURING FITTING WHEN THE BALLJOINT ARE NOT FITTED ALL THE WAY INTO THE NUCKLE..when the shaft wasnt not fitted flush/boot damaged during fitting/boot slipped ,etc and water seeps in and cannot escape..it will rust,get stiff and snap off!

    And thats the real story behind the lower ball joints.Yes ,heavier wheels can promote wear..but so does flying thru potholes etc..

    And..ost of the cars here are ver 11 years old..check your balljoints
    Last edited by raph; 29-01-2010 at 10:01 PM.

  5. #45
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    Yes most of us have checked the recall status and had new arms fitted foc if the recall has not been carried out.

  6. #46

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    Post back from the past..............

    ok, so my balljoint started the dreaded groaning yesterday. has anyone RECENT experience of Camskill lateral arms? are they definite Mitsi parts? the price of aftermarket parts are appealing, but NOT the certain sudden failures or frequent replacement they cause. need to order a set tomorrow for el rapido delivery as i need the car in use.
    PS - what grease have you guys been using?

    cheers
    VR4-less for a while

  7. #47
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    I cant comment on the Camskill ones but Wodjno has some OE for sale
    http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthr...-Straight-Arms

  8. #48
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    Camskill are a reputable company, and I think they changed their supplier after this happened. I would call them to ask if the arms are genuine Mitsi.

    '97 Manual Legnum in silver with some subtle mods

    My first VR4 - '97 Legnum Dark Green & mean ...it was love at first sight - now sold

  9. #49

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    Quote Originally Posted by TAR View Post
    Camskill are a reputable company, and I think they changed their supplier after this happened. I would call them to ask if the arms are genuine Mitsi.

    yes mate id call them anyway, but some previous posts in this thread indicated the term 'OE' may have been used in a way to mean mitsi, when in fact it meant 'not mitsi' lol. ive ordered parts before labelled 'OE' for them to arrive and find they werent OE at all, and in this case i cant afford the extra days delay....

  10. #50
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    Contact Glenn. I bought a set off him recently They are OE arms & cheaper than mitsy & camskill.
    The mighty Leedsnum has gone but the Airtrek mods will soon fill this space


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