A. SWIVEL JOINTS INJECTION :
1. How long does it last?
2. Is there any guarantee, after repair?
3. How much does the repair cost?
4. How long does the repair take?
5. Can CV joints be repaired by this method?
6. Is this repair safe and acceptable by traffic authorities?
7. Have you had any failures?
8. Are there any joints that cannot be repaired?
9. Is it necessary to do the wheel alignment after repair?
10. Can the Injection method be used to repair tractors, industrial joints, heavy trucks, etc. ?
11. Why should one not use currently available cheap joints from the Far East?
12. What part of the joint goes first?
13. Can this repair be carried out more than once?
14. How strong is the material used for the repair?
B. SHOCK ABSORBERS :
1. What shocks can do and cant Do?
2. What Gas do you charge the shocks?
3. What maximum pressure can you charge the shocks?
4. Can you adjust the shock rate rebound and compression to match spring rate?
5. Can you repair shocks with leak and sealed type?
6. Is there a warranty for your repair?
7. Is it necessary to do alignment after shock refill?
8. There are other shops doing this kind of repair locally, how can you compare your work from them.?
C. POLYURETHANE BUSHINGS :
1. What is Polyurethane?
2, Is there a benefit over rubber?
3. What's the difference between rubber and urethane?
4. How are urethanes rated?
5. Is there a difference between colors?
6. Does urethane squeak?
7. Does urethane ride really hard (harsh)?
8. Are all urethane bushings the same? Same material, same hardness?
9. Can urethane be used for all types of vehicles?
A. SWIVEL JOINTS INJECTION :
1. How long does it last?
We have had these joints, especially ball joints, go over 75, 000kms since we started 6 years ago.
< back to top
2. Is there any guarantee, after repair?
Typically 20,000 kms unlimitted warranty. WE HAVE A NEW IMPROVED POLYMER, THUS WE INCREASE OUR UNLIMITTED WARRANTY FROM 15,000 KMS TO 20,000 KMS UNLIMITED.
< back to top
3. How much does the repair cost?
We try to save the vehicle owner at least 50% of what it would have cost by replacement. A "win-win" situation.
< back to top
4. How long does the repair take?
The system is designed to be used on the vehicle. However, we get many joints for repair on the bench. On the car, the job should not take more than about 12 to 15 minutes per joint (maximum), and 10 to 12 minutes on the bench. Of course, trucks will take longer..
< back to top
5. Can CV joints be repaired by this method?
No. These joints are complex joints, not for this method of repair.However we are studying to look for a technology on their repair.We will keep you posted when available.
< back to top
6. Is this repair safe and acceptable by traffic authorities?
Yes. We have a number of customers who are also roadworthy garages. Remember, provided that the repair is done to MARGINALLY worn joints (ie. Not about to come apart), there should be no problem. After repair, the vehicle is (in this area), much more roadworthy than before.
< back to top
7. Have you had any failures?
As far as we know, only one in every 100 repairs done .Mostly joints from 16 years old cars and below, the ball joints which has been pressed repaired, used on bad roads for most of its life.The pressed joint balls were already damaged and rusted.Others on substandard replacement joints where the bottom steel plates are very thin and usually pops out. We are now very careful in repairing these types of joints and reject repair if not possible.
< back to top
8. Are there any joints that cannot be repaired?
Almost all commonly used joints can be repaired. However, I understand that there is an American joint that has rubber inside it when made. The rubber must be taken out first before repair , making it difficult, but not impossible. There are also a few joints around where the bottom plate is very close to the ball. It may be necessary with these to drill & tap on one side of that bottom plate, or into the cast iron side, but only as a last resort. I do not actually know of a specific joint that cannot be repaired using this method.
< back to top
9. Is it necessary to do the wheel alignment after repair?
Not strictly necessary, but we advise to do so, since this makes the most of the repair.We do align and check camber after the repair and installation is completed which is inclusive in the labor at no additional cost.
< back to top
10. Can the Injection method be used to repair tractors, industrial joints, heavy trucks, etc. ?
Most certainly yes.. It does take longer of course. One of my customer a cargo truck needing a roadworthy had its king pins repaired and got the roadworthy, 6 months later was checked, OK, then another 6 months and was still OK. Probably low distance covered, but heavy loads and on bad roads, gave savings for the owner.
< back to top
11. Why should one not use currently available cheap joints from the Far East?
The metallurgy of these joints is often very second rate. Thus they wear out quickly it is therefore a good idea to repair the new joints to give them the best change of lasting. I know of a set of Hyundai Starex ball joints which were replaced with new part that lasted all of 3 months after installation (Original equipment parts were too expensive)!Mostly replacement New joints have substandard plastic bushings thus becomes loose after a couple of months after installation.
< back to top
12. What part of the joint goes first?
The ball of the joint is supported by a spring or sprung plate or moulded plastic. This keeps the ball into its locating 'socket'. This item loses its tension, allowing the ball to fall out of the socket momentarily, this is the knocking often heard from the front end. Injecting the polymer and supporting the ball prevents this. After repair, it is left as a greasable joint too, thus substantially lowering the rate of wear from that point on.
< back to top
13. Can this repair be carried out more than once?
Yes, provided that the joint is still considered to be only marginally worn.
< back to top
14. How strong is the material used for the repair?
The specially formulated polymer has a compression strength of up to 18000 psi (124 mpa), and 12000 psi torsional strength. It also has a dry lubricant inserted in manufacture. This material was originally developed for industrial bushes and bearing applications.Some local shops I know who claims to do polymer injection uses only the cheap substandard nylon material which is unsafe and easily breaks if overheated.Only ZEE uses the tried and tested polymer material ,same material used by joint restores from South Africa, England, Australia since 1991.
< back to top
B. SHOCK ABSORBERS :
1. What shocks can do and cant Do?
Shocks donot support the car.They dont control weight transfer and they are not cure all for basic handling problems.They dont control the height of the car. The spring and the suspension arms controls the weight and height of your car.Shocks just controls the spring oscillation during compression and rebound that is why they are often called dampers.
< back to top
2. What Gas do you charge the shocks?
We use Nitrogen Gas to pressurize the shocks.Same gas used by manufacturers.Nitrogen is inert .It is dry thus no moisture for the oil and prevents the oil from cavitation during compression and rebound.Thus it minimize oil heat up so longer shock life.
< back to top
3. What maximum pressure can you charge the shocks?
Heavy duty shocks which are mostly monotubes wherein the gas is separated from the oil chamber has gas pressure of 200 to 300 psi. Standard shocks which are dual tubes and oil are usually mixed with gas has gas pressure of 40 to 100 psi. We can pressurize your shocks up to 200 psi for both types of shocks because we use a high grade perbunan compound specially formulated when we rebuild your shocks.We can also adjust pressure after repair and installation without pulling down your shocks.Adjustment takes about 10 to 20 minutes only thru the access valve.
< back to top
4. Can you adjust the shock rate rebound and compression to match spring rate?
Yes we can easily do that.We can adjust your shock valve plates for rebound and compression and measure it with our shock dyno.Provided if your shock has a threaded top casing that can be easily opened for revalving.If your shocks are sealed type we can convert it with threaded type top housing.
< back to top
5. Can you repair shocks with leak and sealed type?
Yes we can repair any shocks sealed type and with leak.WE convert your shock top housing to threaded type and replace the oil seal and rebuild.We have started rebuilding this type of shocks (including cartridge type) this January 2006.Almost all types of shocks we can now rebuild.
< back to top
6. Is there a warranty for your repair?
Yes, our warranty is 1 year.After warranty gas refil is P60/pc only.Your shock is already rebuildable(threaded seal housing),
< back to top
7. Is it necessary to do alignment after shock refill?
Not necessary, but we do check alignment after installation.Camber adjustment maybe necessary .
< back to top
8. There are other shops doing this kind of repair locally, how can you compare your work from them.?
We are the first shop to introduce the gas shock repair here in the philippines since 2001. You can say we are the same from the prevous repair . We have now improved our system, wherein the oil seals are now specially made for higher pressue, the valve liners are made of pure PTFE)teflon) material, the shock fluid are of premium quality.
Most importantly we have now a shock dyno where we can test the compression and rebound rates of your shocks.
< back to top
C. POLYURETHANE BUSHINGS :
1. What is Polyurethane?
Polyurethane is a term used to describe a wide ranging family of elastomers (any compound exhibiting the characteristics of natural rubber; stretchy and elastic.). Poly meaning "many" and "urethane" the classification of the chemical structure. Polyurethane or urethane for short, is used as a solid cast material (bushings). Polyurethane can be as soft as a rubber band or as hard as plastic.
< back to top
2. Is there a benefit over rubber?
Many advantages can be found over rubber. Depending on the formulation, urethane has a higher load-bearing capacity, greater tear strength, better compression set, greater abrasion resistance, tolerant to greases, oils and ozone and allows for more unique designs.
< back to top
3. What's the difference between rubber and urethane?
Rubber is the sap of trees found mostly in tropical climates. The sap is altered by mixtures of carbon (why it's black) and mineral oils and various fillers. Polyurethane is completely chemical or man-made. Because rubber is a biodegradable product it is affected by ozone and will over time dry rot and degrade, while urethane will keep going and going.
< back to top
4. How are urethanes rated?
There are approximately 20 categories in which urethanes are rated based on physical properties. The most common is hardness. Others include: abrasion resistance; compression set; tensile strength; tear strength; etc.
< back to top
5. Is there a difference between colors?
No. In most cases the color of the part has no relation to the hardness or other physical characteristic. The pigment used to color our urethane components is a paste-like product that is mixed into the urethane in quantities of about 2-4%. You have your choice between green , amber or red colors.
< back to top
6. Does urethane squeak?
In a word, no. Squeaking is caused by high frequency vibrations that can be heard rather than felt. It is usually caused by lack of lubrication, poor installation, incorrect part, urethane that may be too hard for the application. In sway bar mount applications, most squeaking comes from not cleaning the sway bar prior to installing the bushings and not using our "squeak proof" Supergrease! Additionally, all our dynamic application bushings feature grooves or splines to hold in our waterproof, highly adhesive, high temperature and pressure SuperGrease™.
< back to top
7. Does urethane ride really hard (harsh)?
The original rubber bushing or mount was fairly soft which helped to attenuate noise and vibration that is generated by the tires and road surface. Increasing the hardness of the bushing either with harder rubber, urethane or even bronze, will allow more transmission of noise and vibration. Some manufacturers formulate the hardness and design to reduce this effect. A softer urethane bushing allows the vehicle to perform better without the harshness, even over the same hardness rubber piece.
< back to top
8. Are all urethane bushings the same? Same material, same hardness?
No, no and no. Each manufacturer has their own idea as to the best way a bushing should be designed. We select materials based on physical performance and choose the right hardness for each application.Our standard hardness for regular street use is 70 Duro(green color) almost similar hardness with original (OEM)bushings.We have also the 90 Duro(amber or red color) for performance use. Our bushings are custom machined finished inside the shop so you are assured that each PU bushing we make are within your car manufacturer’s standard specification.
< back to top
9. Can urethane be used for all types of vehicles?
Urethane can be used for anything from small cars to a rough and ready 4X4 or lowered street car.
< back to top
|
