Tech Question - Coil Spring Installation & Ride Height

Dear Mr. Eaton,

I must let you know that I am a very unhappy customer. In August of 2009 I purchase both front and rear coil springs for my 1969 Pontiac GTO. Your sales person, Gary, seemed to be very knowledgeable at that time. He asked more questions about my car than any other parts supplier I have ever talked to. He wanted to know the body style, the engine size, what transmission I had, if the car had air conditioning, if any modifications have been done to the car and even how I wanted the car to sit with the new springs.

While your prices might have been just a little bit higher than others, I felt much more comfortable dealing with your company than any other just because of the information your sales person wanted about my car.

Here is what made me so unhappy. When the person doing the work on my car finally installed the springs this past weekend, the car sat nearly 3 Inches higher in the front and about 2 Inches higher in the rear than it should. What a disappointment it was. Being a Sunday night there was not much I could do.

On Monday morning I called and spoke to Gary about the whole car being too high. While Gary sounded as though he really cared, and I mean he did sound concerned, he even said he would look up the spring part numbers he sent to be sure they were right.

While he was looking up the part numbers he asked me more questions about my car. Upon me telling him that the engine, transmission, front and rear hood, gas tank, interior and glass was not yet installed he stopped checking the part numbers and told me more than likely that was my problem. He claimed that once all the parts were installed the car would sit correctly.

I did not buy his answer but I am not a suspension person, nor am I much of a mechanic so I could not argue with him. I politely thanked him and hung up. Later that night I called the person doing the work and told him what Gary told me. I was told that Gary is wrong, that the things we do not have on the car yet has no bearing on how it sits and what I need to do is have Eaton send shorter springs.

I called Gary back the next day and told him what we needed and he refused. He restated his claim that the car would sit right once it was fully back together and refused to send me shorter springs. In fact when I insisted that I be sent short springs or I will return the one he sent, he said that the choice was mine. I could do as he said, wait until the car is complete, or return the springs.

Mr. Eaton, I think this is bad customer service. It is obvious I was sent the wrong springs and now your sales person refuses to correct the problem. I hope you personally will not only take care of my problem but also instruct your sales staff to handle customs better.

Sincerely,
Name Removed

Dear Sincerely,

It was pleasure talking with you today about your car and the way you felt Gary handled your problem. To reiterate, Gary is by far one of the most knowledgeable people there is when it comes to springs and suspensions. You can take to the bank what Gary tells you. And when it comes to customer service, Gary wrote the book.

During your conversation with Gary, he informed you that springs have 3 main functions;
1st to absorb the imperfections of the roads we travel.
2nd to support the weight of the vehicle and
3rd to set the final ride height of the vehicle.
In your case it is the second and third function of the spring, supporting weight, and setting the ride height that caused you concern.
We understand that not all lay persons understand suspensions and we will be more than happy to help educate them.

Springs, both coil and leaf, are compressed by weight. The more weight on the springs, the more they compress.
In order for the springs to do their job all the weight they are designed to carry must be on them.

A 1969 GTO weights about 3,080 Lbs. The 400 cid engine weighs about 640 Lbs. and the 4 speed transmission, both hoods, gas tank, interior and glass weighs about another 550 Lbs.
So nearly 40 percent of the car's weight is missing. With this much weight not on the springs, they cannot be compressed to their designed height and the car will sit a whole lot higher than it will when finished.

As Gary said, the problem is not with the springs. We really worry when so-called mechanics do not understand something so simple as weight on springs. This mechanic is clearly not qualified to be working on your car. I strongly advise you to get your car into the hands of much more knowledgeable mechanic.

-Mike