Picked up a rebuilt, deleted, tuned 2009 JSW with 165k on the clock for a sweet deal. Been driving it around the last few months feeling out any quirks to decide if it's a viable candidate for a total overhaul because of the previous wreck. I had two collision shops inspect the vehicle and tell me that the panel wasn't pulled properly, there's a lot of bondo on there, but the paint work is decent and the frame is straight. One of them noticed the camber was off on that corner and recommended an alignment. After an alignment from a suspension guy that actually knows more than just toe (I was turned away from 2 alignment shops because they were intimidated by the independent rear suspension), he advised that there was likely something bent in the driver rear because he had to max camber to get it within spec, while the other still had plenty to go. He said it was nothing major, and when I advised him I was going to be doing a suspension overhaul he recommended paying extra close attention to that corner because of the wreck. After adding a set of brand new Michelin Cross Climate + in 235/45/17, I've decided we're going to invest the money into the car.
My questions pertaining to replacing potentially bent parts are as follows:
What should we replace on the previously hit rear corner? Alignment guy was saying spindle, and that the control arms are likely straight. Not sure I agree.
If I replace the control arms, are the aftermarket ones sold by a popular online vendor local to me in the PNW sufficient compared to oem? The cost difference is substantial. I'd be willing to press OEM/performance bushings into them if need be.
On the topic of which suspension to run, I will say that my wife and I come from the MKIV Wagon platform where we treated the wagon as a wagon. We ran Bilstein HD's in the MKIV Wagon and while they did raise the vehicle slightly, this wasn't as big of a deal for the overall aesthetic as the MKIV was less sport, more soccer mom. This JSW definitely feels more like a sport/luxury car. We appreciate that, but do not have an interest in lowering the vehicle any further. We have concerns about adding the Bilstein HD's to this vehicle because we just added slightly upsized tires to fill the OEM fender gap, and don't want to effectively lift it again thereby undoing that (note: we understand that replacing the full suspension will likely raise the car back up slightly).
We would like to preserve OEM height and "wagonability", but add performance with the suspension. Any recommendations are appreciated.
My questions pertaining to replacing potentially bent parts are as follows:
What should we replace on the previously hit rear corner? Alignment guy was saying spindle, and that the control arms are likely straight. Not sure I agree.
If I replace the control arms, are the aftermarket ones sold by a popular online vendor local to me in the PNW sufficient compared to oem? The cost difference is substantial. I'd be willing to press OEM/performance bushings into them if need be.
On the topic of which suspension to run, I will say that my wife and I come from the MKIV Wagon platform where we treated the wagon as a wagon. We ran Bilstein HD's in the MKIV Wagon and while they did raise the vehicle slightly, this wasn't as big of a deal for the overall aesthetic as the MKIV was less sport, more soccer mom. This JSW definitely feels more like a sport/luxury car. We appreciate that, but do not have an interest in lowering the vehicle any further. We have concerns about adding the Bilstein HD's to this vehicle because we just added slightly upsized tires to fill the OEM fender gap, and don't want to effectively lift it again thereby undoing that (note: we understand that replacing the full suspension will likely raise the car back up slightly).
We would like to preserve OEM height and "wagonability", but add performance with the suspension. Any recommendations are appreciated.
