Shake, Rattle and Roll....

[opelgal33]

Being a new Opel owner, I am unfamilar with exactly how well, or how bad these cars handle.

I know that today I had the car up to 55mph and it felt like it was going to fall apart. The steering wheel is shaking, the trunk area is rattling and lotssssssssssssssssss of noise and when I hit a pot hole it seems to bottom out.

I Am planning on going on a freeway for the first time this weekend. Any advice on the shaking? Maybe front end alignment?? Also the suspension, whats the best thing to check on that?

Thanks,

Jennifer

[SoCalOpelGT]

Hi Jennifer, Glad to hear you have your GT on the road. I was in the same position 2 years ago that you are now. Basic steps & checks are...1. make sure your tires are good. 2. Steering wheel shake is usually front tires needing balance and checked for roundness during that process. 3. This would be a great time to have the wheel alignment checked. Do you have a book that shows how this is accomplished? Not all mechanics know how to do this on these cars. 4. Check shocks all around. I had to replace all of mine. 5. Shaking in the seats and rear can be from the rear tires needing balanced. 6. Bottoming out usually means shocks. 7. The above info are rules-of-thumb to follow. However, you may need to replace all of your suspension bushings before your car feels like new. These cars feel and handle very well without any upgrades. Anti-sway bars are a great upgrade for the future, if you really want to hug those corners at high speeds. Let us know if you have further questions!

Richard

[opelgal33]

Sounds like some real sound advice. Thanks


About the shocks. Are these a common part? Easy to get still? Not sure how much things like that change or vary.

Thanks,

Jen

[SoCalOpelGT]

They are fairly common. However, don't be supprised or frustrated if someone doesn't have them. You are going to learn that parts are availalbe, just not always at the same place. So have patience and make the calls. The Internet can be a great place to find things.

Note: the shocks available for the GT come in a wide variety of ride-control. So don't hesitate to ask lots of questions and try to figure out what type of ride you are wanting. Pricing can also be widely varied.

Tip: I first bought new Monroe's for front and rear. They ended up being to soft of a ride than I wanted. Now I have NOS Bilstein's on the front and KYB Gas-a-just for the rears. Much better for my liking!

* Call OGTS and request their parts catalog. A great place to order from, great place for good info, and the catalog will help you learn about parts and any upgrades you might consider.