# Any opinions on shipping blocks left in suspension?



## mdo91 (Jun 28, 2014)

So at 1,500 miles on my gli I hit a nasty pothole big enough for both front wheels to hit. I was going about fifty mph. My front right tire popped. I went to the dealership I bought it from jack Daniels in nj. After getting it back it was pulling to the right. I had them align it , still pulling after. I have them do a diagnosis, they say the front rims are bent. Had them fixed. Still pulling to the right. That was about four months ago. I have 5,500 miles on my car now and it is still pulling. I go to a local mechanic and we put the car on the lift and immediately find the rubber spring stoppers. 










These are supposed to be removed before vehicle delivery to the customer. It's on the pre deliver inspection check list. I've seen this on other forums. There's no doujusthat this caused damage to the suspension. I feel like the dealership is at fault and should fix the issue at no cost to me. Or possible get me into a new car. I'm looking for some opinions and if anyone has had this happen to them. Sorry for the long post. I just don't know what to do at this point


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## STEWIE209 (Jan 15, 2015)

Never seen this before but the dealership should definitely take care of everything as this should have never happened in the first place. How does the dealer not see these and take them off?!


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## mdo91 (Jun 28, 2014)

STEWIE209 said:


> Never seen this before but the dealership should definitely take care of everything as this should have never happened in the first place. How does the dealer not see these and take them off?!


Seriously I have no idea I paid for a diagnosis. They should have checked every part of this car for suspension issues and they missed it four times I brought my car there


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## ommoran (Mar 20, 2015)

mdo91 said:


> Seriously I have no idea I paid for a diagnosis. They should have checked every part of this car for suspension issues and they missed it four times I brought my car there


Lots of posts about this in the GTI Mk VII forums. The dealer is supposed to remove the shipping blocks during the PDI.


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## feels_road (Jan 27, 2005)

mdo91 said:


> So at 1,500 miles on my gli I hit a nasty pothole big enough for both front wheels to hit. I was going about fifty mph. My front right tire popped. I went to the dealership I bought it from jack Daniels in nj. After getting it back it was pulling to the right. I had them align it , still pulling after. I have them do a diagnosis, they say the front rims are bent. Had them fixed. Still pulling to the right. That was about four months ago. I have 5,500 miles on my car now and it is still pulling. I go to a local mechanic and we put the car on the lift and immediately find the rubber spring stoppers.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


****e and sue that dealer.


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## DasCC (Feb 24, 2009)

yikes.... I'd file a claim with VWoA, idk if that will cause less damage than the shipping pucks but that is totally dumb. Did you take the car in for the 90 day checkup?


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## mdo91 (Jun 28, 2014)

DasCC said:


> yikes.... I'd file a claim with VWoA, idk if that will cause less damage than the shipping pucks but that is totally dumb. Did you take the car in for the 90 day checkup?


I paid for a diagnosis of why it was pulling and an alignment and they didn't see the blocks. I contacted vwoa a week ago with no response. I've realized now though this pulling is caused by our subframe and bolts. I'm waiting on tyrolsport to revise there collar kit because it's not for steel subframes on the gli.


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## GTIMike1.8T (Jan 15, 2006)

Def contact the dealer with the pics you posted if they give you the run around take all the info to vwoa and they will help you sort everything. Good luck.


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## bluesbrothers (Sep 6, 2002)

almost 6000 miles and you didn't know those were in there? at 500, 1000 or maybe 1500 id say its the dealers fault. At almost 6000 its partly your fault for not inspecting your car before or after at anytime you bought it.


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## mdo91 (Jun 28, 2014)

bluesbrothers said:


> almost 6000 miles and you didn't know those were in there? at 500, 1000 or maybe 1500 id say its the dealers fault. At almost 6000 its partly your fault for not inspecting your car before or after at anytime you bought it.


Yeah but I brought it to vw for an alignment and a diagnosis. They didn't see it then and that was past 2500 miles. I've been to vw at least seven times from 2000 miles till now and they didn't see it. Yeah you're right I should have checked myself but I didn't know what to look for. This shouldn't have happened in the first place. PDI should have been done properly. 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


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## PRND[S] (Mar 18, 2015)

The dealership did neither the PDI nor the subsequent diagnostic / repair work correctly. They should be financially responsible for the damage that their negligence caused.

On a different note, VW had a MK7 Golf R on display Fastivus this Saturday. It clearly didn't have the shipping blocks removed from the rear springs, I could nearly fit my fist in between the tire and fender. The front was fine.


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## Doders (Sep 15, 2015)

*Shipping blocks DO cause damage*

Yes! You're not alone. This same exact thing has happened to my 2015 GTI (first GTI ever). I found the 6 hard plastic blocks/disc/pucks on my front end suspension.

Sorry, for not responding sooner. This is my first post,. The online forums is how I found out about the shipping blocks. After miles of rough suspension and finally hitting something in the road and two new tires later, I investigated this site and found out about the shipping blocks. I removed them myself. My steering wheel was crooked and the car was pulling. That is when the dealership revealed to me all that was wrong! Two new tires, a steering knuckle, and a new strut on the right side.

I currently have a case open with VWofA. At this point they seem to be siding with the dealer, because the dealer states the this kind of damage would not be done from the discs. 

Asking around it, it's easy to come to the conclusion, that yes, these blocks are meant to secure/lock your struts; therefore, making it a real hazard when driving and hitting uneven road, pothole, etc. The suspension does not react the way it's intended to.

I think we have a real problem on our hands. Thank you all for the information about the shipping blocks. I would have known nothing about otherwise. Sure, you can say I was naive not to know sooner, but I still remember a time when dealerships did their jobs. Thanks for letting me vent....


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## Mark O. (Aug 25, 2014)

I certainly would not accept any argument that attempts to put blame (either partial or full) on you as the consumer for not catching the problem yourself. I'd bet over 99% of buyers don't even know what they are. If I saw them, I would assume they were supposed to be there as part of the springs. I don't know why they are needed either. How rough can shipping be as compared to driving?


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## smgs92 (May 21, 2013)

I'd file a lawsuit with that dealership it is 100% unacceptable and the technician that performed the inspection should be fired if they cannot perform their job.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

Mark O.;88331531.....don't know why they are needed either. How rough can shipping be as compared to driving?[/QUOTE said:


> So you think other makes don't do the same? The high frequency bouncing could damage the shocks and extreme movement could cause the suspension to bottom. Leaving the protection blocks in will do no damage to the suspension. Use your brain.


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## torontotim (Sep 22, 2014)

Playing Devil's advocate - how do you prove the dealership left them on? How do you prove you didn't put them on after the fact in a ploy to blame the dealership?

If I was judging it back and forth, on one hand I have a dealership with professional mechanics who serviced your car more than once and they say the blocks were not there any of those times, and were removed as per process when the car was prepped for delivery.

On the other hand, I have the driver who admittedly hit a large pothole at 50MPH (this pothole was on a highway?) hard enough to damage the tires, possibly the rims etc. and a local mechanic who says the shipping blocks have been there the whole time, but only noticed them now.

Have you considered going after the municipality or state authority who maintains the road the pothole was on? If I'm correct, there is some recourse you can take with them, if this didn't all happen 6 months ago and the pothole is long gone.


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## mdo91 (Jun 28, 2014)

torontotim said:


> Playing Devil's advocate - how do you prove the dealership left them on? How do you prove you didn't put them on after the fact in a ploy to blame the dealership?
> 
> If I was judging it back and forth, on one hand I have a dealership with professional mechanics who serviced your car more than once and they say the blocks were not there any of those times, and were removed as per process when the car was prepped for delivery.
> 
> ...


It's well past the point of taking action. I went to jack Daniels, they admitted to leaving them on. But didn't do anything for me so I went else where. It was something so simple that two different dealerships charged me for a diagnosis alignments and still didn't see the shipping blocks or what the real problem was. I took it to crestmont in nj and they found the problem and replaced it under warranty. The right front strut mount and bearing was destroyed from the impact. I'm never going back to jack Daniels vw in nj for anything. Their service staff is a joke. They know nothing about these cars and they can't even pdi their cars properly. The shipping blocks is just one thing that was wrong with my car upon delivery. 

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## Doders (Sep 15, 2015)

mdo91 said:


> It's well past the point of taking action. I went to jack Daniels, they admitted to leaving them on. But didn't do anything for me so I went else where. It was something so simple that two different dealerships charged me for a diagnosis alignments and still didn't see the shipping blocks or what the real problem was. I took it to crestmont in nj and they found the problem and replaced it under warranty. The right front strut mount and bearing was destroyed from the impact. I'm never going back to jack Daniels vw in nj for anything. Their service staff is a joke. They know nothing about these cars and they can't even pdi their cars properly. The shipping blocks is just one thing that was wrong with my car upon delivery.
> 
> 
> I didn't hit a pothole. I hit an uneven joint in the road that my wife's car handles easily (Subaru Impreza). You should feel it, but it shouldn't pop a tire and put a bubble in the other. I've read also that having a suspension system that needs maintenance can cause damage to parts that are not made to handle impacts (steering knuckle; table bushings; bearings; strut mounts; etc.). Having the shipping blocks on is like having a suspension system that needs an overhaul; the car bottoms out when it shouldn't.
> ...


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