It's too bad so many shops don't know how to use torque wrenches. Is this a general repair shop or a transmission specialist, like ATRA?

 

Lawsuit inbound!
"Get ready for a lambo" lol jk. But seriously, glad you're ok and didn't die or kill anyone else. But that is a malpractice tho. The last shop that touched my car didn't torque down my strut bolts and almost lost both of then going over the grapevine.

 

They probably used an impact on everything and prob. did not even dial the gun up and down just tightened everything with a mega impact from hell! Too tight is just as bad as too lose. I am guessing they stripped it.

Every nut and bolt does not need to be tightened to torque spec. If that is your expectation be prepared to pay 3X what you pay now. Some things are super critical and will be damaged if not done to spec.

That said impact guns are not the way to reassemble things either. It is ok to use them on a low setting to run up the bolts but a human hand and arm should do the rest. I am fine with torque sticks on wheels but would prefer a human being using human power do it. If your doing 50 wheels a day that is not practical.

If you look at the tools used in a factory all of them are calibrated to that specific work station and what it does. They are normally optically driven often too. The guy on the assembly line does not have a 1250 ft-lbs. @ 90psi impact gun putting the transmission to engine bolts in! LOL

Outside of very critical clearance issues where a it is important a lot of parts do not require torque to spec. those are there to keep the inexperienced and ham fisted from stripping out fasteners and blocks!

If you have the time and have enough torque wrenches to get into all the tight spaces it is best practice I will admit that but not at all a must. A well trained hand and proper tool selection prevents the need. Example Spark plugs are not supposed to be installed or tightened with a ratchet but with a T-Handle and do you know why??? If installed with a T-Handle most people can not over tighten them or strip a head out. If you have some idiot putting them in with a huge ratchet or breaker bar or impact even a buttery fly impact guess what is likely to happen????? Just like a gem cutter is not using a 20lbs. sludge hammer you have to use the right tool for the job.

Clearly they did not do the job correctly. Litigation would be appropriate if you wanted.

 

... a shop I won’t name ...Shop did clutch and didn’t torque subframe bolts, subframe dropped and pulled steering rack while driving, lost steering.

You should NAME the shop so others know to avoid! F’d up you don’t name.
A surgeon almost killed me/friend/loved one. I won’t name the person.
Thanks OP!

 

I'm speechless. A few grease jockeys that can't double check work before signing off. The good thing of it all, is you're ok.

Guess they didn't take the chassis class for the ASE.

 

This is not Toyota’s fault. This is a shop’s fault.

View attachment 338519

That is the view from under the passenger side wheel well. Note the gap between the subframe and the chassis. Recently I had taken my car to a shop I won’t name to get my clutch replaced with an Exedy Stage 1 clutch and Fidanza 7.5lb flywheel. I chose this shop because the owner owns a supercharged Elise, however it was his employees who were working on the car. I was going to take it back in a couple days to get the axle replaced under part warranty after the CV boot had torn after just 800 miles. My XRS has 225 miles, the bushings are torn up, so there’s an expected clunk. However since the boot had torn, the clunk got extremely worse. I figured the axle was starting to wobble around, so I jacked the car up by the subframe to check. I rocked the wheel, and heard nothing. I stopped using the car for work and only used it to grab groceries. I’m about to leave for a trip, so I decide to take it to one last meet before I leave, and I’ll drop the car off before I go to the airport. As I’m leaving the meet, I decide the axle is going to be replaced anyway, and just the boot is torn so I decide to to a pull. Floor it, wait about 10 minutes, hit lift, hit 2nd gear, thud which I assumed was a bushing noise, and go to make a right turn. As soon as I turn the steering wheel, it feels like an arcade racer game with no coins in, and the car isn’t turning. I stop the car in the middle of the road, with no way to turn it off the road. Luckily there was no traffic. I thought maybe a tie rod had snapped, but both my wheels were perfectly straight, and neither were turning. I look under the steering wheel, and my steering shaft had become disconnected from the input shaft of the steering rack. The steering shaft doesn’t move up and down, so there’s no way to bring it up to get it back in place. I call the help of my buddies, and with the two cars stopped in the middle of the road with hazards, this attracts the help of a cop and a mobile mechanic. Cop coned off the lane for us since we were unable to turn, and while my buddy was finding a way to get the steering connected, the mobile mechanic is inspecting the suspension, and notices the subframe bolt is missing, and the subframe has dropped about an inch. This caused the rack to drop, and pull itself free of the steering shaft. If this had happened on the highway, it could have been fatal. I didn’t hit anything or get hurt, just stopped slowly. I message the shop and I am quite furious at this point, since they dropped the subframe to do the clutch. The rattle/thud I was hearing was the subframe hitting the chassis. They are going to tow the car, replace everything (bolts, clockspring, axle, anything else) and align it free of charge. Pretty shitty experience but it’s getting taken care of at least.

TL;DR Shop did clutch and didn’t torque subframe bolts, subframe dropped and pulled steering rack while driving, lost steering.

A few years ago, I had the front wheel bearings replaced by a Toyota dealer. ('95 Avalon) Months later, I was driving and the front end was vibrating. Turned out that the shop never torqued the axle nuts to the specified 217 ft/lbs.

 

Got my car back from the shop. How many bolts should be here? At least 3 more

and one of the bolts they installed sheared again, probably because of the other bolts

 

Just looking at the staining and scratching there should be more. Also them leaving a sheared bolt is unacceptable.

 

Looks like it's time to find another shop after all this gets sorted.

 

Isn’t torquing just a conjecture part of the time? Any lubricant or anti seize can dramatically change the value.

I only remember stripping two treads in my life and the last time was with a torque wrench.

The other was on an aluminum intake manifold 50 years ago.

 

And and and this is what you can see!

Who knows what else they f’d up……

Your car is dangerous now.

Not sure what to tell you on how to resolve this. I doubt the current shop is capable or wants to fix it right. All those fasteners missing is really bad and getting the right ones will be a major pita for anybody. Plus, as stated, who knows what else is not right or dangerous. Taking it back is asking for more problems.

You have a huge problem with no easy solution.

 

The only solution to this is to name/shame this shop so people know to avoid them in the future for their shoddy work. Next would be to get an attorney involved and have this vehicle either fixed properly, plus extra cash for damages, or outright have them replace this vehicle. I am just appalled at how this shop has neglected and put you in danger. This is most likely a case of "it's a Corolla, put it on the back burner and roll in the civics" where they don't care about your car because it's a Corolla.

 

I would contact your state's Bureau of Automotive Repair or equivalent if there is one. This is just beyond unacceptable. I would raise holy ### w/ the shop. Take to another shop and have this shop pay the bill, OR you take them to court.