Marking your bolts...actual technique or BS

vasquez27

New member
So I just took my Jeep in to get my lift kit tightened down and adjusted and feel I might’ve gotten screwed. Jeep came back worse than before.

My front drivers side was crooked going in and still is. The passengers side spring was crooked and still was when I got it back, and my steering wheel was crooked as well. They did a terrible job painting my relocation bracket too. So they said they use this “red line” marking system to tell if a bolt needs to be tightened. So all of my new parts have huge red sharpie lines on them. Given that everything else was a hack job, I’m not sure they even tightened anything down. I’ve also never seen anyone else’s Jeep with all these lines. Does this sound like BS or legit?


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OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
Sounds like the shop isn’t very good but I use paint marks on bolts. It gives you an idea if you have loose bolts just from a glance. Still a good idea to check on a routine basis though.


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wjtstudios

Hooked
IMG_3570.jpg

Bubba recommended this to me a while ago. It works great to get that quick check that everything is still tight. If my jeep ever goes into a shop, I have learned to always go back and retorque every bolt on the suspension or driveline that they touched and then I mark it with my paint mark. It’s a peace of mind thing for me, but I have found a number of bolts not properly torqued.


2015 JKUR AEV JK350
1985 CJ8 Scrambler
 

Kuboske

Active Member
Yes. It's used in aircraft maintenance alot. Also tells if someone has tampered with an assembly.
 

vasquez27

New member
View attachment 350043

Bubba recommended this to me a while ago. It works great to get that quick check that everything is still tight. If my jeep ever goes into a shop, I have learned to always go back and retorque every bolt on the suspension or driveline that they touched and then I mark it with my paint mark. It’s a peace of mind thing for me, but I have found a number of bolts not properly torqued.


2015 JKUR AEV JK350
1985 CJ8 Scrambler

Good to know. Just wanted to make sure I wasn’t getting the wool pulled over my eyes


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desertrunner

Active Member
Oh yeah at work we use that stuff all over the helicopter for quick reference to make sure everything is good to go. I snagged a tube from work and use it in things like my steering components as a quick reference after I get off the trail before I drive 70+ on the highway. That is legit.... The shop maybe not though good luck

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OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
Oh yeah at work we use that stuff all over the helicopter for quick reference to make sure everything is good to go. I snagged a tube from work and use it in things like my steering components as a quick reference after I get off the trail before I drive 70+ on the highway. That is legit.... The shop maybe not though good luck

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Our tax paying dollars pay for your paint markings. 🤪


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MericaMade

Active Member
I paint mark all my suspension bolts. The only person I let work on my Jeep is the dealerships for warranty issues. Outside of that I don't trust most shops. Now, there are some shops I would take it to knowing things would be done right, but I prefer to save the money I would be paying a shop for installation and use it to buy more parts.

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zimm

Caught the Bug
Yup, "torque striping" is a proven and great idea. However it sounds like Jeep has other issues? Why do you have crooked and bent springs? Why are you worried about loose bolts? I think you have other handling/lift issues.

The off center steering wheel is a quick adjustment to your drag link that you can do in your driveway with a 15mm wrench and a pair of channel locks. However if you got alignment, they would have fixed that.
 

Murphyfish

Caught the Bug
Everything is crooked? Red lines are the least of your worries. They are there for quick visuals that everything is torqued. We all do it. My marks are blue tho. Red in the thread lock world usually means something a little more permanent.
Personally, I’d be more worried about how you ended up crooked over some thread lock/ paint pen marks.



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vasquez27

New member
Everything is crooked? Red lines are the least of your worries. They are there for quick visuals that everything is torqued. We all do it. My marks are blue tho. Red in the thread lock world usually means something a little more permanent.
Personally, I’d be more worried about how you ended up crooked over some thread lock/ paint pen marks.



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Agreed. I have it scheduled to take it into the dealer. Looks like it’s beyond my ability to fix it


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