2005 Volvo XC70 - Alignment

We recently had snow tires put on and the shop said they couldn’t align the car. The passenger side rear tow adjustment is evidently frozen. Having a heck of a time finding a mechanic locally who will even look at the thing. Any one have any insight into a Volvo mechanic in the Foxboro area or how extensive of a problem this will be to repair? TIA!

Everyone who owns a Volvo near Foxboro Mass knows Dalzell is the local Volvo shop.

A 16 year old Volvo in a rust belt state with rust frozen alignment bolts?

That is gonna cost you more than just the alignment!

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This is true - but when I phoned, they were looking for a mechanic and couldn’t take the work.

I agree. Had 4 year old Subarus that were rusted together. I am sure this will be more than loosening some bolts.

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Try asking Mark McMullin at G&M Auto in Millis if he wants to give it a shot. (978) 386-5888. Call ahead.

Were the tires you took off horribly worn in a way that indicated a need for an alignment? Does it pull hard to one side? If not, I’d let it be. Mustangman makes a good point. A car this old needs to be managed for costs. Good luck!

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A Volvo shop is not really needed here . A few phone calls to alignment shops should find one who will look at this thing . Just pay the diagnostic fee and say you want to approve any repairs before they are done because this might be more than you want to spend. Frankly unless this is a vehicle that gets lots of driving I would not do anything.

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I expect they are referring to the rear “toe” adjustment. That’s how much the rear wheels are pigeon toed. If not enough, the car may sort of wander left/right during driving. Or it could pull in one direction. If too much toe the tire tread may wear unevenly. If you have none of those problems, suggest to just forget about the rear wheel alignment .

If this is something that simply must be corrected, ask if applying penetrating oil then waiting a couple weeks might help solve the problem. If it helped, but not enough, do that again.

No idea about mechanics in that area, but this seems like something any shop that does alignments should be able to handle.

As far as for scheduling, the first Covid summer I was buying a refrigerator. I heard one of the customers talking to the saleman, was being told the part needed to repair their broken fridge was on 8 months back order, and might not be available even then. He then told the customer that the wiring harness needed to hook that part up wasn’t available either. In other words, what you are experiencing is common throughout the USA, for many, many services.

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I am in favor of that! Maybe even heat such as a torch, though it is out of my ballpark,

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