I drive a 2003 Mini Cooper. It’s Wheel Alignment Time again and I have two mechanic quotes: $74 and $129.
The $74 mechanic explained it to me as Mini being considered an exotic car, therefore additional ‘tweaks’ to drive up the price. They say they’re aware of the few necessary tweaks, so it’s not enough to charge the higher value…
Do y’all have advice for me? Do alignment computers differ or affect a Mini?
I say it comes down to the alignment machine they have. One of the more reputable steering and suspension places in town has a 20+ year old hunter machine. Hunter issues an update every year so they always have the latest alignment specs, but that old machine doesn’t do much for me. However, the national chain tire shop has a brand-new shiny clean machine that I’m more comfortable with, and they happen to be cheaper, however I woud pay more for the newer machine.
Alignment is alignment. As long as they can do it correctly, there’s no reason to spend extra money. A Mini Cooper is NOT and exotic car. It’s just a car. They’re trying to extract extra money from you because your Mini is a BMW product.
BMW, to some people = Break My Wallet
There are no “tweaks” with wheel alignment. You either align the wheels, or you don’t.
All cars have their wheels aligned in the same basic way. This is not rocket science, and a Mini, or a BMW, or a Porsche, or a Toyota, has its wheels aligned on the same machine, by the same technicians.
They look up the specs on a computer, and they align the wheels accordingly. Your car is not an exotic. Save your money.
It could depend on whose doing the alignment. A dealer on the west coast may have a price that is considerably higher than a garden variety tire shop such as Firestone, etc.
It’s also a possibility one is quoted as a 2-wheel align and the other a 4-wheel.
I don’t really buy into this “tweak” business at all. An alignment is an alignment.
Thank you! You support my first thought, only I don’t have the car knowledge to prove why I’m wrong or right. I considered asking the pricier mechanic if they recently purchased a new alignment machine …
If there is a difference in alignments, I don’t street race or anything, so I don’t think I’d need it.