Wheel Alignment - 101 questions!

Maintenance/Repairs
41

Thanks fo rthe input guys, much appreciated!!!

Some people here mentioning that their time is worth more to them than the cost of the alignment, and I can appreciate that 100%!!

My preference to try and find a good DIY solution is that I like to learn new things, and like to get the knowledge and experience of doing things I have not done before. Yes, you can pay people to do everything in life for you (if you have enough money!) but you’re not going to learn much (and some people are good with that) and of course when you do things yourself you also get a good feeling of achievement which you don’t when someone does it for you.

Additionally, in the pas I have had some TERRIBLE wheel alignments done back when I used to buy and sell cars some 10+ years ago. The car would have a pull to one side, would take it for an alignment and it would still pull, take it back “well it’s within spec now”. How, it still pulls? etc etc Had that happen in 2 or 3 locations several times. So not the best experience.

Plus, what will they actually adjust during a wheel alignment? Toe in/out yes of course. Camber? Caster?

On our other car, a Grand Caravan, on the front struts they are made not to be adjustable AT ALL for camber from the factory. But there is an alignment process anyway (in the Dodge workshop manual!!!), which involves using special bolts, and slotting out the bottom of the two bolt holes on teh strut. Would the wheel alignment place remove the struts from the car, get the special bolts, slot out the bottom hole, reasemble and retest and repeat if not right? All whilst you have a cup of coffee? Come on now!

If you can wait there and have a coffee whilst they do it I really can’t imagine that they’re going to do very much except run the test and adjust the toe?

Buy anyways, I like the challenge of DIY, and the satisfaction of learning something new and doing a good job. So that’s why. Not everyone is the same, and if you’d rather just pay someone to do it, then do that.

But some genuinely great tips and advice here, so thanks guys!!!

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42

There are alignment shops that will slot the struts, or shim beam axles or whatever it takes to get the car right. They are not the $89 alignment special shops that come free with new tires.

These better shops cost more because they employ techs that really understand what they are doing. These shops are getting harder to find.

43

Yes, I agree 100%. A complex wheel alignment job is beyond the scope of them doing it whilst you have a coffee. It would be a LOT of coffee and you sat there for a good number of hours.

I was never happy with the cheap and quick alignments I had done (and I had a lot because I used to buy and sell cars 10+ years ago) because it never gave a good result.

I remember speaking to the Audi main dealer about wheel alignment as I was never happy with the quick and cheap ones, and their four wheel alignment started at 3x the price (around $250-$300) and that could go up depending on the complexity of the adjustment and how long it took the tech (at $150 per hour or more most likely!!!)

44

Given the complexity of the suspension under an Audi A4 or A6, $250 - $300 sounds about right. Every angle can be adjusted and one effects the other angles. Multi link suspensions are like that.

45

I guess my ‘have a pro do it’ is also based on how seldom I’ve needed an alignment. I have it checked at each service (that’s cheap), can’t remember the last time adjustment has been needed, and I have never worn a tire unevenly.

46

I admire your attitude about DIY. I do my alignments in the drive but I’ve also have a lot of experience with the alignment rack. When I worked for dealers we had “shop nights” on a regular basis so any and every thing in the shop was free to use; including the alignment rack.

Some things you need to ponder. Just how level is the drive? A 1 or 2 degree slant can create a problem since the majority of camber specs are in the .5 to 1.5+ range.
I saw a new shop put up once that had a 12 foot wide entry door. The concrete had a 3.5 inch drop in a 12 foot span. Drinking while waiting on the ready mix truck I guess…

There’s the issues of adjustments to center the steering wheel and the track also.

47

Regular passenger cars and 1/2 ton stock pickups cost $99.95 and includes all adjustments possible without additional parts and labor. A strut camber bolt kit or Ford I-beam caster inserts adds about a hundred bucks or so.

We also do custom or classic car alignments for $140/hour plus parts. Not long ago we had a 56 Triumph come in, the customer sat and drank coffee for 3+ hours watching the alignment guy through the waiting room window. Then he seemed surprised his bill was $400, despite being told beforehand that the cost was $140/hr for as long as it takes.

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48

Can’t imagine Tire Kingdom or Les Schwab accepting that customer! Or if they did, they’d screw it up!

49

My son just got a Lexus gx470 with a lift kit. The seller included upper a-arms he did not install. He had shop do it. Says it is to correct camber from the kit.

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50

Yes, a very good point!! I’d be doing it inside my garage (built two years ago). The shuttering for the concrete work was set by laser level, so it should be pretty darned flat. But there again how flat is any garage floor or workshop bay in reality? I like that point :slight_smile:

51

The garage flatness for the alighnment machine is not a concern . The machine supports will be set to the proper level no matter the surface they are on . Just like refrigarators that have adjustable feet so they cn be level.

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52

Yes a very good point my house was built 36 years ago on a concrete slab that was suposedly level at the time about ten years ago my dogs tennis ball if she laid in down by the front door it would start rolling slowly toward the other end of the house about two years ago the door on the microwave would start slowly swinging shut the point being it took years to get off level so you can imagine what garage would do with heavy cars driving in and out would do.

53

Yes, absolutely. I was thinking more on the DIY approach :slight_smile:

54

All residential garages are built with slope to shed water so they are not level.

You must create the “level” with shims. 12x12 in plywood in various thicknesses works pretty well.

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