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Alignments...

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HybridSquirrel

HybridSquirrel

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Ive been quoted anywhere from 40 to 90 dollars....brakes plus will do it for 40 since i got my tires installed at discount tire...and my local shop will do it for 90 bucks..and they do high quality work...

is an alignment worth 90 dollars? for a 10 year old toyota corolla?
 
i think anything over 100 is horribly overpriced. Most go for 50. Isn't it impossible to align a solid real axle if you have one?
 
Depends how well you want it done. $50+ for a basic "adjust until the wheels are straight" alignment at a place like Sears, or much more at a professional suspension tuner that knows how to do things like bump steer, centering the rack and wheel when adjusting toe instead of just removing some and adding it to the other side, etc.
 
I had mine done at the dealer for $70 for a four wheel alignment. Took over an hour for them to do it. According to the before and after printouts the camber in my rear tires were way out of spec.
 
I get mine done at Euro Tire in Fairfield, NJ .. they do a 4 wheel alignment and it runs about $70 - $80 (been over a year now, so not sure of the exact cost) .. They do an excellent job (Hunter alignment rack used)
 
Originally posted by: mizzou
i think anything over 100 is horribly overpriced. Most go for 50. Isn't it impossible to align a solid real axle if you have one?
Click to expand...

Some can. I don't think most have much adjustment though. I don't see much you can play with on most fourlink setups. And if leaves are bent, even those can make it out of alignment. Though fixing those tends to be "replace springs". Though I've heard of axles even being bent, but that's usually on old trucks that have lived their lives as trucks and/or had enough airtime for a free trip to Tahiti.
 
I paid $60 or $70...got a printout showing before/after measurements. I know & trust the shop, though, which helps.
 
I had a 4-wheel alignment on my 16-year-old Corolla back in May. Independent shop charged $176. Apparently it was the most intensive type of alignment where they had to cut something. And no, I don't live in a major metro area.
I'd just had the struts, springs, and front suspension end links replaced BTW.
 
I bought a Firestone lifetime alignment last Nov for $120. I've already gotten it done twice (swapped struts last year, then changed out tie rods/ball joints last month, and I'm swapping out the steering rack so probably need another one once I'm done) so I think I've gotten my money's worth. From what I hear quality/consistency is dependant on the store but mine has been good for factory specs, plus I've heard they'll do custom if I ask.
 
be careful with that, i've worked for firestone and know that mechanics hate lifetime balances and alignments, because they don't pay shit. make sure you get a printout and it's got your car on it.

for that matter, everyone should know to look for more than just 'it was red and they made it green.' i've seen people just bump the steering wheel to make the before measurements out of range, then straighten it back up and print the final. if the before measurements for front toe show one side negative and one side positive with total toe near zero (and that's all that's out), they're screwing you.
 
i got alignment and 4 wheels balanced when I had new tires put on at local Goodyear store. I'm pretty sure the wheels are still out of balance as I see slight vibration at highway speeds. I brought it back to them but they say everything checks out. Apparently the tech even took the car out and didnt see any vibration. What a bunch of crock. And now the car's drifting slightly to the left. POS store
 
if the car was fine, and now it's drifting left, that's not their problem. something on your car has worn or you've hit something.

if the car is vibrating, you should have taken it back the next (or same) day. if the balancer reads zero but you're still getting vibration at highway speeds, either the tech is an idiot, or the wheel/tire is damaged or defective. they would've noticed a bent wheel, put probably not an out of round tire (yes, brand new tires can be bad).
 
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