$200 for an alignment
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 9,078
Likes: 7
From: DFW TX
Cruise-In VII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '07
$200 for an alignment
Just went pick the vette at an alignment shop. They wanted to charge me $200+ for a 4 wheel alignment. So much for the $69 special. What a waste of my time. Since their mechanics are paid by the job they told me it wasn't worth his time for that amount. 
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 16,100
Likes: 17
Originally Posted by Budman78
Just went pick the vette at an alignment shop. They wanted to charge me $200+ for a 4 wheel alignment. So much for the $69 special. What a waste of my time. Since their mechanics are paid by the job they told me it wasn't worth his time for that amount.
The first 4 wheel alignment took two hours,by the way..
Rich
Race Director
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 10,866
Likes: 717
From: Beverly Hills/Pine Ridge Florida
Originally Posted by Budman78
Just went pick the vette at an alignment shop. They wanted to charge me $200+ for a 4 wheel alignment. So much for the $69 special. What a waste of my time. Since their mechanics are paid by the job they told me it wasn't worth his time for that amount.
Very few shops will tackle a 4 wheel alignment on an old Corvette for a flat rate. They charge "time and materials", because they've been burned before.
Chuck
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 8,339
Likes: 24
From: I can walk to MA
Originally Posted by Budman78
Just went pick the vette at an alignment shop. They wanted to charge me $200+ for a 4 wheel alignment. So much for the $69 special. What a waste of my time. Since their mechanics are paid by the job they told me it wasn't worth his time for that amount.
probably require a big hammer on the strut rods to adjust rear camber.
The fronts are usually not a problem.
My guy at "The Front End Shop" is pretty cool ... usually tells me
what is wrong so I can fix it myself. He does alignments and inspection
stickers for me. He doesn't know it yet, but I will be helping him to align the vette.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 826
Likes: 0
From: Pearl MS
I get mine done by a friend of the family for $60. He normally charges that on each end. He does keep it all day and works it in when he has time - I get it back at the end of the day good to go.
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Michael S. Palmer
Pro
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 642
Likes: 0
From: Baton Rouge LA
Sounds fair to me if you still have stock suspension. Now if everything is new and adjustable like mine is then it should be much cheaper. I went to the shop that we send a lot of business to and they did mine for free, well I tipped the tech $20. Now 2 weeks later when I found my driver rear tire about the fall off because he left the jam nuts loose on the strut rod, I wanted my $20 plus some back. I was out of town for the weekend and my wife and cousin took the car for the day so when I returned I was going to take the car to my shop for the new side pipes I almost had a heart attack when I opened the garage door. There was only about 3 turns left before the strut rod came apart. Someone could have been killed.
If the shop is a good one then I say pay thier asking price a double check the work. I wish I would have.
.
If the shop is a good one then I say pay thier asking price a double check the work. I wish I would have.
.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
yea the typical slam an jam shop usually won't do it. partly cause they don't know how, and partly case it takes so much time. Thats why when I do the suspension on one of these things I spend the front end time getting it dialled in as close as I can, minimizes the time on the alignment machine, and I stand right there while its done and "help"
LOL
LOL
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 15,188
Likes: 4,010
From: Connecticut, USA
There is only one shop in CT I know of that's good and they know it too. When I bring them a car it has all new rear suspension, I supply SS shims, it takes a 1.5 hours and cost $250 but it's done right.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 9,078
Likes: 7
From: DFW TX
Cruise-In VII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '07
BTW-The suspension is all brand new and I even provided the shims. I just wanted to use them because I had a coupon and it was close to the house.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
Originally Posted by mkflanagan
I charge 74.95 all day any car,thats my advertised price so that's what I charge my customers.I may lose a little every now and then but I'll make it up with customer loyalty.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 309
Likes: 0
From: Ocean City MD
At my shop it is $59.95 all day. However I had to line up a 70 Nova the other day and I did charge an extra $30. I found it impossible to get shims for the upper control arm other than 1/8". So I had to custom make shims. I had to hand cut 6 1/32" shims. What fun.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,776
Likes: 142
From: North of Atlanta GA
St. Jude Donor '05
Mine was done at my local Sears, they have a new high tech alignment machine and are very thorough. There is a older guy there (master mechanic) that does the job or if he's busy he'll come over and check the work of whoever is doing it. They had a difficult time with my pass. side trailing arm, I had to take it to the local Vette shop to get the bolt loose, then back to sears to finish the job. . .$80
Race Director
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 11,361
Likes: 383
From: Plano TX
Around here most shops have fancy Hunter DSP machines but the guys running them either have no clue, don't care or both. I had two cars done and both pulled after the alignement even though the printout said they were perfect. I redid the alignment myself and found everything was messed up. The vette had almost 1/2" toe-in. One side had positive camber, the other negative. If I hadn't fixed it quickly the tires would have been junk.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,095
Likes: 299
From: Midlothian VA
Took mine to the local frame shop with my left over SS shims for a 4-wheel alignment after restoring the entire suspension (front & rear).
Total price (including balancing the tires) was $196.
Drives great!!!
Total price (including balancing the tires) was $196.
Drives great!!!
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
Originally Posted by zwede
Around here most shops have fancy Hunter DSP machines but the guys running them either have no clue, don't care or both. I had two cars done and both pulled after the alignement even though the printout said they were perfect. I redid the alignment myself and found everything was messed up. The vette had almost 1/2" toe-in. One side had positive camber, the other negative. If I hadn't fixed it quickly the tires would have been junk.
Zwede, if I was closer I would be happy to show them what to do.
