alignment fun!
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 53
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From: las vegas nv
alignment fun!
hello all...!!
iv been reading the forum for awhile and i ALWAYS find good reading here.. thnx again!
anyways.. iv been having fun with a local tire works alignment guru for the past 6 months over work quality and maybe im in the wrong..
lets see what you folks think.
first i took it down for the 130$ 1 year warranty 4 wheel alignment and after 20 minutes of work the 18 year old tech( no offense meant to any 18 year olds reading this) handed it over and said it was perfect.
naturally being totally ignernt about alignments i was pleased to not have to wait at a tire shop for hours so i tipped him a 20 and drove off..the new kumhos showed wear within weeks.. same pattern.. inner passenger front were going bald already while the outside showed no wear.
since the car (87 vert) sits in the garage 95% of the time i waited to have the algnment redone until i got new tires and wheels(black chrome 5 spokes from AFS wheels with the vredestein rubber)(muahahah nice).
i took the car back to have the aignment checked after new wheels and tires and they didnt want to warranty because of the change ..i thought that was reasonable and i agreed to pay whatever to have the alignment done again... they put the car on the rack and WOW the front end was so outta wack that it was going to require 3 hours of shop time (70 $ per and 4 shims (35$ PER FLIPPIN SHIM (omg are they KIDDING ME?????) now im no rocket scientist nor did i stay in a holiday inn express last night but a SHIM is a horseshoe shaped chunk of pot metal that couldnt POSSIBLY cost more than 50 cents to produce!!!
unknown to me the guy standing off to the side behind the counter was the owner of all the stores in vegas and was listening intently to the conversation i was having with the service writer.
listen.. im a reasonable guy.. when i work i give fair value for the money i earn.. its called ethics... and having a good work ethic i tend to expect similar attitudes from people i pay to perform a service.
the point i tried to make was this: at 80k miles i brought the vehicle in for alignment...it was released to me as being in alignment.
after 2 months and 600 miles the vehicle was now completely and totally out of lignment.. with the only change being to put new wheels and tires on it.
so my question to them was..how can a vehicle after 80k miles require 20 minutes on the alignment rack and be perfect.. then after only 600 miles be so outta wack that its undriveable and require 225$ worth of labor and 140$ worth of shims? ( on top of the 130$ original cost of the alignment) i started to speak a lil louder than i typically do and the owner stepped in and told me i was fully justified in how i felt.. he then sent me to another store where the vehicle was properly aligned for free ( i tipped the tech 80$ this time cuz it took him 2 hours)
now this morning im washing the engine compartment and the shims are laying on the wheel well..and i can see large gaps from where they fell out..after all this entire essay ( which didnt start out as an essay mind you) my question is:
does anyone else have alignment shims just fall out on occasion? or do i have cause to question the quality of the work?
thanx in advance ( to all 3 people who had the patience to read this meandering,rambling and pretty much pointless diatribe).
Bret
iv been reading the forum for awhile and i ALWAYS find good reading here.. thnx again!
anyways.. iv been having fun with a local tire works alignment guru for the past 6 months over work quality and maybe im in the wrong..
lets see what you folks think.
first i took it down for the 130$ 1 year warranty 4 wheel alignment and after 20 minutes of work the 18 year old tech( no offense meant to any 18 year olds reading this) handed it over and said it was perfect.
naturally being totally ignernt about alignments i was pleased to not have to wait at a tire shop for hours so i tipped him a 20 and drove off..the new kumhos showed wear within weeks.. same pattern.. inner passenger front were going bald already while the outside showed no wear.
since the car (87 vert) sits in the garage 95% of the time i waited to have the algnment redone until i got new tires and wheels(black chrome 5 spokes from AFS wheels with the vredestein rubber)(muahahah nice).
i took the car back to have the aignment checked after new wheels and tires and they didnt want to warranty because of the change ..i thought that was reasonable and i agreed to pay whatever to have the alignment done again... they put the car on the rack and WOW the front end was so outta wack that it was going to require 3 hours of shop time (70 $ per and 4 shims (35$ PER FLIPPIN SHIM (omg are they KIDDING ME?????) now im no rocket scientist nor did i stay in a holiday inn express last night but a SHIM is a horseshoe shaped chunk of pot metal that couldnt POSSIBLY cost more than 50 cents to produce!!!
unknown to me the guy standing off to the side behind the counter was the owner of all the stores in vegas and was listening intently to the conversation i was having with the service writer.
listen.. im a reasonable guy.. when i work i give fair value for the money i earn.. its called ethics... and having a good work ethic i tend to expect similar attitudes from people i pay to perform a service.
the point i tried to make was this: at 80k miles i brought the vehicle in for alignment...it was released to me as being in alignment.
after 2 months and 600 miles the vehicle was now completely and totally out of lignment.. with the only change being to put new wheels and tires on it.
so my question to them was..how can a vehicle after 80k miles require 20 minutes on the alignment rack and be perfect.. then after only 600 miles be so outta wack that its undriveable and require 225$ worth of labor and 140$ worth of shims? ( on top of the 130$ original cost of the alignment) i started to speak a lil louder than i typically do and the owner stepped in and told me i was fully justified in how i felt.. he then sent me to another store where the vehicle was properly aligned for free ( i tipped the tech 80$ this time cuz it took him 2 hours)
now this morning im washing the engine compartment and the shims are laying on the wheel well..and i can see large gaps from where they fell out..after all this entire essay ( which didnt start out as an essay mind you) my question is:
does anyone else have alignment shims just fall out on occasion? or do i have cause to question the quality of the work?
thanx in advance ( to all 3 people who had the patience to read this meandering,rambling and pretty much pointless diatribe).
Bret
Racer
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 435
Likes: 0
From: Seattle WA
Alignment shims don't fall out, and they sure as hell don't cost $35 each. And there's no way in hell it should take 3 hours to align. I'd take it to a different shop. Are there any real professional race shops in your area?
I will never take my car to a chain store for something so critical as an alignment.
I will never take my car to a chain store for something so critical as an alignment.
Safety Car
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 3,651
Likes: 5
From: Atlantis
Cruise-In I Veteran
Gosh DanG!!!
I'd do the alignment for you for just the TIPS your're giving these yo-yo's.
I ain't you but IF "I" WERE...... I'd take a little of that 'disposable' income and purrr-chase a Caster/Camber gauge and a 'Toe Stick' and a small floor jack, a roll of string and a couple of jack stands..
Then, I'd start reading everything I could get my eyes focused on pertaining to automobile alignment.
It AIN'T ROCKET SCIENCE. If those monkey'kanics can do it then I can do it BETTER. So can you.
You can get a whole BOX of shims for $35 bux.
I keep a couple of Zip Lock baggies full of them for those occasions I want to 'lign mine up.
I call them my 'Alignment Kits', LOL.
BTW, If you had VISIBLE tire wear just 600 miles after an alignment then....... I can align your car up better than THAT ....T-O-T-A-L-L-Y by EYEBALL alone......with absolutely NO equipment!!!
I'd do the alignment for you for just the TIPS your're giving these yo-yo's.
I ain't you but IF "I" WERE...... I'd take a little of that 'disposable' income and purrr-chase a Caster/Camber gauge and a 'Toe Stick' and a small floor jack, a roll of string and a couple of jack stands..
Then, I'd start reading everything I could get my eyes focused on pertaining to automobile alignment.
It AIN'T ROCKET SCIENCE. If those monkey'kanics can do it then I can do it BETTER. So can you.
You can get a whole BOX of shims for $35 bux.
I keep a couple of Zip Lock baggies full of them for those occasions I want to 'lign mine up.
I call them my 'Alignment Kits', LOL.
BTW, If you had VISIBLE tire wear just 600 miles after an alignment then....... I can align your car up better than THAT ....T-O-T-A-L-L-Y by EYEBALL alone......with absolutely NO equipment!!!
Last edited by VetNutJim; Mar 25, 2007 at 06:46 PM.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 53
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From: las vegas nv
haha thanx VetNutJim.. good stuff there!!
sage advice 90z51.. ill remember it in the future!
i dont mind paying and tipping for good service..i think ill take your advice Southern Comfort and call chicks tomorrow and make an appointment..i dont have time to drive the car as much as i want to as it is,,and today when i had time i cant drive it because it looks like a wheel might come off!
then i would be singing that country and western favorite " you picked a fine time to leave me loose wheel"
gah what a terrible joke that was.(20 years ago when i first heard it
)
thnx again ,
Bret
sage advice 90z51.. ill remember it in the future!
i dont mind paying and tipping for good service..i think ill take your advice Southern Comfort and call chicks tomorrow and make an appointment..i dont have time to drive the car as much as i want to as it is,,and today when i had time i cant drive it because it looks like a wheel might come off!
then i would be singing that country and western favorite " you picked a fine time to leave me loose wheel"
gah what a terrible joke that was.(20 years ago when i first heard it
)thnx again ,
Bret
