I have a question. I had my alignment done once and set to the specs I specified at a local NTB (the guy seems to know what he is doing). I wanted it setup so the tires would not wear on the inside edge. Once everything was tightened down and I drove away, I have never had a reason to have it aligned again. I keep a watch on the tires and they are wearing perfect.
Why do you need to have an alignment done so often such as every year unless your banging curbs or something?

Yes, suspension components wear over time such as bushings and stuff get worn out but alignment settings/bolts don't move.

Maybe I am missing something here.

 

I once worked for a major nationwide repair chain and went through their alignment "class".

1. Every car gets a toe-and-go. Unless the tires are worn uneven or the customer reports that it is pulling, DO NOT crack loose any camber/caster adjustments just because the numbers are off. If it didn't pull before, it sure as hell will afterwards because:

2. That $300,000 alignment rack is a piece of junk. You can align a car, roll it out, roll it right back onto the rack and the numbers will be completely different.

3. The "red light green light" part is funny. There is a button on the Hunter alignment rack to make the screen black and white. The company master tech told us to hit that button whenever the customer was watching. Yeah, they get the printout at the end, but nobody knows what it means.

4. CHECK YOUR TIRE PRESSURES AFTER YOU PICK UP. During the test drive, if the car is pulling a little to the right, the tech will probably just air up the tires on the right and let a little out of the left. Called an "Air Alignment" in the industry.



I took my C5 to a shop for new tires. They wanted to add a "Z Rated" charge for balancing. I told them to show me the "Z rated" button on their spin balancer and I'd pay it. Nope.

 

Maybe in your area, but I watched them do the full four wheel alignment.....and got a proper printout...........

 

I was in the pit with the tech who did my car.

 

...

epic...

Loved reading that!

reminds me of a time I used to eat at McDonalds...and asked for a cheeseburger...I asked to substitute the onions for tomatoes.
She said "sure, it'll be $0.25 extra"...I said "Sure, right after you give me a credit for the onions"....lmao

 

stealership was $69.95 + .93 personal history administrative fee!!!

 

EXACTLY

Read the above
My "area" has nothing to do with it.
It is math, if a company charges $110 and hour like most Goodyear and Firestones, how can they spend 2-3 hours aligning your car for $89. Because they don't spend 2-3 hours on it that is why which means that it is not completely aligned. You may have received a spec sheet, but do you understand what you are looking at? Do you know what you were watching for when he did the alignment. I could watch heart surgery but I don't know if the surgeon is doing correctly The printout shows the car is within spec. I guess the definition of "spec" is what is in question and if that equals a good alignment. That is up to the customer to decide, I like my car perfect, not up to "spec"
It usually takes us 2-3 hours, depending on the car and what we are doing, bump and weight are also being done it could take all day to get the car perfect. But if you read above that is the alignment tech telling you how they do it.
Justin

 

I worked @ a tire center here in Northern CA for about 4 years myself. In the alignment center for a couple. What you're saying here is pretty much correct.

I'd argue though that for a street car, any standard alignment machine (green light/red light or not) that is able to do 4 wheel alignments(which is obviously the "specialty" that the tech is referring to)...should be able to get your tires wearing even and your car tracking straight.

These ARE THE MOST important for a street car. Who cares about how the car tracks at 120? I mean, I do but they track fine with factory settings for a blast up there anyway.

It's best to use separate alignment settings for tracking also.

Bottom line, for 75-85 bucks you should have no problem finding an alignment center that can get your Vette done just fine.

Those adjustments that you're referring to that "move" when you adjust the other side...there are tricks around that, that you learn after doing hundreds of alignments.

Basically, what happens is a laser lines up off of your wheel to the machine in the front of the car usually. These sensors read very minute changes in angle, tilt etc...

So for an easy example..the Toe setting.

You're probably looking for around 1/4 inch to the inside(which means your wheels each point toward each other ever so slightly) on a stock alignment setting...it might be 1/16 or 1/8 but it's one of those three.(the reason for this is because as you get going faster, the road actually pulls your wheels out a little bit)

So you have to set one side at a time.

You get one side all set @ 1/4 inch in and lock it down..then go back and set the other side..then when you go to cinch it down, a lot of times..the other side will go back to say 3/16's or 1/8 toe in..

The way around this, is you simply set the first side a little to far..say if it calls for 1/4, you set it at 5/16's and lock it in..then when you go back and cinch the other side down...it locks the first side right @ 1/4 and you're done.

It takes feel and practice and most don't realize it because the machine will be in the "red" although you've already locked in that side..

It's after you lock in the second side, then it pulls the first one over into spec.

Donnie

 

You normally get what you pay for with wheel alignments. I'm a service manager at an independent shop, we normally do around 30 alignments a week. You normally get two different kinds of customers. The ones that are satisfied with a car that goes straight and gets maximum wear out of the tires, and then the ones that are there with a particular purpose. The fee for custom specs is real simple (which also applies to raised or lowered vehicles), The first hour is normal alignment rate, eg. 4w/a is 74.95, 54.95 for 2 w/a. If I knock it out in an hour (normal alignment time) that's what you pay. After the first hour it simply goes to flat rate of 68.00 an hour (based on .10 hour increments). In reality most C5's can be knocked out in less then an hour, even with custom specs. C5's are really simple cars to do, for the most part. Now the C2 and C3 crowd is a different story all together, some of those will take 3 hours to get right, especially if the rear toe is way out or it's a real early car without rear slotted shims. In fact a C2/3 is normally slotted for 3 hours on the alignment rack. Regular c4/5/6 an hour for a standard spec alignment and 2 for custom specs. It's better to have the extra time and not use it then not get the customers car to where they want it becouse you ran out of time.


Pat Kunz