Total front & rear wheel alignment
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 25,025
Likes: 2,716
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
A truly "Total" front and rear alignment on a C7 also requires special tools to measure and set rear caster, that can't be done on an alignment machine. The Tech should hand-write the rear caster numbers on the machine printout of your settings when he's finished.
Most dealers don't have those tools, many of them don't even know that the C7 rear caster can be adjusted. You need to ask some detailed questions to find out, you really need to speak with the Tech who will be doing the work. Before they do anything.
The $129 figure for a normal 4 wheel alignment is reasonable, some places charge a bit more. For checking/setting rear caster, maybe another $30 more but that seems more variable.
Most dealers don't have those tools, many of them don't even know that the C7 rear caster can be adjusted. You need to ask some detailed questions to find out, you really need to speak with the Tech who will be doing the work. Before they do anything.
The $129 figure for a normal 4 wheel alignment is reasonable, some places charge a bit more. For checking/setting rear caster, maybe another $30 more but that seems more variable.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 17,982
Likes: 1,074
From: Lansing MI
Alignment work is pretty cheap. I wouldnt pay more than 200 bucks for all four wheels and perfect specs.
It should be noted that alignments on Corvettes are actually really easy compared to most cars. Everything is adjustable. Try adjusting caster on a front wheel drive car that pulls one way or the other. You can't really do it. You have to grind out the strut tower or loosen all the cradle bolts and try and prybar it one way or the other. A Corvette you just turn a bolt. Simple.
It should be noted that alignments on Corvettes are actually really easy compared to most cars. Everything is adjustable. Try adjusting caster on a front wheel drive car that pulls one way or the other. You can't really do it. You have to grind out the strut tower or loosen all the cradle bolts and try and prybar it one way or the other. A Corvette you just turn a bolt. Simple.
Last edited by PatternDayTrader; Jul 10, 2019 at 11:12 PM.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,063
Likes: 9,826
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
Bill
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,299
Likes: 387
From: Fort Worth TX
St. Jude Donor '14-'15
Probably not. Very few shops have need for an adapter to hold an angle gauge to the rear knuckle of a C7 Corvette. Yes, there are ways to make and adapter and a saw blade angle gauge will work measuring rear caster but they more than likely never bother. Not worth their time or bother because the number of C7s coming in for an alignment is probably nil. They just tell people "Yeah, we can do that" and never do it.
Bill
Bill
Right ON! Alignment techs only know what the alignment machine tells them and NONE of the current alignment machines at Firestone (or other shops) can read the Rear Caster angles.... so therefore, it must be OK! I use the lifetime alignment at Firestone myself but I gotten to know my tech very well. I have shown him what tools to buy and how to use them to check my rear caster and all my friends C7's that I send him....life is good.
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