Holy crap alignment.....

M

menos

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Moore, OK
So I've noticed some progressively worsening death wobble in the last two weeks. If you followed my other thread, I just got done building up my new '92 with the drive-train from my wrecked '91. This included both axles.
I made the mistake of just bolting everything together and taking off down the road. Doing an alignment was on my list, but this, that and the other and I failed to get it done.
So getting back to the death wobble. It was bad. Like clean your shorts bad. So I got it into the garage today and pulled tape on the front wheels. Whoever thought 1" of toe-in was bad? Yeah... 1"......

Corrected it to 1/8" of toe-in and down the road I went. Smooth as a babies... Well, as smooth as mud tires can be :)
 
Speaking of alignments. My wife had her van aligned the other day and went to Discount Tire right afterwards to get the tires rotated. The fronts were not too bad but had some odd wear (no belt even close to showing) and its a FWD van, for safety issues I told her to get them rotated.

Well the FIRST guy came to her and said "You need new tires on the front and an alignment." She replied "I just had it aligned thats why I need the tires rotated." The guy responded, "If you just rotate them, you will throw your alignment off and have to do it again" REALLY, when did this come about?

Second guy came up.... same song and dance.

Poor old third guy got his head bit off.

I also told her to tell them to torque the lugs to spec. I was kinda PISSED off when I was replacing the vans tie rods and TRE's and broke my 4 way, a breaker bar and even tried the air compressor on them... FINALLY I got them off with a BIGGER breaker bar. Guess who put them on?

We the guy went on about how they have some one checking on their work and makes sure everything was done correctly. The wifey was watching them the whole time. Laughing, joking around and throwing shop towels at eachother. Oh, and every now and then doing some work (an hour wait turned into 2 hours). I have been so temped to call and speak with the manager there, but I am affraid of what I might say due to all the current stress I have been under.
 
i usually go to ntb to get an alignment. you can get a 5 year one for one price. that way you could go in every week if you wanted and get an alignment. i did a 6 month one and then a month later i put my lift on and took it to them again. it was nice not having to pay anything.
 
one thing from the shops point of view. i do alignments. if you do it with a tire that has odd wear and then change to tires that dont that alignment can be off. it may not but it can.
i tell my customers the same thing. thats why i always to the rotate before the alignment. and i wont warranty a align on odd worn tires. for the fact that it CAN be off when they are rotated or new ones put on.
 
wheelinscott said:
i usually go to ntb to get an alignment. you can get a 5 year one for one price. that way you could go in every week if you wanted and get an alignment. i did a 6 month one and then a month later i put my lift on and took it to them again. it was nice not having to pay anything.
Click to expand...

when i was at goodyear we would offer those too, nut if someone lifted or lowered theres after buyin it we didnt have to stand behind it. also if the vehic is modded in any way that can refuse it. there was one guy who would change his camber for some races and then brink it back to us for a alignment. after him doin it like 6 or 7 times we refused to do it anymore. also if you have parts replaceed they dont have to stanbd behind it anymore. its all in the fine print. most the time they dont give a shit but if it gets too often then they prob will say somthin
 
i got a alignment in the summer when i got new tires. the mechanic said it was "in the green" for a alignment. well a few months later im buying new tires again cause apprently i had bad balljoints and they destroyed my tires. i had a little bit of wabble on the highway but it wasnt bad so i just blew it off. now that i changed the balljoints my alignment is still off cause there wearing down bad also. would having bad balljoints before the alingment have the alignment being off now that i have good balljoints?
 
yes it would. think of it thie way if your ball joints are bad they have play which can effect caster and camber. if there is play and you set the caster, camber, and toes. then you replace it and install a new tight ball joint all those points will be out of wack. your wheel could be moved up down back forth in or out with the bad joints. so when you install new ones it will move.
 
latenights said:
i got a alignment in the summer when i got new tires. the mechanic said it was "in the green" for a alignment. well a few months later im buying new tires again cause apprently i had bad balljoints and they destroyed my tires. i had a little bit of wabble on the highway but it wasnt bad so i just blew it off. now that i changed the balljoints my alignment is still off cause there wearing down bad also. would having bad balljoints before the alingment have the alignment being off now that i have good balljoints?
Click to expand...
Wow, wouldn't a good alignment mechanic notice bad balljoints?
 
yup they should but some will just set the tow to help til parts come in and can redo it. thats what i do. ill charge for the first alignment but i wont for the second one after parts get in. and in the Green. is just to cover their ass. they will get it as close as they can. as long as its in the green area they can call it good. but also if the sides are too far out from each other it can still cause probs and still be in the green area.
 
Lil red, The way the alignment was done was oof of the hub/rim NOT the tires.

I go to firestone and got a life time alignment. It is good at ANY firestone around the country and it eas only $140.00.
 
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