Pissed off: Alignment got screwed i believe, nned to talk to someone knowledgeable. Options

[Aaron Cox]

ok... so my car has a new 911 front end. M calipers *new* turbo tie rods *new* ball joints etc. everything is NEW. i need to get it aligned.

go to a place that does JUST alignment and BRAKES. so here goes.

I gave him the specs of what i wanted (previous alignmnet thread) camber caster and toe.

he does the toe to 1/16th like spec's. says he cant do camber (something about raising one side, thinks he knows how the torsion bar system works [he doesnt] and and cant do caster too. says because car is lowered) . the car is running stock tires and is BARELY lowered up front.

I believe he misadjusted the turbo tie rods. (he unscrewed them from the rack i believe and used the lock nut to hold the length. dont you have to take off the cotter pin, pop out the tierod end, and rotate the whole tie rod end? you cant unscrew the rack end can you?

i pointed out to the where you adjust camber and caster (opened hood and ponted to the tops of the strut on the fender well!!!) so i have uneven left to right camber and caster, he didnt even do that.

i got charged 25.00 for toe in adjustment.

im gonna go yell at him and get my money back, if im right about how he adjusted the turbo tie rods.

please respond ASAP so i can get back to this idiot!

[ArtechnikA]

at my level of performance, i can still do just as good a job as i require at home. it's not rocket science... anything you can do with a plumb bob (fancy rock), string, and a ruler is not rocket science. having a level playing field is (kind of) important, and for this purpose, i do have an 8' level and a big stack of 1/8" thick floor tiles (1/8" is close enough to level for our cars...)

a simple magnetic angle finder (available at Sears and Harbor Freight) will get you real darned close on camber and caster. i did spend $20 for a toe gauge, but it just makes the job faster - not better.

especially if you're just doing the front. or the rear. (aligning the rear with the front and compensating for thrust angles is more complicated.)

cornerweighting requires some kind of actual scale, no amount of measuring deflections will get you close.

when i had the "local" guys align the GTI on their fancy computerised rack, they got all manner of lovely measurements. then they use their impact wrench on the eccentric bolt nuts and stripped them completely.

having a place you can trust is nice - if you don't mind paying the price. having the knowledge and patience to do it yourself is priceless...