What is the most reliable place to get an allignment?

I've been going to Firestone for the last few years and they've done plenty of work for my vehicles, and I got an allignment from them today since I rotated my tires the other day. Now my car pulls right, and the steering wheel is too far to the left . Anyone know a reliable place to get an allignment done, where they won't butcher the job up? I bought the lifetime allignment at Firestone so I can go there as many times as I want, and worst comes to worst I'll get a refund and go somewhere else. Anyone got suggestions? Thanks.

I would bring it back, as they didn't do it correctly. The steering wheel should never be off after an alignment. An alignment can be in spec, but still pull to the right or left. Most shop will give you a good enough alignment. When I have an alignment, I give them the specs of what I want it to be.

I would bring it back, as they didn't do it correctly. The steering wheel should never be off after an alignment. An alignment can be in spec, but still pull to the right or left. Most shop will give you a good enough alignment. When I have an alignment, I give them the specs of what I want it to be.

 

Yah I scheduled another alignment today. The wheel is literally a good 25-30 degrees pulling to the left. It just looks horrible. If they can't get it right today then I guess I'll be heading to the Subaru dealership.

5th gen Legacy have front camber, front toe and rear toe adjustments. You at least want them to make close to matching on each side. For instance on camber, if the right side is 0.5, you would want the left side 0.5. If you have an alignment sheet post it up.

 

-0.5 is in spec, but you don't want one tire angled in and the other is angled out. Same goes for toe.

I got the 3-year alignment deal at NTB, and they almost always insist our cars don't have front camber adjustment. I used to live near a few NTB's, so I just drove around to different locations until I found one that was competent enough to know they do.

I had them fix the alignment today, this time they nailed it almost perfectly. Before it felt incredibly loose and pulled super hard... steering wheel felt so far off lmao. Now it drives straight like an arrow, especially after getting a rotation for the tires a few days prior.

I get alignment done at the dealership, it cost more but in my experience I have NEVER had to take the car back. The same cannot be said for the local shop..

My mother-in-law went to Firestone last year to get an inspection done on her Legacy. They sold her on getting an alignment done. I happened to look at her car a month or so later and realized that the outer edge of her driver front tire was worn down to the cords. Luckily, they were her snow tires and it was now spring. Told her to have her summer tires mounted and balanced at the dealer (since it costs the same) and have them do an alignment. Sure enough, Firestone managed to totally screw up both the camber and the toe for that corner and ruined a perfectly good set of tires. Firestone didn’t even offer to refund the cost of the alignment they sold her.

 

Assholes. Plenty of other places to get tires and alignments but them.

 

 

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You know, there isn't much that I would say go to the dealer for... but go to the dealer. I have almost always been frustrated by alignments that I get elsewhere. Whether it's not getting the steering wheel straight the first time, or or not wanting to give me the print out for my records, or telling me that Subaru is wrong and I actually should have some toe in....

I got the 3-year alignment deal at NTB, and they almost always insist our cars don't have front camber adjustment. I used to live near a few NTB's, so I just drove around to different locations until I found one that was competent enough to know they do.

 

 

 

What the hell car doesn’t have a front camber adjustment? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that, even on the cheapest and shittiest cars I’ve owned.

 

This kind of sounds like the time an alignment shop said he had to adjust the caster on my BMW:

 

Me: “You adjusted the what now?”

Him: “The caster.”

Me: “And how did you do that? It can’t be adjusted. The control arms mount in one place. You literally can’t change that without putting in adjustable racing type parts or by somehow moving the mount points on the subframe. Besides, the sheet from your alignment machine says it didn’t change. I don’t think you know what caster is.”

Him: “I...uh.”

Me: “Yeah.”

 

 

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I mean, if you adjust toe and camber far enough, it'll affect caster, so I guess technically he could have been right? That said, the place a friend of mine went for tires and an alignment said that his car ('07 Focus) doesn't have rear toe adjustment. Meanwhile, I can see the adjusters without having to even put a knee on the ground. Probably why he burned through those rear tires in roughly 6 months...

 

As far as camber on our cars, just show 'em the markings on the bolt and on the shock housing.

What the hell car doesn’t have a front camber adjustment?

 

I had a 1999 Infiniti I30 which didn’t have front camber adjustments. The only adjustments were front and rear toe from the factory.

^yup, BMW E46 3 series and E53 X5's dont have front camber adjustment either.

 

Mercedes W208 CLK, W211 E-Class, and W219 CLS front camber are not adjustable as well.

^yup, BMW E46 3 series and E53 X5's dont have front camber adjustment either.

 

Mercedes W208 CLK, W211 E-Class, and W219 CLS front camber are not adjustable as well.

 

 

 

I’m pretty sure there’s a cam bolt on the strut. Can’t say as I’ve ever needed to look at it, though. Not ready for new dampers yet. Camber not being adjustable might explain the prevalence of aftermarket camber plates for E46’s.

 

I distinctly remember the static front camber changing when I got an alignment last, though. It wasn’t much, but it did change. I don’t think the geometry of the suspension would have camber change if you adjusted toe, but I’m not a suspension engineer. Who knows? It’s in spec now. That’s all I care about.

 

But that joker with his caster adjustment. Man, what a goof.

 

 

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I’m pretty sure there’s a cam bolt on the strut. Can’t say as I’ve ever needed to look at it, though. Not ready for new dampers yet. Camber not being adjustable might explain the prevalence of aftermarket camber plates for E46’s.

 

I distinctly remember the static front camber changing when I got an alignment last, though. It wasn’t much, but it did change. I don’t think the geometry of the suspension would have camber change if you adjusted toe, but I’m not a suspension engineer. Who knows? It’s in spec now. That’s all I care about.

 

But that joker with his caster adjustment. Man, what a goof.

 

 

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On those BMW's you could get a smidge of front camber from fidling with the bolts or removing a centering pin at the strut mount, but not much. Just enough to maybe get your camber closer from side to side. A knowledgeable tech can "adjust" them that way, but they werent designed and speced to be adjustable and the official line from the factory is that the only thing really adjustable up front is the toe. Thankfully in stock guise, they are pretty good about staying in spec though.

 

The angles are designed to be set by the bushings and replacing these (in pairs) usually gets everything back in factory spec. But if you are looking for a performance alignment, yeah, you'll need plates for the front and maybe camber arms in the rear to get more range than the stock eccentric bolts can give, especially when lowered.

 

Yeah, caster on those are a Hail Mary, you have no control of what you will end up with stock, funny he chose that to try on you lol!

I know Honda owners use the washer trick Edited November 21, 2019 by amusa

I get alignment done at the dealership, it cost more but in my experience I have NEVER had to take the car back. The same cannot be said for the local shop..

 

I do the same thing. I just don't trust a shop local to do it. it's out of my way to go to the dealer, but they all know me and I have never had 4 wheel alignment issues. I bought MY13 legacy and just put on my Blizzaks and steals, and my tires were so bad I have to get all 4 new.

 

the car was used but the trans and motor were solid. I had to put some money into it and now alignment and it will be set. other then that I do all my on work.