What should a wheel alignment cost for a VS ?

[greenacc]

Any tips on best type of shop for a wheel alignment or does it depend more on the mechanic ? And what should it cost ? I've seen prices from $45 to $70.
Does anyone recommend Pedders for alignments ?

Last question , on a standard VS can I ask for extra negative camber on the front and should that cost extra ?
Thanks for replies.

[vsl67]

Do you have IRS? or just after a front aligment ? the price range you were quote is just about right, I asume for the front
I dont know about the negative camber,but if they think its dangerous or not within the vehicle specifications they may not do it for legal reasons

[alien]

I get mine done for $28! :S I guess depends on the mechanic. Not sure but i think Bob Jane used to be really cheap! Around the $35-40 mark, not sure about now though. Best place to get them done is at a place that actually sells wheels (not some mechanics that just has the machine).

I havn't tried pedders yet, i think i will in future though for when i get stronger parts than ARB stuff.

May cost extra i guess, then again, i'm not too sure on that one as i dont pay real amounts.

[greenacc]

Last year i got it done at pedders and it was about $70. They seemed to do a good job too. Now i need another alignment cos i just fitted poly bushes in the front, just wondering if its worth the extra $25 or if the cheap places are as good.
Has IRS but i don't think there is any adjustment on VS IRS ? anyhow , the rear tyres last 65000 k's so there's no probs with the rear, just the front.

[DannyboyDS]

Pedders so far are the only place that has done a wheel alignment for me that I have been happy with.

[JD]

you shouldn't pay more than $50 and taking it to cheaper places is fine, remember if your not happy with it keep on taking it back until you are!

[crazybiker]

Yeah, you should be able to ask for some more negative camber.

My dad did when he took his Monaro down.

Just say you want an extra 1/2 a degree of negative camber on the front wheels.

[vsl67]

They do rear aligments on the irs and its usually about the $70 dollar mark and if you drop your car on its guts it can take up all of the adjustment and you will need a camber kit ,something too think about before lowering your car ,if you ever decide to

[Scooter79]

Last year i got it done at pedders and it was about $70. They seemed to do a good job too. Now i need another alignment cos i just fitted poly bushes in the front, just wondering if its worth the extra $25 or if the cheap places are as good.
Has IRS but i don't think there is any adjustment on VS IRS ? anyhow , the rear tyres last 65000 k's so there's no probs with the rear, just the front.

If you're getting 65,000kms out of the rear in an IRS commie, DON'T TOUCH IT. That's prefect! Getting a decent wheel alignment is tough. Some Pedders are good and some are terrible. Same applies to any franchise. I had a P.S rack replaced and in doing the wheel alignment afterward I had 30mm of toe out! Find someone good and stick with them, whatever it costs.

[greenacc]

Thanks for the good advice guys, I've booked it back into the same pedders as last time for this friday. See how they go with the extra camber. They had the poo's last time cos they said i put the bolt on backwards on the bottom of the strut so it was hard to loosen it to adjust the camber or something ....
Yeah, 65 k aint bad , got the same from my previous set of tyres too , they were those cheap 'ELITE' tyres. I always wonder why people complain about rear tyre wear with IRS ... guess i'm just lucky. Could it be the Sports Ryder shocks with standard springs?

[greenacc]

Wheel alignment, Check.
OK, so there was no prob getting extra camber on the front at pedders. Just asked is the camber 'variable' ? he goes yeah what do you want ? ... also told him i'm goin to a track day ..... and the outside of my tyres has been getting a bit ruff. ... so he gave me a 'track day' alignment lol. -1 deg camber and a tiny bit of toe out so it don't scrub the outside of the tyres round corners .. it seems to corner well now, and the wheel is straight and doesn't wobble or anything, all the signs of good work.

[FusionX]

I still scrub the outside of the tyres running 2deg of camber on the front at track days. 3.5 seems to be perfect, got degree marks on the strut tops so I can adjust between tracks.

Last wheel alignment cost me $80, but that was paying for time as not a standard setup to align on the car.