wheel alignment

[chrisp]

What many others have said - take it back and get them to redo it.

I had a wheel alignment done on a VX after it had new tyres fitted. They test drove it around the block and handed the car back to me. On my way from the tyre place to work, I noticed that the steering wheel wasn’t centred. Bloody annoying. I called them and they said to pop back and they’ll fix it.

Interestingly, the same guy redid it and took it on the run around the block, but this time he said it still isn’t right. So he drove back on to the alignment machine. I can’t recall exactly how many goes it took them, but they eventually got it right. The alignment guy said that it was an unusual car and that something on the car was obstructing the alignment machine, and that’s why it took him many goes to get it right. It was a stock standard VX Commodore! You’d think they had never aligned one before.

Unfortunately, wheel alignments are treated as an extra cash earner for tyre places. So a few minutes on the alignment jig and maybe an adjustment or two with some spanners and they earn $80. Very few places will bother to get the alignment spot on - just as long as they land within tolerance and that’s it.

 

[lout]

i made the mistake of going to bj to have tyres and wheel alignment
went to pick up car and could see camber had not been fixed
did not even get in car, walked back in and said its not right
the boss says vx cannot adjust camber on front
i called bs and then asked why you billed me for full alignment if you believe it cant be done
after a small argument, another tech agreed it could be done, took the car back in and fixed it up real nice

 

[vc commodore]

What many others have said - take it back and get them to redo it.

I had a wheel alignment done on a VX after it had new tyres fitted. They test drove it around the block and handed the car back to me. On my way from the tyre place to work, I noticed that the steering wheel wasn’t centred. Bloody annoying. I called them and they said to pop back and they’ll fix it.

Interestingly, the same guy redid it and took it on the run around the block, but this time he said it still isn’t right. So he drove back on to the alignment machine. I can’t recall exactly how many goes it took them, but they eventually got it right. The alignment guy said that it was an unusual car and that something on the car was obstructing the alignment machine, and that’s why it took him many goes to get it right. It was a stock standard VX Commodore! You’d think they had never aligned one before.

Unfortunately, wheel alignments are treated as an extra cash earner for tyre places. So a few minutes on the alignment jig and maybe an adjustment or two with some spanners and they earn $80. Very few places will bother to get the alignment spot on - just as long as they land within tolerance and that’s it.

The funny thing I read with this is, the twit you had doing the job couldn't tell the steering wheel was off centred after test driving it....

Maybe thought close enough was good enough....

 

[Ccoastcalais]

The funny thing I read with this is, the twit you had doing the job couldn't tell the steering wheel was off centred after test driving it....

Maybe thought close enough was good enough....

A lot of shops have tyre fitters with no alignment training or qualifications at all doing the work.

the company I work for operates 8 stores & as far as I’m aware only myself & one other employee has any form of certification

 

[vc commodore]

A lot of shops have tyre fitters with no alignment training or qualifications at all doing the work.

the company I work for operates 8 stores & as far as I’m aware only myself & one other employee has any form of certification

I have been aligning for 25 ish years and don't have a piece of paper saying I can do them, yet have struck those that have that piece of paper and still have no idea what they are doing...

 

[Ccoastcalais]

I have been aligning for 25 ish years and don't have a piece of paper saying I can do them, yet have struck those that have that piece of paper and still have no idea what they are doing...

Yep, it’s a lucky dip

 

[1985VK]

I have been aligning for 25 ish years and don't have a piece of paper saying I can do them, yet have struck those that have that piece of paper and still have no idea what they are doing...

You don't know what you don't know and it is difficult for the average customer to know if what they are being told is legit and/or if the work is being done properly and is not being taken in. Trust plays a big part in not just they are telling the truth but trust that the workshop really knows what it is doing. A tech could say the steering wheel is out because covid rots the front end rubbers and someone will believe it ...

 

[1985VK]

i made the mistake of going to bj to have tyres and wheel alignment
went to pick up car and could see camber had not been fixed
did not even get in car, walked back in and said its not right
the boss says vx cannot adjust camber on front
i called bs and then asked why you billed me for full alignment if you believe it cant be done
after a small argument, another tech agreed it could be done, took the car back in and fixed it up real nice

FFS why does it have to get to that stage to get something done right ...

 

[1985VK]

I don't know jack about wheel alignments but these are the specs on the VT before and after. The car passed a roadworthy about 12 months ago. Left front tyre wore unevenly and feathered on the outside and inside with heaps of tread in the centre.

View attachment 260376

Those numbers do not mean anything to me. It is just gobbledy gook to me. It maybe would be better if they were in millimeters left or right off a reference point. Can anyone do an interpretation from those numbers? Were the tie rods barely adjusted because i cannot tell from the readings.

 

[Immortality]

All the places I've had alignments done have been in millimeters for toe adjustment, it's just unfortunate that some still use angles.