Is the shop tryna scam me?
Posted by FlashyCompetition167@reddit | Autos | View on Reddit | 15 comments
Little background - I replaced my whole front suspension ( myself ) and needed an alignment because my front tires were wearing in just a little amount of time… so I went to a “reputable” shop in my area for it.
I get the alignment but mind you.. when my steering wheel was centered straight before I got the alignment, my car went straight… now when my steering wheel is centered straight my car goes left (after alignment) , the steering wheel now has to be an inch or 2 to the right for my car to go straight..
So I call the shop and explain this to him.. he tells me this is happening because of the negative camber in the back.. one side is -3, other side is -3.6 and he can’t align it until I get camber arms ( which he gave me a quote for that same day I got the alignment because he was telling me I need them in order for them to align the rear,, I asked if I can order my own and bring them in and he says no)..
What I’m trying to figure out is if he is telling me the truth or did they fuck up my alignment so I have to go back and spend more money for camber arms and a “proper” alignment ( rear and front ).. this is the same reason I did the whole front end myself ( and I am no mechanic, it was the first car I ever worked on ).. it’s so hard to trust shops.
Please tell me this guy is telling the truth. Is the rear end the reason my car is not going straight when my steering wheel is centered?? He also said it could be the tires wore unevenly even tho I got them about 100-200 miles ago..
Btw my car is a 06 Acura TSX mt with 135k ( if it helps ) thanks for any help.
davidrools@reddit
How much did you lower your ride height?
FlashyCompetition167@reddit (OP)
here’s a picture of it tho, it’s pretty low
davidrools@reddit
yeah that's generally going to throw your suspension geometry pretty far out of whack. It's true that your camber needs to be addressed to properly align a lowered car. A shop would prefer to order their own correction kit so they can buy wholesale and sell to you at retail price and make a little extra money - also because they can make sure to order the right parts that will do the job correctly and not risk you ordering some shitty kit that doesn't work and you blame them for not fixing it. It's highly unlikely that they intentionally messed up your alignment to try to get you to do more work with them. Aligning an improperly modified suspension is a difficult and error-prone task.
FlashyCompetition167@reddit (OP)
I figured this is what it was. The guy I speak with is very knowledgeable and has great customer service, even gave me 20$ off cus the shop was busy at my scheduled appointment time. He pretty much explained it this exact same way, that my alignment will never be perfect till they can adjust the rear and they can’t do that until I get the camber arms. I just didn’t know it would affect the steering wheel like it is. Should I just not worry about it till I can take it back to get it corrected?
shrike71@reddit
Please post your alignment spec sheet.
Negative camber won't cause a pull unless it's super out of spec on one side, nor will it cause the steering wheel to be off-center. Most high performance cars are spec'd with negative camber to improve cornering. The reason they want you to get the rear end sorted first is because a car is aligned back-to-front and if the rear is out, it will throw off the front readings. Rear camber will not really affect the front readings though - that manly applies to toe since it affects the thrust-angle of the car.
I have a lowered car on the rack right now and aligning lowered vehicles is a bear even with the correct aftermarket parts. It's very easy to adjust yourself into a corner when everything is adjustable and that's why we charge 2x-3x the normal alignment price for a lowered vehicle.
davidrools@reddit
it's up to you. I find tracking and pulling suuuuper annoying to drive with. Is your suspension adjustable? If so, maybe raising your ride height a bit could help things out
_urban_achiever@reddit
Oof
FlashyCompetition167@reddit (OP)
I bought it lowered so idk the specs..
shrike71@reddit
Before you throw the shop under the bus, put the rear tires in the front and the front tires in the back. The front tires may have worn into the bad alignment and now they're causing the pull. I work at a shop and am Hunter & ASE certified and literally just dealt with this after aligning a POS Scion. Car was super out of spec when I got it on the rack. Lined it up perfectly, test drove it, and the wheel was canted to the left and it had a pull. Put it back on the rack - and checked it. Everything was green. Tested it again - same issue. Back on the rack, put the front end OUT and then pulled it back into shape - same thing. I spent all fucking day on this damn car and as a hail-mary, I flipped the tires. Car drove straight as an arrow.
FlashyCompetition167@reddit (OP)
Ok I’ll try rotating my tires
Robots_Never_Die@reddit
Post your alignment results. They should have printed them out.
teakesdad@reddit
No question. Go to a different shop.
FlashyCompetition167@reddit (OP)
First time going there. I’ve already paid 100$. Even though I called them shouldn’t I at least go back and make them check it??
wiltse0@reddit
He fucked up your alignment, he did it with the wheel turned. Make him redo it, if he says he did it right then the machine will tell him he doesn't need to adjust anything and it will take no time at all.
FlashyCompetition167@reddit (OP)
Okok thanks