preforming alignments on BMW Active Steering....

[brelandt]

OK, So where I work they paid to send me to Hunter to learn whatever Hunter could teach me and then pass that knowledge on to others at my shop.
So far it's been a mix of good and bad. Like using codelink to reset a Toyota with traction control. I use it but others just plain will not cause they insist that it's not nessacery and that this is how they have always done it.
Then there is the BMW with (AS). I studied up on this a little and at no point am I suppose to do an alignment on them without the proper tester. Even the #2 man for my company says we aren't to do them.
So my store manager knows I WILL NOT do these cars. In the past he was god about this and told the owners to get their alignments at a dealer. Then yesterday my store manager goes behind my back to another tech for whom the two of them use to work at sears together asks him to align the car anyway.
I waited until he drove the car onto the rack and I spoke up and firmly said, "I can not believe you are going to have him aligned this car after I just told you we are not to do it!" He told be to mind my own business. So, I yelled this time that this was going to come back to bite him. So he whispers something to the other tech and they continue on anyhow.
I am about fed up with this attitude. How should a approach this?

 

[artificialist]

I wish I could help you, but I am also another guy that gets no authority to prevent this kind of stupidity from happening.

At times like this, I would like to send the store manager to a collapsing dam and give him only roll of duct tape, and tell him to fix it.

 

[carwreck]

Originally Posted By: brelandt
...
So my store manager knows I WILL NOT do these cars. .. Then... my manager goes behind my back to another tech for whom the two of them use to work at sears together asks him to align the car anyway... So, I yelled...
I am about fed up with this attitude. How should a approach this?


You should quit, or change your attitude if you want to work there.

You told your boss that you would not work at your assigned task, and he assigned the work to someone else. Then you yelled at him.
This would be "cause" to fire you immediately if you worked in any corporate office.

 

[hattaresguy]

You don't run the company so stop trying too. Its not your problem.

 

[Chris142]

I have not done an alignment in 25 years! Back then we had a magnetic thing we stuck on the wheel hub for caster and camber. To set toe we had a plate mounted in the concrete that measured toe in or toe out in feet per mile!

So I don't know whats so special about a BMW.

But since you already told the boss that you don't have the tools and he knows this but took it in anyway let him worry about the comeback.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
I have not done an alignment in 25 years! Back then we had a magnetic thing we stuck on the wheel hub for caster and camber. To set toe we had a plate mounted in the concrete that measured toe in or toe out in feet per mile!

So I don't know whats so special about a BMW.

But since you already told the boss that you don't have the tools and he knows this but took it in anyway let him worry about the comeback.


I am not sure on the specifics, but I suspect it requires the SAS to be reprogrammed for the new alignment settings and to reset wheel center.

 

[brelandt]

Basically he is breaking a policy in full knowledge. As well as basically stealing money from a customer.
BMW Assist steering is basically the steering wheel angle sensor controlling the direction of the tires. Therefore if you place the car on the rack and hold the steering wheel straight ahead for toe adjustment the front wheel may not infact be straight ahead. It's where the yaw control and whatever else is telling the wheel to point. Therefore you are making an adjustment that may or may not be out. Then you have to connect the car to a special tool that couples the wheel with the rack so that it is straight and the car is calibrated. If you adjust the toe without said equipment you run the risk of having the vehicle throw a code for a fault in the system. The owner brings it to the dealer and the first thing they are going to ask is where have you had it aligned? Guess what they are going to say? That's why we aren't suppose to do it.
But, I guess I just need to calm down a bit and just tell myself that he is a grown man and if the day ever comes he knew what he was doing...
Carwreck....if he was asking me to do something within policy and I refused I could see your point, but he was asking me to do something I am not suppose to do. If anything he would be the one fired. The upper managers have already backed me up on this.

 

[ComfyShorts]

Originally Posted By: brelandt
Basically he is breaking a policy in full knowledge. As well as basically stealing money from a customer.
BMW Assist steering is basically the steering wheel angle sensor controlling the direction of the tires. Therefore if you place the car on the rack and hold the steering wheel straight ahead for toe adjustment the front wheel may not infact be straight ahead. It's where the yaw control and whatever else is telling the wheel to point. Therefore you are making an adjustment that may or may not be out. Then you have to connect the car to a special tool that couples the wheel with the rack so that it is straight and the car is calibrated. If you adjust the toe without said equipment you run the risk of having the vehicle throw a code for a fault in the system. The owner brings it to the dealer and the first thing they are going to ask is where have you had it aligned? Guess what they are going to say? That's why we aren't suppose to do it.
But, I guess I just need to calm down a bit and just tell myself that he is a grown man and if the day ever comes he knew what he was doing...
Carwreck....if he was asking me to do something within policy and I refused I could see your point, but he was asking me to do something I am not suppose to do. If anything he would be the one fired. The upper managers have already backed me up on this.



BMW Active steering still has a mechanical link between the steering wheel and the rack by a planetary gearset to which an electric motor meshes. The electric motor can modify input to the rack to make slow speed parking or high speed maneuvering easier/safer for the driver. So its not really "sensor controlling direction of tires". I may be wrong but I think the reason for resetting the sensors after alignment is so vehicles traction/abs/esp etc systems don't get faulty inputs and think the car may be losing control when it's not. Anybody who knows more about the topic can step in and clarify.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Yes, you are correct. You'll need a scan tool to reprogram the AS computer. The mechanical portion of an alignment remains the same as the suspension is regular BMW even with AS.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal

I am not sure on the specifics, but I suspect it requires the SAS to be reprogrammed for the new alignment settings and to reset wheel center.
Whats the SAS?

 

[mechtech2]

Let's not assume the end result is faulty.
Experience may well show how to do any procedure that is not 'by the book'.

 

[antonmnster]

I'm completely with brelandt here.

I've had too many problems with shops that SAY they can do something and then waste a lot of my time and money to learn that they can't. Aligning BMWs is a perfect example.

If there was a workaround that produced a good result, then they should still tell the customer that what they're doing is workable but outside of the practices of the manufacturer.

We all complain about bad indy shops that are incompetent and rip people off. That's exactly what's going on here, and the OP is in good standing because he's standing up and saying "this ain't right".

How much one should speak up in a situation like this is a function of how much one wants to get along with the boss.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal

I am not sure on the specifics, but I suspect it requires the SAS to be reprogrammed for the new alignment settings and to reset wheel center.
Whats the SAS?


Steering Angle Sensor, at least that is what Ford calls them.

 

[brelandt]

well, everything at work seem to be great. Boss kept me under the alignment rack all day as the #1 guy. I'm just going to calm down but still remain firm on my position on the subject. Wish I had the time to read more on the system but I see so many cars and at the end of the day I'm just burnt out....

 

[eljefino]

Sounds like you're the guy that fixes F ups and comebacks (which is why they sent you to training) and they need another tech to slam out sometimes shoddy work. All part of a master plan.

 

[brelandt]

yeah, he just installed a camber kit on a 211 body MB to correct the neg driverside. The kit only takes out .4 degrees and that wasn't enough to fix the pull to the right and I told them this. They sold it anyhow and then went about installing the bolt wrong!
Of course the owner returns when Im there. I reinstall the bolt correctly but of course it still pulls right and guess what? The owner flips out on me and blames me for it...ugh!
Oh, well.....Keep on trucking I suppose.

 

[Ndx]

Yes, Unless you have interface to set steering wheel position in point 0 .. you shouldn't do alignment on BMW with active steering.

After alignment you re calibrate system to make sure that it knows new 0 position.

Otherwise system will malfunction and might be unpredictable.

And Its good that you care for your shop!

 

[brelandt]

Thx NDX...BTW...do you know of a webpage or book with good info on this system? I don't need to be able to rebuild one of these in my sleep just need to know the "what" and "why" of it.