If he keeps the car for 6 years I'm sure he will ge 2 or 3 alignments.
Purchased a Firestone Lifetime Alignment Plan
- Thread starter The Critic
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How much does a Firestone lifetime plan cost? The specialty alignment shop I went to charges $50 for an alignment and $219 for a lifetime plan.
Bought one for the 1992 SVX (4-wheel Lifetime @ $129) when I put on the 1st new set of tires circa 1996 @ 45K: had it rechecked/realigned every 5-6K for that set of tires, then realigned when I purchased a set of Goodyear Eagle RS-A's. These were the exact tires that many Police Crown Vic's used for almost a decade: got almost 60K out of them with very even wear (rotated every 5-6K).
Forgot (didn't take the time) to have a realigment done on the next set of tires: big mistake. These only lasted about 40K on the rears and I just got a couple used tires put on expecting to get another 20K (or so) from the fronts.
Took it into the local Firestone and just had another realignment done for free. Probably has been 7 or 8 years since the last one. Watched the tech perform the alignment and he sure looked like he knew what he was doing, no "drive around the back and do nothing" in the work I saw.
I'm getting a Lifetime Alignment done on the 1991 420SEL on Friday since I just put a new set of TOYO Tourevo II's, and if we have it realigned just once for this set of tires I'll feel it is a good bargain.
Just IMHO, btw.
Cheers!
Forgot (didn't take the time) to have a realigment done on the next set of tires: big mistake. These only lasted about 40K on the rears and I just got a couple used tires put on expecting to get another 20K (or so) from the fronts.
Took it into the local Firestone and just had another realignment done for free. Probably has been 7 or 8 years since the last one. Watched the tech perform the alignment and he sure looked like he knew what he was doing, no "drive around the back and do nothing" in the work I saw.
I'm getting a Lifetime Alignment done on the 1991 420SEL on Friday since I just put a new set of TOYO Tourevo II's, and if we have it realigned just once for this set of tires I'll feel it is a good bargain.
Just IMHO, btw.
Cheers!
Originally Posted By: bigdreama
You have a '11 Prius under warranty with 3000 miles on it and you bought a lifetime alignment plan from Firestone?
Beautiful.
bigdreama- if this is your attempt at sarcasm, I think you've failed.
1. He has a warranty, yes. Show me where wheel alignment is covered under factory warranty beyond, say, a year? And even if it is, show me how a LIFETIME plan, which will theoretically go infinitely longer than the warranty period, is a BAD thing?
2. It's a 2011, he has 3k mi. on it, and maybe (like many of us) he plans to drive this thing into the ground, which means many more years and many more miles to go. That spells quite a few sets of suspension components, tires, and wheel alignments to me. What does it spell to you?
3. See above.
You have a '11 Prius under warranty with 3000 miles on it and you bought a lifetime alignment plan from Firestone?
Beautiful.
bigdreama- if this is your attempt at sarcasm, I think you've failed.
1. He has a warranty, yes. Show me where wheel alignment is covered under factory warranty beyond, say, a year? And even if it is, show me how a LIFETIME plan, which will theoretically go infinitely longer than the warranty period, is a BAD thing?
2. It's a 2011, he has 3k mi. on it, and maybe (like many of us) he plans to drive this thing into the ground, which means many more years and many more miles to go. That spells quite a few sets of suspension components, tires, and wheel alignments to me. What does it spell to you?
3. See above.
What happens if he total`s the car? are these lifetime alignments transferable? Probably sounds like a stupid question I guess right?
Originally Posted By: lexus114
What happens if he total`s the car? are these lifetime alignments transferable? Probably sounds like a stupid question I guess right?
It's my understanding they are for that particular VIN and that owner only.
It's worth it if you plan on owning the car until the world ends.
What happens if he total`s the car? are these lifetime alignments transferable? Probably sounds like a stupid question I guess right?
It's my understanding they are for that particular VIN and that owner only.
It's worth it if you plan on owning the car until the world ends.
i have one of these. I bought it last year for about $150.
Alignments around me are about $50-75. My car is lowered on coilovers so i tend to play around with ride height every now and then. I've been there 3 times now. So i think i broke even. I have a feeling at one point they will say screw you because i'm abusing it but lifetime is lifetime. I do hope they refund me in full =)
I'm plan on visiting them least twice a year. Before and after winter here.
Alignments around me are about $50-75. My car is lowered on coilovers so i tend to play around with ride height every now and then. I've been there 3 times now. So i think i broke even. I have a feeling at one point they will say screw you because i'm abusing it but lifetime is lifetime. I do hope they refund me in full =)
I'm plan on visiting them least twice a year. Before and after winter here.
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
The Critic isn't dumb enough to buy a lifetime Firestone warranty, he's just pullin' our chain. He hasn't even posted again in this thread......
Yes, I did buy one. And it turns out that I am putting some serious mileage on this car, as I just racked up 4100 miles in less than six weeks. I bought one mainly because the previous generation Prius seemed to have a ton of alignment issues and the car needed frequent aligning in order to prevent tire eating. So, this is one of those "vehicle-specific" situations that I was trying to get ready for. Either way, an alignment at the dealer is about $100 anyway so if I use it twice it'll pay for itself. I know the techs at the local Firestone so the scam/fraud issue is irrelevant for me. Plus as some of you know, I watch them like a hawk.
Kind of surprised how much flack I'm getting here. Yes, the trust and honesty is an issue with certain Firestone shops, which is why I said it is only worth it if your local Firestone is reliable. Perhaps some of you guys drive trucks that have less of a tendency to have alignment issues? All the FWD cars we've had in our family have needed alignments badly after 20-30k, though my dad's RWD van seems to stay in alignment.
Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
how often can you get an "alignment" done? every month? I'm sure they won't do it if you do that to them. I haven't had an alignment done in along time. I may have had it done once in almost 15 years of driving because my dad got upselled it once. but yeah, I don't think they are needed unless you are driving 25 mph over speed bumps. cornering hard and hitting the rims on the curb.
I actually do occassionally go over speed bumps at 20 mph, probably not good for the car, LOL. I'll probably have it checked and adjusted at least every 15k. Plus this gives me the opportunity to shim the rear twist-beam myself and bring it back for "checks."
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
Depends on the roads in your area.
What type of equipment they use at Firestone ?
Hunter DSP600 or Hunter Hawkeye.
Originally Posted By: chad8
Originally Posted By: Johnny248
Originally Posted By: chad8
I have had over 30 cars plus 40 years of driving and have had one alignment because of an accident done by the body shop. My tires usually last from 40000 on up.
My kids cars both needed one at $29 locally. They hit pot holes and blew rims.
I can not justify it.
$122 for something that might be needed twice in a cars life .
Keep that firestone in business. Not me.
where can you get an alignment for $29??
http://autotechclinic.com/coupons
I went for a $59 trans flush and they did a nice job too.
Very considerate shop.
No idea how a shop stays in business with those prices.
The Critic isn't dumb enough to buy a lifetime Firestone warranty, he's just pullin' our chain. He hasn't even posted again in this thread......
Yes, I did buy one. And it turns out that I am putting some serious mileage on this car, as I just racked up 4100 miles in less than six weeks. I bought one mainly because the previous generation Prius seemed to have a ton of alignment issues and the car needed frequent aligning in order to prevent tire eating. So, this is one of those "vehicle-specific" situations that I was trying to get ready for. Either way, an alignment at the dealer is about $100 anyway so if I use it twice it'll pay for itself. I know the techs at the local Firestone so the scam/fraud issue is irrelevant for me. Plus as some of you know, I watch them like a hawk.
Kind of surprised how much flack I'm getting here. Yes, the trust and honesty is an issue with certain Firestone shops, which is why I said it is only worth it if your local Firestone is reliable. Perhaps some of you guys drive trucks that have less of a tendency to have alignment issues? All the FWD cars we've had in our family have needed alignments badly after 20-30k, though my dad's RWD van seems to stay in alignment.
Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
how often can you get an "alignment" done? every month? I'm sure they won't do it if you do that to them. I haven't had an alignment done in along time. I may have had it done once in almost 15 years of driving because my dad got upselled it once. but yeah, I don't think they are needed unless you are driving 25 mph over speed bumps. cornering hard and hitting the rims on the curb.
I actually do occassionally go over speed bumps at 20 mph, probably not good for the car, LOL. I'll probably have it checked and adjusted at least every 15k. Plus this gives me the opportunity to shim the rear twist-beam myself and bring it back for "checks."
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
Depends on the roads in your area.
What type of equipment they use at Firestone ?
Hunter DSP600 or Hunter Hawkeye.
Originally Posted By: chad8
Originally Posted By: Johnny248
Originally Posted By: chad8
I have had over 30 cars plus 40 years of driving and have had one alignment because of an accident done by the body shop. My tires usually last from 40000 on up.
My kids cars both needed one at $29 locally. They hit pot holes and blew rims.
I can not justify it.
$122 for something that might be needed twice in a cars life .
Keep that firestone in business. Not me.
where can you get an alignment for $29??
http://autotechclinic.com/coupons
I went for a $59 trans flush and they did a nice job too.
Very considerate shop.
No idea how a shop stays in business with those prices.
The key is knowing who does a good job. I request a particular technician each time I go and he does good work.
I went last weekend and he noted the tire depth, pressure, checked the suspension, brake wear, balanced/rotated the tires, torqued the wheels, set the tires to the pressure I requested, and completed an alignment. I watched him perform the work and spoke to him as well.
He produced paperwork for the before/after and gave me his write up. Cost to me: $0.
I went last weekend and he noted the tire depth, pressure, checked the suspension, brake wear, balanced/rotated the tires, torqued the wheels, set the tires to the pressure I requested, and completed an alignment. I watched him perform the work and spoke to him as well.
He produced paperwork for the before/after and gave me his write up. Cost to me: $0.
I just wanted to update my comments above...
So the tech at Firestone noted I needed a new inner tie rod on his paperwork (passenger side). He took me out in the shop and showed the play in the tire and spoke with me about it. I declined to have them fix it, but requested the paperwork, estimate, and his written comments which they gave me.
So, I took my truck to my dealer service dept. where I usually go to when I don't want to attempt a DIY repair. I gave them copies of the Firestone papers and dropped off the vehicle.
I got a call a few hours later and they said I do need inner tie rods on both sides but I also need a new rack and pinion because mine is leaking.
My extended warranty will be covering the cost except alignment - something to the tune of $700.
I guess I said all of this because if it were not for the tech at Firestone, I don't know how long this would have gone on before I noticed or had a major problem. He took a few minutes out of his time to check suspension probably to try to make a few bucks, but it worked out for me in the long run.
He was only part right, I suppose, in his diagnostics, but it at least led to the repair.
I'm a little surprised this rack is leaking... I've had so much repaired in the steering system and I'm pretty certain this is the 2nd rack in the truck.
Off Topic: The dealer did try to upsell me a PSF flush, which I declined. I told him I do the turkey baster method every oil change and I've had at least 6 quarts go through that system since new. Any advice?
So the tech at Firestone noted I needed a new inner tie rod on his paperwork (passenger side). He took me out in the shop and showed the play in the tire and spoke with me about it. I declined to have them fix it, but requested the paperwork, estimate, and his written comments which they gave me.
So, I took my truck to my dealer service dept. where I usually go to when I don't want to attempt a DIY repair. I gave them copies of the Firestone papers and dropped off the vehicle.
I got a call a few hours later and they said I do need inner tie rods on both sides but I also need a new rack and pinion because mine is leaking.
My extended warranty will be covering the cost except alignment - something to the tune of $700.
I guess I said all of this because if it were not for the tech at Firestone, I don't know how long this would have gone on before I noticed or had a major problem. He took a few minutes out of his time to check suspension probably to try to make a few bucks, but it worked out for me in the long run.
He was only part right, I suppose, in his diagnostics, but it at least led to the repair.
I'm a little surprised this rack is leaking... I've had so much repaired in the steering system and I'm pretty certain this is the 2nd rack in the truck.
Off Topic: The dealer did try to upsell me a PSF flush, which I declined. I told him I do the turkey baster method every oil change and I've had at least 6 quarts go through that system since new. Any advice?
And just today, at 10,300 miles, it was confirmed that I need an alignment due to an excessive toe-out condition.
I forgot to update my last post as well...
New rack was installed (includes new tie rods) by the dealer under extended warranty. The dealer aligned it but the steering wheel was off, so I took it back to Firestone and they aligned it perfect. They weren't upset at all to do it again (they did it before the rack was replaced). Nice guys. I told the tech about BITOG when he mentioned he's on a few mustang forums.
New rack was installed (includes new tie rods) by the dealer under extended warranty. The dealer aligned it but the steering wheel was off, so I took it back to Firestone and they aligned it perfect. They weren't upset at all to do it again (they did it before the rack was replaced). Nice guys. I told the tech about BITOG when he mentioned he's on a few mustang forums.
Originally Posted By: teambeechstreet
Originally Posted By: Spector
My opinion, after the initial alignment, when you bring it back ,they never do the work, just give it back to you after driving in the bay.
I've worked with three different guys (one worked at a local firestone, one worked at a firestone several towns over, and another worked at a wheel works) and they all told me that the lifetime alignment was a crock. After the initial alignment, if a customer returned for the "free" alignment the techs were told to drive it into a bay or around back, not do the alignment while attending to other jobs, and then drive it back out front and call it a day. I know that this doesn't represent every alignment shop, btw.
And then if the person happened to buy TIRES with the lifetime alignment plan, Firestone would be eating the tires and the alignment work they SHOULD have done; because they have "proof" that they kept the tires maintained properly......not their fault that the service technician didn't do their job that they signed off on as doing....
I was considering an alignment plan when I get my new tires/rims (still shopping, decision making process lol)....since they are like $80 near everywhere locally.....there IS a cheap-o place about 40 minutes away, but they are always like backed up out the gate, down to the 7-11 slurpee machine! LOL....but hear they do an excellent job hehe.
Originally Posted By: Spector
My opinion, after the initial alignment, when you bring it back ,they never do the work, just give it back to you after driving in the bay.
I've worked with three different guys (one worked at a local firestone, one worked at a firestone several towns over, and another worked at a wheel works) and they all told me that the lifetime alignment was a crock. After the initial alignment, if a customer returned for the "free" alignment the techs were told to drive it into a bay or around back, not do the alignment while attending to other jobs, and then drive it back out front and call it a day. I know that this doesn't represent every alignment shop, btw.
And then if the person happened to buy TIRES with the lifetime alignment plan, Firestone would be eating the tires and the alignment work they SHOULD have done; because they have "proof" that they kept the tires maintained properly......not their fault that the service technician didn't do their job that they signed off on as doing....
I was considering an alignment plan when I get my new tires/rims (still shopping, decision making process lol)....since they are like $80 near everywhere locally.....there IS a cheap-o place about 40 minutes away, but they are always like backed up out the gate, down to the 7-11 slurpee machine! LOL....but hear they do an excellent job hehe.
Firestone is a joke. They couldn't handle a alignment on a 2011 Mustang with camber plates(4 bolts)....too exotic.
I found a local shop with a late-model Hunter machine that was comfortable with actually working on cars. The guy asked me about my driving habits, how hard I pushed the car etc. and did a great job of tweaking (within the factory limits)the front end to suit my driving style. Very pleased with the results....car tracks better than new.
I found a local shop with a late-model Hunter machine that was comfortable with actually working on cars. The guy asked me about my driving habits, how hard I pushed the car etc. and did a great job of tweaking (within the factory limits)the front end to suit my driving style. Very pleased with the results....car tracks better than new.
Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
how often can you get an "alignment" done? every month? I'm sure they won't do it if you do that to them. I haven't had an alignment done in along time. I may have had it done once in almost 15 years of driving because my dad got upselled it once. but yeah, I don't think they are needed unless you are driving 25 mph over speed bumps. cornering hard and hitting the rims on the curb.
I had one from 1977 foward on a car I disliked but had rebuilt the front end and wanted to keep. A 1971 Maverick with the [censored] Mustang/Falcon front suspension. I probably was in Firestone every few weeks or months. They honored it or else the next few years of college.
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how often can you get an "alignment" done? every month? I'm sure they won't do it if you do that to them. I haven't had an alignment done in along time. I may have had it done once in almost 15 years of driving because my dad got upselled it once. but yeah, I don't think they are needed unless you are driving 25 mph over speed bumps. cornering hard and hitting the rims on the curb.
I had one from 1977 foward on a car I disliked but had rebuilt the front end and wanted to keep. A 1971 Maverick with the [censored] Mustang/Falcon front suspension. I probably was in Firestone every few weeks or months. They honored it or else the next few years of college.
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