Should I be annoyed? - Firestone Alignment

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Looking at the before and after printout, anyone saying that things should have been shimmed, cut and ground to get the specs closer to perfect is crazy. Just saying.

What I am trying to say is I highly doubt that the shop cheated you. I dont think everyone was high fiving each other on the great con job they just pulled off. More likely the tech seen an issue fixed it and its done. They were just doing their job.

FWIW its not hard to straighten a wheel in your driveway if you dont mind a little work. I would rather pay 80 bucks and get the full story though.

If it was the medical field and they did a check using a 100k machine, the charge would be 800 dollars just to hook it up.

Another reason I left the field of Automotive Technician.
 
Originally Posted by Dave9
^ Camber and caster ARE adjustable, you just aren't thinking like a trained alignment tech.

You bend back what went out and if holes need enlarged or a plate and redrilled you do that. If there is a damaged suspension component it may need replaced too.

There is no vehicle that can't be aligned for caster and camber back to the factory specs, unless it is so damaged it simply isn't safe to drive. If you don't know how, that is why you're paying someone $150+ to do so, plus parts.

Alignment isn't just about "is there a cam bolt or slotted hole to do that". That's merely one way to adjust alignment for things that most frequently need it. If someone says it can't be aligned, most often it merely means they don't know what they're doing or it's outside of what they're willing/capable of doing. and should not bill for the job if it can't be completed.


OK...so you, what...remove the steering knuckle, put it in a press, and hope you don't crack it? Because THAT (or adding pricey camber plates) is the only way to adjust camber or caster on some cars! The only way to adjust camber on my wife's Blazer would be bending the axle housing.
 
Originally Posted by Jarlaxle

OK...so you, what...remove the steering knuckle, put it in a press, and hope you don't crack it? Because THAT (or adding pricey camber plates) is the only way to adjust camber or caster on some cars! The only way to adjust camber on my wife's Blazer would be bending the axle housing.


Clearly you are wrong. Granted there is no such thing as "axle housing" but any part out of spec, can be either returned to spec or replaced. This whole "can't be aligned" is stupidity. It's all about what the tech you encounter, can do.

Do you understand math? If you are dealing with someone incompetent, the clear answer is move on. Don't waste your time on someone who "can't do" more than their limited training allows. You then take it to someone who is a real mechanic instead of some token gesture tech who only fiddles with what their limited training taught them. AKA a real mechanic.

There is no such thing as not being able to realign unless the parts are too rusted to give. If you want to accept lies, it's your vehicle.
 
Originally Posted by Dave9
Originally Posted by Jarlaxle

OK...so you, what...remove the steering knuckle, put it in a press, and hope you don't crack it? Because THAT (or adding pricey camber plates) is the only way to adjust camber or caster on some cars! The only way to adjust camber on my wife's Blazer would be bending the axle housing.


Clearly you are wrong. Granted there is no such thing as "axle housing"...


What would you call this, then?

[Linked Image]


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...but any part out of spec, can be either returned to spec or replaced. This whole "can't be aligned" is stupidity. It's all about what the tech you encounter, can do.


OK, one more time: you, what...remove the steering knuckle, put it in a press, and hope you don't crack it? Because THAT (or adding pricey camber plates) is the only way to adjust camber or caster on some cars! Off the top of my head, there are no camber or caster adjustments on almost everything with MacPherson struts.

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Do you understand math? If you are dealing with someone incompetent, the clear answer is move on. Don't waste your time on someone who "can't do" more than their limited training allows. You then take it to someone who is a real mechanic instead of some token gesture tech who only fiddles with what their limited training taught them. AKA a real mechanic.


Repeating the same incorrect statements does not make them correct. Math is irrelevant...a distraction, not a good one.

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There is no such thing as not being able to realign unless the parts are too rusted to give. If you want to accept lies, it's your vehicle.


Yet again: regurgitating the same incorrect statements does not make them correct. Continuing to regurgitate them is a lie.
 
Originally Posted by RamFan
Originally Posted by Eddie
Sounds like your wife did a good job at doing yours. Ed


You must be a real peach, Ed.

Truth hurts ay.
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Originally Posted by StevieC
Originally Posted by dishdude
Originally Posted by StevieC
It was a minor adjustment yes, but you have to pay for the tech's time to put the car on the machine and twist/turn the wheels to check for alignment and make any necessary adjustments.

The adjustments they did make were good for a number of reasons so it's money well spent.


And I'm sure the tech gets paid zero for an alignment check that takes him half an hour and pulled him away from a paying job.

How is he/she not getting paid? He/she is at work and the clock is running. It might not pay as much as something else but he/she is still getting paid.
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As an alignment tech (for BMW), no, we don't get paid for those dumb "free" alignment checks. We are flat rate, if the customer is not paying for something, the tech is not getting paid. If someone requests a free alignment check, 100% guaranteed to be up sold an alignment.
 
I used strings to align my '92 Chevy truck a few months ago. Perfect wear, and drives dead straight down the highway. Cost: a few feet of string, lol.
 
Originally Posted by Jarlaxle

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There is no such thing as not being able to realign unless the parts are too rusted to give. If you want to accept lies, it's your vehicle.


Yet again: regurgitating the same incorrect statements does not make them correct. Continuing to regurgitate them is a lie.


Foolish nonsense. Any part that can't be adjusted because it would crack if you tried to force it, did not cause the misalignment in the first place because it would have cracked, then been a damaged part that you replace.

You obviously don't understand math or metal and have an extreme mental block that would cripple you at getting things done in many different disciplines.

There is this thing called science. It includes math, measurements, adjustments even if by hammer or chains and hydraulics,, and replacing parts that don't adjust. This is not rocket surgery.

Again, if you don't know how, that is just a great reason why you pay someone who does.

There is NO vehicle that can't have the alignment brought back to factory spec if you know what you're doing and will replace parts too, unless the frame is so severely twisted that it's not safe to drive either way.

Please never post about any topics that you are so ignorant about!

Non-Adjustable from the factory ONLY means that to correct a problem that you have to get it back to the factory dimensions. It is laughable that you don't understand that any damage which altered that, can be undone or parts replaced to correct it. Really? No I I mean really really really you don't even understand math? I am flabbergasted that you don't understand math.

This is the first time this decade that I've used the word flabbergasted. Consider yourself special.
wink.gif
 
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Originally Posted by Dave9
Originally Posted by Jarlaxle

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There is no such thing as not being able to realign unless the parts are too rusted to give. If you want to accept lies, it's your vehicle.


Yet again: regurgitating the same incorrect statements does not make them correct. Continuing to regurgitate them is a lie.


Foolish nonsense. Any part that can't be adjusted because it would crack if you tried to force it, did not cause the misalignment in the first place because it would have cracked, then been a damaged part that you replace.


Unsupported speculation. There are these things called "production tolerances".

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You obviously don't understand math or metal and have an extreme mental block that would cripple you at getting things done in many different disciplines.


Ad hominem personal attack.

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There is this thing called science. It includes math, measurements, adjustments even if by hammer or chains and hydraulics,, and replacing parts that don't adjust. This is not rocket surgery.


More ad hominem personal attacks. Weak sauce, needs more meat.

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Again, if you don't know how, that is just a great reason why you pay someone who does.


One more time: there is often nothing to adjust. Keep rereading that until you understand it. Yet again: changing camber or caster on my wife's Blazer would require bending the axlehousing. The same was true for my Cherokee. Millions of cars with MacPherson struts have no camber adjustment.

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There is NO vehicle that can't have the alignment brought back to factory spec if you know what you're doing and will replace parts too, unless the frame is so severely twisted that it's not safe to drive either way.


The "factory spec" is often a considerable range...I've seen at least one vehicle where a degree of POSITIVE camber-not the hot ticket for handling-was within the "factory spec". (That vehicle DID have a way to adjust it, though many do not.)

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Please never post about any topics that you are so ignorant about!

Non-Adjustable from the factory ONLY means that to correct a problem that you have to get it back to the factory dimensions. It is laughable that you don't understand that any damage which altered that, can be undone or parts replaced to correct it. Really? No I I mean really really really you don't even understand math? I am flabbergasted that you don't understand math.

This is the first time this decade that I've used the word flabbergasted. Consider yourself special.
wink.gif



And another ad hominem personal attack, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
 
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