I got to get an alignment yesterday they say we cant get up there to do it its to low I say I'll take the front off to wich they replay even so the wheels are to big I said fine I'll put the steelies on
I leave put the steelies on come back take the front off in the parking lot and they take it in to get aligned a little later they come out and say well sorry we still cant do it its just to low over all the vehical is to low I just look at them stupid tell them to get the damn car off the rack and out of the bay
I put the front back on and well I'm still pissed about it I mean I do all this crap so they can do it and my car sits to low how stupid are you I'm only droped about and inch I just don't get it
cardomain page
some shops wont/cant/dont want to align a lowered car
Im a Xbox 360 fanboy...and damn proud of it!!
This is a fact. Some shops wont do lowered cars for the sheer fact that if the screw up anything they dont know about from their specs (stock), They're at falut (of course). Also they figure that if you had this stuff done, you either did the work or had someone else do it, thus if they deny problems you catch, you bank more from it. Be glad they were honest with you. I understand your pain though. Id be pretty pissed too for the fact that you help them do the work they could have done. Life goes on... Take your business somewhere else thats happy to do the work for you.
...They just HATE it when you ...POINT - LAUGH - then DRIVE OFF AND AWAY-!...
All Flawless wrote:This is a fact. Some shops wont do lowered cars for the sheer fact that if the screw up anything they dont know about from their specs (stock), They're at falut (of course). Also they figure that if you had this stuff done, you either did the work or had someone else do it, thus if they deny problems you catch, you bank more from it. Be glad they were honest with you. I understand your pain though. Id be pretty pissed too for the fact that you help them do the work they could have done. Life goes on... Take your business somewhere else thats happy to do the work for you.
bingo....
thing is, most shops "fear" doing an alignment on a lowered car, cause many cars have multi-link suspension. and many of those people lower the car simply to tuck wheels, doing this throws camber, toe wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy outta proportion...
so for many shops, even in the car is lowered a half inch they wont touch it
however with a cavalier/sunfire... etc macphereson struts, and a somewhat solid rear cause the only way you can adjust camber or toe is with shims...
theres not much change.
like said, go elsewhere, and make it known, "to simply align it to stock specs"
thats all you really need.
I think they can also have a problem with the front bumper being too low. The front beams won't be able to "communicate" with each other.
When I took my car to Meineke to get an alignment after I lowered it they wouldn't do it because they said it would scrape getting it onto the alignment rack. I went to NTB and they used boards to extend the alignment rack and make it more a gradual climb up onto it.
Rob
Sold 2/2/05
At our shop we have 6 foot boards that we put on the alignment rack ramps just for that reason. Thats the only way we can get corvettes and other lower cars up there. Like someone already stated find another shop that will do it and tell them you just want it set to stock specs. And don't be too surprise if they charge you more than their flat alignment fee. They will prolly have to grind your struts to get the correct camber, and most shops will charge for that type of extra work.
200 wheelhorse or bust
I got mine aligned no problem at Tuffy. I'm lowered a shade over 2" now (Sprint Springs settle quite a bit over time but I don't mind) and they didn't even flinch. But then again this is a shop where the manager has an RB26 powered 240SX and most of the mechanics have lowered their cars. You know they do their own alignments...
I did pay an extra fee, though. Like Purplehaze said. Not only because they had to do a little grinding - I'm guessing for clearance - but because they had to redo the rear section of my exhaust. When I had the pipe bent for the axle section I stil lhad stock springs and they bent it a little too low - why I honestly don't know - and it needed tucked up a bit.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Monday, September 11, 2006 6:16 PM
went to midas for mine, they had to lift the rear for the lift, but they were able to do it, twice even.
Sunfires... eh (Tom) wrote:I think they can also have a problem with the front bumper being too low. The front beams won't be able to "communicate" with each other.
this is true with alignment racks, that the beams must see each other. we have one at my school that is like that where the beams have to see eachother and i can't get a toe reading because the front sits to low.
but at my work (sears auto center) we have cordless racks, just put the heads on the wheels and run the machine. it will work for most cars, unless you have bigger than 20 in wheels. then we can't do it.
Volumeking333(Ryan) wrote:Sunfires... eh (Tom) wrote:I think they can also have a problem with the front bumper being too low. The front beams won't be able to "communicate" with each other.
this is true with alignment racks, that the beams must see each other. we have one at my school that is like that where the beams have to see eachother and i can't get a toe reading because the front sits to low.
but at my work (sears auto center) we have cordless racks, just put the heads on the wheels and run the machine. it will work for most cars, unless you have bigger than 20 in wheels. then we can't do it.
Damn, we have aligned vehicles at my shop with rims bigger than 24's, we've done lowered cars with no problem. Sounds like the alignment people are either lazy as hell, or they don't know anything.
If they actually knew something about alignments, not just kniw how to set it to stock spec, but actually understand camber, caster, SAI, toe, and all of that stuff and how it works, they could align it no problem. At the least they could have set your toe, so you wouldn't get tires chopping and stuff. They just didn't want to align your car, I hope they didn't charge you anything.
1983 Camaro Z28
well I talk to them just got get a answer to why and its cus the beams couldn't comunicate so I did find a shop that can but still just makes for a pissy day
cardomain page
ling427ttvette wrote:Volumeking333(Ryan) wrote:Sunfires... eh (Tom) wrote:I think they can also have a problem with the front bumper being too low. The front beams won't be able to "communicate" with each other.
this is true with alignment racks, that the beams must see each other. we have one at my school that is like that where the beams have to see eachother and i can't get a toe reading because the front sits to low.
but at my work (sears auto center) we have cordless racks, just put the heads on the wheels and run the machine. it will work for most cars, unless you have bigger than 20 in wheels. then we can't do it.
Damn, we have aligned vehicles at my shop with rims bigger than 24's, we've done lowered cars with no problem. Sounds like the alignment people are either lazy as hell, or they don't know anything.
If they actually knew something about alignments, not just kniw how to set it to stock spec, but actually understand camber, caster, SAI, toe, and all of that stuff and how it works, they could align it no problem. At the least they could have set your toe, so you wouldn't get tires chopping and stuff. They just didn't want to align your car, I hope they didn't charge you anything.
the reason why we can't align anything bigger than 20's, is because the heads don't go any bigger, thats the onyl reason, and we have some very expierenced techs that do most alignments
purplhaze wrote:..... And don't be too surprise if they charge you more than their flat alignment fee. They will prolly have to grind your struts to get the correct camber, and most shops will charge for that type of extra work.
I have never seen any shop grind any struts for any reason... and companies make camber bolts to help with alignment if you are dropped more than 1.whatever inches.
PRND321 Till I DIE
Old Motor: 160whp & 152ft/lbs, 1/4 Mile 15.4 @88.2
M45 + LD9 + 4T40-E, GO GO GO
-MD- LD9 wrote:purplhaze wrote:..... And don't be too surprise if they charge you more than their flat alignment fee. They will prolly have to grind your struts to get the correct camber, and most shops will charge for that type of extra work.
I have never seen any shop grind any struts for any reason... and companies make camber bolts to help with alignment if you are dropped more than 1.whatever inches.
Actually, some struts do have to be ground, I have witnessed it. I can't remember what it was on, some kind of van.. but we had to grind the strut bolt holes to do an alignment on it.
1983 Camaro Z28
where you from? If youre anywhere near Baltimore I could help you out a little. There is a Minekee on Richie Highway with a tech that can definately do it. I'm a litle lit at this moment, and I'm not sure of the address, but it's on richie highway , in Glen Burnie, right next to the honeybee diner. My friend is a tech there, and he has a lowered neon, which he's building up to take 22 lbs of boost. He's no stranger to tuned cars. just ask for Mike, and tell him that Henry sent you . He'll hook you up
