Wheel alignment - do you leave your car? - Page 2

Express · 25-02-2016, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by castellan

like coil overs are big load of toss nowadays with people believing it's the only way to go B/S ! they would try to sell your grand mother coil overs

Coilovers offer more adjustment over a spring and shock package, whether you need that on a street car is unlikely or at the very least debateable.

What they do offer is the opportunity to refine the stance of the car.

If it’s aesthetics you’re after you can adjust the ride height to get accurate closure on the guard to tyre gaps which is something you can’t do to the same degree with off the shelf springs.

The added advantage after that is you then have the means to be able to adjust the handling performance of the vehicle.

On the track, well it’s all about adjustment to get the perfect setup for your car and driving style.

My Chassis man tried to talk me into springs and shocks for my new Ute as he said it was more cost effective.

When he admitted he may not be able to get the ride height perfect for my new rims and tyres then coilovers became the logical answer.

castellan · 25-02-2016, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Express

Coilovers offer more adjustment over a spring and shock package, whether you need that on a street car is unlikely or at the very least debateable.

What they do offer is the opportunity to refine the stance of the car.

If it’s aesthetics you’re after you can adjust the ride height to get accurate closure on the guard to tyre gaps which is something you can’t do to the same degree with off the shelf springs.

The added advantage after that is you then have the means to be able to adjust the handling performance of the vehicle.

On the track, well it’s all about adjustment to get the perfect setup for your car and driving style.

My Chassis man tried to talk me into springs and shocks for my new Ute as he said it was more cost effective.

When he admitted he may not be able to get the ride height perfect for my new rims and tyres then coilovers became the logical answer.

Yes that's true I agree totally with you in that all.

**M&Ms** · 23-02-2016, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeJaVu GT

Every time I get my BF GT aligned, it takes them atleast 3 goes to get right! Rev bouncing burn outs and body damage is one thing. But a quick squirt round the block. Who cares.

Exactly. My FG GT stays with tyre places all the time, who cares, it's a car, and it's covered by their and my insurance. More things to worry about...

Falcon SXR8 · 23-02-2016, 04:34 PM

Place I take mine too usually test drives them after to double check but I just ask when its dropped off that I would prefer it not driven and they have no problem with that.

99AUXR · 23-02-2016, 05:42 PM

I do a load of wheel alignments as well. Always take car for a drive, hey, if customer wants to come with me fine but I would think he was abit weird ahahaha. Seat cover, floor mats drive it respectfully. I mean some cars are just loud. I mean allot of us leave our cars with tuners and they are doing what?

But honestly so many times as above you will do an alignment and it drives so poorly, Back in redo it a few times. Trust goes along way, also most cars with repairs all get driven depending on the repair of course.

**cs123** · 23-02-2016, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 99AUXR

I do a load of wheel alignments as well. Always take car for a drive, hey, if customer wants to come with me fine but I would think he was abit weird ahahaha. Seat cover, floor mats drive it respectfully. I mean some cars are just loud. I mean allot of us leave our cars with tuners and they are doing what?

But honestly so many times as above you will do an alignment and it drives so poorly, Back in redo it a few times. Trust goes along way, also most cars with repairs all get driven depending on the repair of course.

I would expect that my car is road tested after an alignment.

Feathers · 23-02-2016, 07:39 PM

I sat and waited while mine was done, and it was only moved around the yard, not roadtested. Once I headed off to work, I noticed that the steering wheel wasn't straight anymore, and had to ring up to let them know I would be back, as I couldn't be late for work. When I got back, the guys remembered my name, and the car was straight in.

**GasoLane** · 23-02-2016, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feathers

I sat and waited while mine was done, and it was only moved around the yard, not roadtested. Once I headed off to work, I noticed that the steering wheel wasn't straight anymore, and had to ring up to let them know I would be back, as I couldn't be late for work. When I got back, the guys remembered my name, and the car was straight in.

This is why they should be road tested.

olfella · 23-02-2016, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GasOLane

This is why they should be road tested.

Or clamp the steering wheel in the straight ahead position before starting adjustments. Then there is the action - reaction to consider. If you need to go one way then the other side should be considered as well. I have seen so called professional wheel aligners take the steering wheel off just to get it sitting correctly but then it reduces the amount of turns from lock to lock. Also coming from the days of manual steering boxes to power steering it is very hard to get feed back through the steering wheel - especially if the caster is set back.

mechanic · 23-02-2016, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olfella

Or clamp the steering wheel in the straight ahead position before starting adjustments. Then there is the action - reaction to consider. If you need to go one way then the other side should be considered as well. I have seen so called professional wheel aligners take the steering wheel off just to get it sitting correctly but then it reduces the amount of turns from lock to lock. Also coming from the days of manual steering boxes to power steering it is very hard to get feed back through the steering wheel - especially if the caster is set back.

I don't know if the true basics of wheel alignment are taught to those working in tyre shops. In my day we had to be fully proficient as most adjustments were achieved by shims. Firstly kingpins had to be checked then tie rod ends plus any bushes [ normally threaded steel with a grease nipple ].
Majority of steering boxes were worm and ball nut.
My bosses would have been horrified to see anyone shift the original position of the steering wheel although I saw it done in a lot dealerships in later years.
Falcons were easy with the camber bolts provided they held on rough roads.

Most foreman and service managers were pretty fussy about wheel alignments, cop cars were the worst as kerbs etc must be just part of the highway when they're in a hurry.
I had the RTV done recently. New bushes and ball joints and wheel alignment, wasn't right as it had a slight drag to the left but had to go travelling didn't have time to get it redone and have got used to it now. Won't be going back to that business, if he did take it for a test drive he's obviously not as fussy as I am. Tyres are wearing evenly though so not all bad.
I think a thorough test drive is essential if the customer wants it done right.

4vxc · 23-02-2016, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mechanic

I don't know if the true basics of wheel alignment are taught to those working in tyre shops. In my day we had to be fully proficient as most adjustments were achieved by shims. Firstly kingpins had to be checked then tie rod ends plus any bushes [ normally threaded steel with a grease nipple ].
Majority of steering boxes were worm and ball nut.
My bosses would have been horrified to see anyone shift the original position of the steering wheel although I saw it done in a lot dealerships in later years.
Falcons were easy with the camber bolts provided they held on rough roads.

Most foreman and service managers were pretty fussy about wheel alignments, cop cars were the worst as kerbs etc must be just part of the highway when they're in a hurry.
I had the RTV done recently. New bushes and ball joints and wheel alignment, wasn't right as it had a slight drag to the left but had to go travelling didn't have time to get it redone and have got used to it now. Won't be going back to that business, if he did take it for a test drive he's obviously not as fussy as I am. Tyres are wearing evenly though so not all bad.
I think a thorough test drive is essential if the customer wants it done right.

with the tyres on the RTV you could probably swap the 2 fronts over will most likely stop the car pulling to the left

STEALTHY · 23-02-2016, 08:55 PM

I have dashcams front and rear. And whilst they're not hidden, most places havn't noticed them enough that they'll have a full on personal conversation not realising its being recorded.

I expect people to give the car a squirt (F6X) to see how it goes. Providing they're not damaging it, or getting it impounded, its all good with me. In fact i'd be worried if they're babying it along, i'd rather someone who knows how to handle a car be in control of it.

I recently moved to vic, and have just found a new tyre dealer that i'm happy with (Bridgestone) so he'll be doing all the tyre/align work on my cars from now on.
Had a miss and a hit on the general mechanic though (the miss wasn't because of how he drove the car, it was because he suggested replaicing parts that were done a few months ago (and are still perfect) and because he put a sticker on my car without asking (on the outside on the back window). I'm happy to advertise your company, but not with a sticker on my car.

4vxc · 23-02-2016, 07:42 PM

Nice work Spurious
What sort of car are you talking about
Just a idea to try, instead of jacking the car up you can actually use sheets of newspaper under the wheels to act as slip plates.
I've done this on my XC as I don't have access to a aligner now
If you're jacking it up I'd be bouncing on car to settle it and probably roll it forward a bit also

Spurious · 24-02-2016, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4vxc

Nice work Spurious
What sort of car are you talking about
Just a idea to try, instead of jacking the car up you can actually use sheets of newspaper under the wheels to act as slip plates.
I've done this on my XC as I don't have access to a aligner now
If you're jacking it up I'd be bouncing on car to settle it and probably roll it forward a bit also

I own an AUII sedan. Did the same on my previous car too, XF sedan.

Re: newspaper- I mentioned ramps for that reason. The wheel remains in its normal position, & the force of a spanner on a tie rod is enough to move/ toe the wheel in or out. No different than nudging the steering wheel.
Maybe place a bit of timber under each wheel to reduce the friction (tyre then sits on a flat surface as opposed to ramp slats).

As for bouncing, a quick lap on a straight road will sort it out. That is the most time consuming part of the procedure. Adjust, drive, adjust, drive...at worst it'll take me 4 goes.

Windsor220 · 23-02-2016, 10:16 PM

One of the biggest issues I've found with people doing wheel alignments is they test them on uneven roads. So the road slants to the left and the car drives straight but as soon as you put it on a flat road it pulls right. Its amazing some people dont get that or cant judge the road properly.

SYZ · 24-02-2016, 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strattos

G'day fellas,

Just curious how you go about trusting your car to workshops for wheel alignments or replacing tyres? Do you leave it with them or camp out at the workshop until it's done? [...]

I have no worries leaving my car with the local mechanic's or tyre shop for the day. I live in a small rural town, and with a "Toxic" V8 BA ute, everybody in town would know if it was being thrashed during a road test—which IMO is a must.

mike_nofx · 24-02-2016, 09:44 AM

Fit a $50 dash cam, at least just for when its being rego tested and wheel aligned etc, mount it in an obvious location so the test pilot knows hes being recorded... then surely no issues.

olfella · 24-02-2016, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike_nofx

Fit a $50 dash cam, at least just for when its being rego tested and wheel aligned etc, mount it in an obvious location so the test pilot knows hes being recorded... then surely no issues.

My dealer and I know Toyota dealers as well, do not service vehicles with cameras working will make you disconnect it if fitted. It is illegal to record anyone without their knowledge - so put yourself in their shoes. Would you like to be recorded while doing your job?

FPV0137 · 24-02-2016, 12:49 PM

Wheel alignments are an issue for me.
I have a decent relationship with the local bob janes. Been going there since I got my licence, get along with the manager pretty well and even go out some weekends for skids with him... But my baby is physically too low for them to do the wheel alignments...
Pedders can get my car on their hoist easily, but they were the typical, I don't give a toss, just here to make money, kind of workers so my steering wheel has always been a 1/4 turn to the right when going straight...
The local pedders just copped a new owner and my brother is probably going to be working there soon so ill try again lol

As for the dash cams, I'm sure if its on your insurance that you have one, you could use that to keep it up there? Either way, the cam wouldn't be recording the mechanic, only the test drive, and of its in an obvious spot, it wont be without their knowledge.
Mechanics should really expect these things when dealing with peoples pride and joy on a daily basis....

olfella · 24-02-2016, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razorwire

As for the dash cams, I'm sure if its on your insurance that you have one, you could use that to keep it up there? Either way, the cam wouldn't be recording the mechanic, only the test drive, and of its in an obvious spot, it wont be without their knowledge.
Mechanics should really expect these things when dealing with peoples pride and joy on a daily basis....

I agree, but is is mainly recording sound and that is against privacy laws. I know this because mine picked up a conversation in the workshop where they said the foreman told them to **** around with my car to keep me happy and I used that when I complained. I don't know how that goes when a news service shoves a camera in your face when you leave court but maybe we should not hijack this thread and remember that issue for another day.

Brian_H · 17-05-2016, 01:09 AM

I'm in the Hills area of Sydney and have always found it difficult to get a good align and balance.

Does ANY shop these days do ON-CAR dynamic balancing? I had a guy once two decades ago that did and he retired. Never been able to find an ON-CAR balancer since. It balances the whole wheel with the brake disc and hub - much better to remove and out of balance wiggle in the steering than the hit-and-miss OFF-car static balance or the OFF-car dynamic balance.

Anyone know of a guy doing this in Sydney? If not then who's the best wheel aligner going? Cheers!

Spurious · 24-02-2016, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olfella

Would you like to be recorded while doing your job?

You'd be surprised how many factories, businesses, retail stores & workshops alike that have cctv. Most need them for THEIR insurance.
If you shop at coles or woolies...you're on candid camera, & they don't ask your permission do they!

If you have something to hide, by all means ask for the camera to be switched off. The decision for me to go elsewhere when confronted by THAT response, would be an easy one!

olfella · 24-02-2016, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spurious

You'd be surprised how many factories, businesses, retail stores & workshops alike that have cctv. Most need them for THEIR insurance.
If you shop at coles or woolies...you're on candid camera, & they don't ask your permission do they!

If you have something to hide, by all means ask for the camera to be switched off. The decision for me to go elsewhere when confronted by THAT response, would be an easy one!

It is not the camera so much as the sound. Wonder what even the boss thinks if he could hear what employees are saying about him. Even at Coles or Woolies

mike_nofx · 24-02-2016, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olfella

My dealer and I know Toyota dealers as well, do not service vehicles with cameras working will make you disconnect it if fitted. It is illegal to record anyone without their knowledge - so put yourself in their shoes. Would you like to be recorded while doing your job?

I am recorded whilst doing my job, these are amazing quality cameras too.

Well if you're really concerned I guess you find a workshop who will allow the camera to remain on.

I see you mentioned sound being the bigger issue in another post, I don't really see why? I don't think they're saying too much as they are thrashing your car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spurious

You'd be surprised how many factories, businesses, retail stores & workshops alike that have cctv. Most need them for THEIR insurance.
If you shop at coles or woolies...you're on candid camera, & they don't ask your permission do they!

If you have something to hide, by all means ask for the camera to be switched off. The decision for me to go elsewhere when confronted by THAT response, would be an easy one!

Yes very true. The only reason a mechanic would insist a camera be turned off is if they have something to hide.

Franco Cozzo · 24-02-2016, 02:29 PM

When ever we carry out work on customer cars they are always test driven to make sure everything is working correctly.

With booking in cars the way I run is the car is delivered to me at 8:30AM and you pick it up at 6PM, it doesn't matter what its in for, if you've booked in then its here between those times, /work locally, I will drop you off home or at work and come and pick you up if need be.

It gives us leeway if we run into unexpected problems on a customers car.

If its done earlier (most are) ill give you a call.

Vesper Martini · 24-02-2016, 02:32 PM

I don't have this problem because I don't get wheel alignment's.
I find it amusing sitting at Bob Janes getting tyres fitted, watching their videos convincing people to get one every 10,000 kms.

BTW they don't test drive them either

blackf6 · 24-02-2016, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

I don't have this problem because I don't get wheel alignment's.
I find it amusing sitting at Bob Janes getting tyres fitted, watching their videos convincing people to get one every 10,000 kms.

BTW they don't test drive them either

Ok... Do you just keep replacing your camber worn tyres?

Vesper Martini · 24-02-2016, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeJaVu GT

Ok... Do you just keep replacing your camber worn tyres?

No because there's nothing wrong with my camber.

my last tyres (old car) 100,000kms current set looking at doing similar.

Imagine if I let somebody put the spanners on it and ruin that for me.

blackf6 · 25-02-2016, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

No because there's nothing wrong with my camber.

my last tyres (old car) 100,000kms current set looking at doing similar.

Imagine if I let somebody put the spanners on it and ruin that for me.

I drive too fast through corners.

2011G6E · 17-05-2016, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackf6

Ok... Do you just keep replacing your camber worn tyres?

That's...kind of what I was wondering too...