Wheel alignment thoughts/views

techietaichi · 08-18-2013, 06:00 AM

Ok, so a day after I got my car lowered a few months ago, I took it to Town Fair Tire for an alignment...(braces for the smack-down). Look, I know it probably wasn't the best choice, but it was quick, within my budget at that time and right up the road from me. Truth be told, it rides rather nicely. Anyways, my ride's good and "settled in" now and I can get up from $70, so I'm strongly considering taking it to my dealership that's offering the alignment for $130. That's not much more, $60, but someone tell me, what's the benefits? How's their alignment superior to anyone else? Yes, I know, it's a BMW dealership, but still... I did speak with my SA during my last visit and he said they'll apply weight in the car to get a more accurate "read", but beyond that, I don't see the difference. I suppose I want to hear about some fantastic breakthrough in wheel aligning that will prompt me to release my iron grip on my money. So if you will, school me.

Denny347 · 08-18-2013, 02:28 PM

I don't know about "breaktrough" but I just had mine aligned after coilovers installed. I called a very old and well respected indy BMW mechanic spod and asked who did their alignments. They referred me to neighboring shop that had the exact same alignment equipment that the dealers use. They send all their BMWs there that need alignments. $79 later and I was back within factory spec.

jwalker87 · 08-18-2013, 03:40 PM

For alignments, the equipment is only part of the equation. Most equipment is designed for ease of use by non-skilled operators, not precision. They get it "in tolerances," call that good enough and hand it back to you. If you want the best possible alignment, buy a laser level and learn to do it yourself. It's really not that hard.

If you don't want to do that, your best bet is to find an alignment-specific shop near you. Where I used to live, there was a place called "Straight Ahead" that specialized in suspension work and alignments. You may pay a little bit more, but they will give your alignment the attention to detail that it needs, and will be worth it.

bumere90 · 08-19-2013, 12:49 AM

I recently got an alignment done at my local dealer.
I paid $189 for a 4 wheel alignment and road force balance.
It is totally worth it.
2 reputable alignment shops just couldn't do it. The car would always pull to the right.
Not anymore.
You always get what you pay for.

fazman · 08-19-2013, 02:46 AM

Firestone does mine for a lifetime agreement of $200. The first time i followed spec and brought the sand bags from toys r us for weights

3x50lbs sand bags for drivers seat
3x50lbs sand bags for passenger seat
3x50lbs sand bags for rear center seat
47lbs weight for trunk
And a full tank of gas for added weight.

After that i realized that all i need to do is bring the car in with a full tank of gas and its the same damn thing. Never an issue with tires in the 50k miles without sand bags usage. I get my alignments done for free every 3 or 4 months... Just because i can as part of my lifetime agreement.

My local firestone also uses the same hunter alignment machines that the dealership uses. The only thing my firestone won't do is the front camber because of the locking pins. Then again my front camber doesn't need adjustment because of the locking pins

meaning if my camber is off... Its probably because of bent suspension parts from a hard hit.

bhmax16 · 08-19-2013, 11:46 AM

Alignments are not rocket science and a poor alignment job is simply due to laziness. Almost all reputable shops (dealer or indy) use laser-guided Hunter machines. I've been to Hunter's facility and am Hunter certified and generally performed 9-12 alignments per day at the shop I used to work at. It's only worth going to a dealer or good indy if you don't have the means to reset your steering angle sensor, which will justify the higher cost. Otherwise, any good shop (whether they specialize in BMW or not) can perform a perfect alignment and you can always reset the steering angle sensor yourself with INPA or BT tool (alignments on BMWs are no harder than any other vehicle, and much easier than some such as older Saabs and Chrystlers with the damn upper steering racks). No alignment is worth more than $90-$100 when it's ALL labor and most techs can perform a full alignment in 15-20 minutes, so paying more than an hour's worth of labor is asinine

08-18-2013, 06:00 AM	#1
techietaichi Major 295 Rep 1,311 Posts Drives: 2006 325i Pre-LCI & 2010 X3 Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Massghanistan, USA iTrader: (1)	Wheel alignment thoughts/views Ok, so a day after I got my car lowered a few months ago, I took it to Town Fair Tire for an alignment...(braces for the smack-down). Look, I know it probably wasn't the best choice, but it was quick, within my budget at that time and right up the road from me. Truth be told, it rides rather nicely. Anyways, my ride's good and "settled in" now and I can get up from $70, so I'm strongly considering taking it to my dealership that's offering the alignment for $130. That's not much more, $60, but someone tell me, what's the benefits? How's their alignment superior to anyone else? Yes, I know, it's a BMW dealership, but still... I did speak with my SA during my last visit and he said they'll apply weight in the car to get a more accurate "read", but beyond that, I don't see the difference. I suppose I want to hear about some fantastic breakthrough in wheel aligning that will prompt me to release my iron grip on my money. So if you will, school me. __________________
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08-18-2013, 02:28 PM	#2
Denny347 Major 360 Rep 1,080 Posts Drives: 2008 M3 E90 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Indianapolis, IN iTrader: (0)	I don't know about "breaktrough" but I just had mine aligned after coilovers installed. I called a very old and well respected indy BMW mechanic spod and asked who did their alignments. They referred me to neighboring shop that had the exact same alignment equipment that the dealers use. They send all their BMWs there that need alignments. $79 later and I was back within factory spec.
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08-18-2013, 03:40 PM	#3
jwalker87 Major 331 Rep 1,031 Posts Drives: '08 335i, '11 335xi, '01 Z3M Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Pittsburgh, PA iTrader: (2)	For alignments, the equipment is only part of the equation. Most equipment is designed for ease of use by non-skilled operators, not precision. They get it "in tolerances," call that good enough and hand it back to you. If you want the best possible alignment, buy a laser level and learn to do it yourself. It's really not that hard. If you don't want to do that, your best bet is to find an alignment-specific shop near you. Where I used to live, there was a place called "Straight Ahead" that specialized in suspension work and alignments. You may pay a little bit more, but they will give your alignment the attention to detail that it needs, and will be worth it. __________________ 2001 e36/7 M Roadster 5spd 2008 e90 335i 6spd 2011 e90 335xi 6spd 2011 e70 x5 diesel 2010 Ducati Monster 696 Last edited by jwalker87; 08-18-2013 at 10:09 PM.. Reason: typo :P
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08-19-2013, 12:49 AM	#4
bumere90 Grozniy 188 Rep 2,602 Posts Drives: Carless Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: FL iTrader: (12)	I recently got an alignment done at my local dealer. I paid $189 for a 4 wheel alignment and road force balance. It is totally worth it. 2 reputable alignment shops just couldn't do it. The car would always pull to the right. Not anymore. You always get what you pay for. __________________ -fatman
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08-19-2013, 02:46 AM	#5
fazman Brigadier General 688 Rep 3,696 Posts Drives: 335 e90 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	Firestone does mine for a lifetime agreement of $200. The first time i followed spec and brought the sand bags from toys r us for weights 3x50lbs sand bags for drivers seat 3x50lbs sand bags for passenger seat 3x50lbs sand bags for rear center seat 47lbs weight for trunk And a full tank of gas for added weight. After that i realized that all i need to do is bring the car in with a full tank of gas and its the same damn thing. Never an issue with tires in the 50k miles without sand bags usage. I get my alignments done for free every 3 or 4 months... Just because i can as part of my lifetime agreement. My local firestone also uses the same hunter alignment machines that the dealership uses. The only thing my firestone won't do is the front camber because of the locking pins. Then again my front camber doesn't need adjustment because of the locking pins meaning if my camber is off... Its probably because of bent suspension parts from a hard hit.
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08-19-2013, 11:46 AM	#6
bhmax16 Lieutenant 167 Rep 398 Posts Drives: '22 M4, '23 CX-50 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: North Carolina iTrader: (0)	Alignments are not rocket science and a poor alignment job is simply due to laziness. Almost all reputable shops (dealer or indy) use laser-guided Hunter machines. I've been to Hunter's facility and am Hunter certified and generally performed 9-12 alignments per day at the shop I used to work at. It's only worth going to a dealer or good indy if you don't have the means to reset your steering angle sensor, which will justify the higher cost. Otherwise, any good shop (whether they specialize in BMW or not) can perform a perfect alignment and you can always reset the steering angle sensor yourself with INPA or BT tool (alignments on BMWs are no harder than any other vehicle, and much easier than some such as older Saabs and Chrystlers with the damn upper steering racks). No alignment is worth more than $90-$100 when it's ALL labor and most techs can perform a full alignment in 15-20 minutes, so paying more than an hour's worth of labor is asinine
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