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Alignment shop said $200!
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MrMatt
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for what its worth I paid $180 when I had my 91' aligned with camber shims/bushings. They spent a good hour with the air chizzle getting the old ones out so it was money well spent IMO.
jimbo74
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$180 for the alignment if that was labor and parts is good/well resonable.... those bushings are a pita, trust me, i did mine at work on my day off..... alignment and free shims was only $69.89 
but you get hookups when you work for places that work on cars and have parts that were written off as missing from inventory a long time ago 
but you get hookups when you work for places that work on cars and have parts that were written off as missing from inventory a long time ago austxjus4fun
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What do we ask for, when trying to determine if the equipment the alignment shop uses, is the newer type?
dogfriend
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Originally posted by X-factor
What is "copasetic"?
copacetic
adj : completely satisfactory; "his smile said that everything was copacetic"; "You had to be a good judge of what a man was like, and the English was copacetic"- John O'Hara [syn: copasetic, copesetic, copesettic]
. zavetsky
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The reflector equipment that Isaw was bright orange and very new looking...there are beams of light that seem to come from the head of the machine and bounce back to the wheel mounted gizmos.....although taht is how I thought the old ones worked.....
So what do I know....not much....
So what do I know....not much....
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I personally avoid shops that use the latest equipment........
The ol tape measure alignment shop are the ones who really know what they are doing..........
The ol tape measure alignment shop are the ones who really know what they are doing..........
X~FACTOR
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I gather your from the old school
and there's nothing wrong with that. I guess the best scenario would be to have new equipment being used by knowlegable workers.
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Right on there.
Anybody can clamp a lazer to a wheel and go look at a monitor...........its the guy with the tape measure and greasy hands who can actually tell you whats going on and why, instead of reading a printout.
Dont get me wrong for a stock vehicle the lazer machines get it dead on, but when you are dealing with a home built hybrid custom front end like mine I want a guy who knows what he is looking at behind the wheel.....
OH and dont think I didnt try the cheapest alignment places in town first...I did. "Sir, they dont make a camber shim enough to correct your problem, blah blah blah" so I went and bought the Moog 2.75 degree shims myself, installed them, then drove it back to him the next day and showed them that the camber was now able to be aligned....then the friggin jerks left off BOTH of the o rings that go on top of the ball joint just in case the pinch bolt comes loose so your wheel doesnt fall off, AND they installed different pinch bolts on both sides for some god only knows why reason so it would take 2 seperate sockets to do the shims....it never ends withthose guys!!
Finally Brett turned me on to a real alignment shop here in town, I never looked back. Also he only charged me $10 last time to align it because since Brett pointed me there I have sent about 8 people his way......
Not alot of cheapo lazer high school employee alignment shops know how to properly do the TTB, especially once its lifted, let alone cut and turned beams, extended radius arms, etc.......
Anybody can clamp a lazer to a wheel and go look at a monitor...........its the guy with the tape measure and greasy hands who can actually tell you whats going on and why, instead of reading a printout.
Dont get me wrong for a stock vehicle the lazer machines get it dead on, but when you are dealing with a home built hybrid custom front end like mine I want a guy who knows what he is looking at behind the wheel.....
OH and dont think I didnt try the cheapest alignment places in town first...I did. "Sir, they dont make a camber shim enough to correct your problem, blah blah blah" so I went and bought the Moog 2.75 degree shims myself, installed them, then drove it back to him the next day and showed them that the camber was now able to be aligned....then the friggin jerks left off BOTH of the o rings that go on top of the ball joint just in case the pinch bolt comes loose so your wheel doesnt fall off, AND they installed different pinch bolts on both sides for some god only knows why reason so it would take 2 seperate sockets to do the shims....it never ends withthose guys!!
Finally Brett turned me on to a real alignment shop here in town, I never looked back. Also he only charged me $10 last time to align it because since Brett pointed me there I have sent about 8 people his way......
Not alot of cheapo lazer high school employee alignment shops know how to properly do the TTB, especially once its lifted, let alone cut and turned beams, extended radius arms, etc.......
TheRookie
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The system we use is indeed reflector based. Basicaly a hexagonal reflector is mounted on each wheel. The computer asks you for vehicle info and such then walks you through propper procedure to allow the machine to measure. Then it walks you through the allignment. I can respect the old school train of thought. With an idiot on the new system you may not get a great job. However propperly trained people will do as good if not better with the new system. ALWAYS ask for a print out of the before and after measurements. Though if you dont know what you are reading it will not mean much to you.
BTW, the new machine does not in any way keep your hands from getting greesy.
BTW, the new machine does not in any way keep your hands from getting greesy.
Runnin'OnEmpty
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I bought a set of alignment tools from JC Whitney several years ago. They have paid for themselves many times over. Wheel alignment isn't rocket science, but you do need a level floor, and have to take your time. With a little practice, you can do an accurate job in your own garage.
VOATMJ1
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I have always heard this, and every vehicle that I have owned for the last few years, whenever I get an alignment, I have had a full tank of gas, and no problems afterwards.
As far as old school alignments are concerned, I had a Mercury once back in the early 80's, and had it aligned 4 times by a new (at the time) fangled computer alignment machine. HORRIBLE! I then went to a Mom and Pop garage, and he took a string, YES a string, and chalk and had 4 mirrors, and when he was done, it was one of the BEST alignments that I have ever had! The wheel was straight and true, the center of steering was right on, and the vehicle tracked straight as an arrow.
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