Wheel Alignment - $200 ?!?!?!

[Black_Sport]

So I my car was shaking at certain speeds and it ended up being my rear tires. I got them changed and asked them to align the truck and he said $50 so I said ok.

Well he comes back and says it will be $200 because they have to get some kind of bolt and something about cams.

My question what parts do I need to buy in order for that cost to go down. Also once I get the parts what should I expect?

 

[steventadams]

I think he may have said something about camber. You might need a camber kit which includes different cam bolts.

EDIT: cam bolts, not camber bolts

 

[Black_Sport]

so how much would I be looking at for all the stuff?

 

[japracer4]

what he is talking about are called cam bolts and centrics. these are used to adjust camber. your truck is factory equipeed with these. it could be possible that you are so far out of adjustment that the shop needs to replace them with others that will allow more adjustment. ask them to see a before printout of how your truck sits on the alignment rack. then have them explain why they are unable to adjust it with the factory ones. the only place that maybe you could by them from would be napa. but then you dont know what you are looking for or how much of an adjustment you need in degrees. the $50 you were quoted is for a toe set only. when you have to adjust camber or caster you WILL ALWAYS PAY MORE. if you can get a copy of the original before specs email them to me and i will explain them to you. i manage a shop and do alignments daily. you could expect to pay 30-50 dollars for cam bolts and centrics, each side ( times 2 ). hope this helps

 

[Black_Sport]

He said the front left was like 3 and right 5 so a 2 degree difference and both the backs were like -.1 in different directions. I believe thats what they were. Were those the right numbers?

They explained to me that I couldn't use the factory because they basically set them up and they wear out and you have to buy adjustable ones.

 

[japracer4]

cam bolts and centrics do not wear out. ever. they have a limited amount of adjustment but 9 out of 10 times there is enough there to adjust. unless you jump over cliffs or beat the crap out of your truck. thos numbers you gave couldn't be right. my advise would be to go to a different shop. big name places are better. they have better trained techs and equipment. i run an independent goodyear store and we just spent $30k buying a new alingment machine. that doesn't include the price of the rack. bolt kits can run $30-$50 your price. usually there is two in a box so you would need just one. then its usually a half hour per side extra in labor, so whatever their shop rate is, plus your alignment fee. i think in this case you should go to a reputable shop, have them explain to you in detail what they need to do, pay attention to what they say and ask questions. a little negative camber is ok. better handling. too much though wil wear the inside. if your x is adjustable in the rear like mine is have that fixed to. the front is measured in relationship to the rear. if the rear is out and you dont fix it you are wasting your money.