My wheel alignment results

Euphoria1z

So i was happy to find out the worst case scenario cost would be £46 to adjust my wheel alignment (John Bean system) but unfortunately he couldnt get one of the bolts off (the rear adjustment bolts, camber washer not turning with the bolt) so he couldnt adjust the rear passenger side wheel.

all other 3 wheels were adjusted and are green but ones red. he said its out by 3 minutes (is it not meant to be 3 degrees?) i still got charged full £46 as he said hes adjusted both front and back axle and they charge per axle.

The car still drives straight .....

he did try and explain that this should not cause uneven wear on any of the tyres but im not sure...

caster readings are green, all 4 camber readings are green, but my rear left wheels toe is red (rest are green)

rear left range is 0 deg 06' to 0 deg 12' with 0 deg 09' being ideal, and mines is 0 deg 15' so its out by atleast 3'.

is this bad? will it cause excessive tyre wear ?

to get the bolt off it could be costly as he said if it doesnt come off you will need to replace the arm or something

Thanks

Throbbe

Euphoria1z wrote: »

all other 3 wheels were adjusted and are green but ones red. he said its out by 3 minutes (is it not meant to be 3 degrees?)

Three degrees would be a long way out. As you've probaly guessed, there are 60 minutes in a degree.

Euphoria1z

so how bad is it being 3 minutes out ?

colino

Ignore a 3' variation. In most cars you could get more of a deviation than that by just having a passenger in the car or a bootfull of shopping.
Remember not to go back there though, clearly all the tools and none of the skills if he couldn't do an adjustment like that.

andygb

colino wrote: »

Ignore a 3' variation. In most cars you could get more of a deviation than that by just having a passenger in the car or a bootfull of shopping.
Remember not to go back there though, clearly all the tools and none of the skills if he couldn't do an adjustment like that.

I had the Mondeo (2000 mk2 ) done last year after having front tyres fitted, because after the lower wishbones and tie rods were fitted about 18 months ago, the front tyres (which were already well worn) were knocked out in no time.
So, having got the old bird MOT'd last month (we couldn't afford it at the time), I have given it a couple of runs, and noticed that the steering wheel was just as out of line as before it had the tracking done. More alarmingly was the fact that the new tyres which have less then 500 miles, both have a scuff mark ariound the inside rim.
So, I took it back in today and a different guy rechecked it.
The result is a complete revelation - the wheel is straight, no nasty noises when driving in a straight line - so maybe the job had been done properly this time.

Euphoria1z

ive taken it to a few garages and basically it needs a new lower arm/wishbone...ive been quoted £30 for labour.

looking on ebay i can find this but not for my 2003 volvo s40 1.6 petrol

driven the car all day and its going to the right when steering is straight (just a tad).

looks like it will cost around £90 all in (part around £35 if i can find it, £30 labour, £10 for the nuts and washers from volvo but depends on final price), plus VAT.

might just leave it though.

Strider590

I have a similar situation with my Vectra, camber adjustment bolts have seized, would require £350+ to get them changed.

TBH for me it's cheaper to just keep replacing tyres a little bit faster.

Euphoria1z

Strider590 wrote: »

I have a similar situation with my Vectra, camber adjustment bolts have seized, would require £350+ to get them changed.

TBH for me it's cheaper to just keep replacing tyres a little bit faster.

why £350 plus? Volvo parts are more expensive than vauxhall i would imagine, and mines is about £100 per side from a local garage (garage quoted me for a pair but i said one side only please)...

since the alignment my steering is no longer straight, (it was perfect prior but all four wheels were out, now 3 are fixed but steering is out a little) so im not sure if i want to spend £100 quid on top just to get the steering perfect.

colino

He has completely screwed up the job then. 3' out on one rear wheel would not make it crab at all.

Strider590

Euphoria1z wrote: »

why £350 plus? Volvo parts are more expensive than vauxhall i would imagine, and mines is about £100 per side from a local garage (garage quoted me for a pair but i said one side only please)...

since the alignment my steering is no longer straight, (it was perfect prior but all four wheels were out, now 3 are fixed but steering is out a little) so im not sure if i want to spend £100 quid on top just to get the steering perfect.

Because it would involve the replacement of the entire lower rear wishbone, both sides..... As I said, the old camber bolts have seized.

Euphoria1z

colino wrote: »

He has completely screwed up the job then. 3' out on one rear wheel would not make it crab at all.

what does "make it crab" mean?

the 3 wheels hes fixed are showing green ( on the print out) and are with in range of the specification..(if i knew how to upload the pics here i would so you can see)

i dont know how to go back and argue coz hes already said before i left that if i bring it back he cant do anything till the rear bolt issue is resolved ..as far as hes concerned hes done the best he can under the circumstances.

im still trying to find the correct part (lower control arm rear left for a 2003 volvo s40 but no luck)