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Went to Les Schwab for an alignment.... need your guys help

h0wl0ngcanitbe

h0wl0ngcanitbe

Lifer
So I finally got around to to my alignment, 89 bucks not bad. Got the typical call from Les Schwab and they want to do a ton of work, what can I do what should I have them do. No way im shelling out 900 bones to Les Schwab ive been hosed in the past from those guys. Where are my suspension guys at, mods in my sig



 


Get everything checked by a real mechanic before you start replacing stuff. Wheel bearings whine and grind when they are going bad. Have you heard anything different going down the road?

If the bearing hub assembly does need replaced, doing so is within the capabilities of the average home mechanic with access to an air compressor, a decent range of sockets and whatnot, and a fair amount of patience (or friends with beer). Tie rod sleeve is pretty easy to see if it needs replaced. Got a hole or tear in it? Replace it. If not, leave it the heck alone.

Don't go back there. Look like a bunch of useless rip off artists to me. If you were around me, I'd send you to my alignment guy. He only complains about tires......
 


h0wl0ngcanitbe said:
Where are my suspension guys at, mods in my sig
Click to expand...
Only thing in your Sig:
Bunch of suspension parts from ZZP

that doesnt help much..


By the way, lots of these places will never not find something wrong when you come in for an alignment if you know what I'm saying.
 
Heh well I would never have them do this work but as far as alignments go I figured it was all the same. So I went with them just cause of location. After I got the call I figured I would look into doing the work myself, nothing has been acting up as of late I just figured since I lowered the car I should get a new alighnment.

Suspension is as follow, AGX KYB, SSC Springs, GMPP Front and Rear Sway, ZZP Trailing arms
 
I'd just go somewhere else. The only reason they would want to replace two front wheel bearings and one tie rod end would because they have play in them. If I were you I'd check that myself first to save me the trouble of taking it there, then having to bring it back, replace parts, and bring it back again.

And I have no clue why they're mentioning installing Cam bolts? Does that mean camshaft or something else? I doubt that's what it is.
 
02NavyBlue said:
I'd just go somewhere else. The only reason they would want to replace two front wheel bearings and one tie rod end would because they have play in them. If I were you I'd check that myself first to save me the trouble of taking it there, then having to bring it back, replace parts, and bring it back again.

And I have no clue why they're mentioning installing Cam bolts? Does that mean camshaft or something else? I doubt that's what it is.
Click to expand...

Camber
 


codyAK said:
They are wanting to install camber bolts to adjust the camber to counter for being lowered.
Click to expand...

If the lowering was done right, the camber would have been adjusted already. No need to install bolts just for a realignment unless the bolts are shot. It's a sucker charge, I'm tellin' ya! Find an honest shop, leave these clowns in the dust!
 
Is your car in need of new parts? If so, replace and align. If no, then find another shop.

Just have the toe adjusted. That amount of camber won't do anything, the toe out is what's going to ruin your tires.

brsims said:
If the lowering was done right, the camber would have been adjusted already
Click to expand...

How?

How do you adjust camber when using stock mounts?

The "right" way to lower is drop spindles. But no one here wants to get into any of that. You'd still gain camber as that's how a well designed suspension works. Get lower, gain camber, up until a certain point.
 


matt5112 said:
Is your car in need of new parts? If so, replace and align. If no, then find another shop.

Just have the toe adjusted. That amount of camber won't do anything, the toe out is what's going to ruin your tires.



How?

How do you adjust camber when using stock mounts?
Click to expand...

How do I adjust camber? I take it to my alignment guy, the same one I've been using for 21 years.....he takes care of aligning the whole car, plus making sure the steering wheel is set in the proper position. And he only points out things that actually need replacing, like worn out tires (his biggest complaint with everybody) or leaking shocks or weak struts....never once screwed me over on needing unnecessary repairs or replacements. Alignments are unfortunately something I cannot do in my sad little excuse of a garage.....
 
That's not at all what I'm asking.

What I'm asking is how lowering a car correctly would have the camber adjusted differently.

You state that you would not need camber bolts unless the factory bolts are somehow worn out.

So to get the camber back into factory spec, you'll need camber bolts, which are a cam like bolt, unlike the factory bolt which are standard bolts. Camber bolts are eccentric. If you wanted to run more than factory camber, then yes, you don't need camber bolts. I think that anything under 2* for a W body will be fine with proper tire pressure and rotations every oil change or two.

However to have your alignment "correct" and thus lower the car "correctly", you'd need to bring camber back within factory specs. The "right" way to do it is all dependent on your view, and mostly how deep your pockets are.

Arguably, enlarging one hole of the strut is sufficient. Arguably, that can shift over time, and an eccentric bolt is preferred. Arguably, that too can shift with a sudden jolt. Arguably, camber plates are the only way to hold reliable and measurable camber and caster adjustments. Arguably, camber plates are too pricey and sometimes not worth the metal they're made of depending on how it was designed.

Arguably, camber under 2* doesn't matter anyways. Toe is what you should focus on.
 
As Matt has pointed out when lowering you need ADDITIONAL adjustment that you can't get out of factory hardware.

It's like on my Stealth. I put coilovers on it and dropped it significantly from the factory height. I had enough play to get the front camber right, but the factory rear control arms do not have enough adjustment to get the camber back into spec. It's not a sucker upsell, its necessary equipment.
 
Whats the easiest way to test my hubs myself? I was already planning on replacing my LCAs here in the near future. Might as well just go ahead and do em now right?
 
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