Zahid

I test drove 4 GX last month when I was in the market. All of them, every single one, pulled one side or the other. I asked the dealers and they said its the road. One said they will take care of it if I buy the vehicle. At some point, I thought its me since I never drove a body on frame before. Finally I found one that tracked dead straight. I bought it (not just based on that but overall).

Never thought it is that widespread of an issue until I stumbled up on this thread.

4les

Before purchasing the GX, I ensured that the steering was centered and there was no left/right pull. After 5k miles the steering is biased to the left but still goes in a straight line.
I had a similar issue with my 4runner where steering was not centered and it would drift on the highway. After multiple attempts to get the alignment fixed I had enough and sold it.
Hopefully I get the alignment sorted in the upcoming service, have OCD with the alignment and steering.

DallasDave

iTrader: (1)

We had the same problem with our GX. The alignment was correct and we even put new tires on it. NTB finally fixed it by adjusting the passenger front side's castor. The technician said that there is not an official adjustment, but he tweaked it and altered the angle slightly. It is virtually perfect now.

1111GS

cancruiser

Digging a bit deeper into this. For anyone who actually did wheel alignment, do you mind posting the report? Particular the castor(caster) number.

DallasDave

iTrader: (1)

That is the technician's writing on the sheet, not mine.

cancruiser

The caster looks alright.

My 80 Land Cruiser had similar issue since I bought it, it would wander around the road and drift on its own. It would also follow the smallest rut or groove in the road. After much research and many attempts to correct it, it was found that the factory caster values were barely adequate and doesn't give the vehicle enough "attitude". I added an aftermarket bracket which corrected that and added a couple of degrees to the caster values. That was many years ago, and she's been tracking very nicely since.

From what I am reading here, it could be something similar. But how can I be sure..

msgs350

iTrader: (2)

I just bought this today, since i recently put on new tires and wheels. After about 36k, the original Michelins on my 2015 were down to 3/32nd (looked like it wore evenly) so i replaced it with Falken AT3s and Volk TE37s. Even though the car drove straight, I decided it was probably time for an alignment after 4 years and 40k miles. The only thing out of range was the Right Front toe. After adjustments, everything looks to be within range.

Magnumpi

I purchased the lifetime alignment years ago for my FJ Cruiser. I get my alignment checked/adjusted 2-3 times per year. I go on few hunting trips per year and several off road camping trips. The lifetime alignment is well worth it and has more than paid for itself. During the process of buying new tires, I negotiated down the price to $125. Regular one time alignment was $89. It just made sense to get the lifetime, only go twice and it pays for itself. Firestone is also owned by Wheelworks. So you can purchase the lifetime alignment and use it at any Wheelworks or Firestone location. Lifetime alignment is NOT just the lifetime of the new tires, but the lifetime of the vehicle as long as you are the owner of the vehicle. Once you sell it, the lifetime is void. I just purchased a used GX. Once those tires wear out, I plan to get an lifetime alignment. However, I was told that Lexus has to do some "calibration" after alignment. Is that true? If so, might not make sense to get the lifetime unless firestone/wheelworks can also perform the calibration.

2012GX460

ok, I was curious and went to the Firestone website, entered my vehicle info, 2012 Lexus GX460 premium.
This was the result??

Alignment Results

msgs350

iTrader: (2)

Same happened to me. I called the store I wanted to visit and they were able to confirm that they could do it.

cancruiser

And I never buy "lifetime" anything because it is usually vague and never works in favour of the consumer.
For example, the lifetime alignment deal mentioned here, does it only apply if you install Firestone tires only or not? What if you want to install other brands?
Also, who's lifetime? Your lifetime, the tires or the truck lifetime?

Is there a certain schedule between alignments that you have to follow in order to maintain this lifetime deal active? Similar to the obligation of doing seasonal tire rotation in order to for the manufacturer to honour their tire warranty..??

too many variables!!

msgs350

iTrader: (2)

I hear you. Its the lifetime of you owning the vehicle (so i guess my lifetime here ) and tire brand hasn't matter, in my experience. Since the GX will likely remain with stock suspension, and we'll probably keep it for at least 5 more years, i felt it was worth it (2 alignments will be the break even point). I've bought this before for my 2007 GS350 in 2010 and was able to get that car aligned once a year regardless of the brand or age of tires on there. I've never had them turn me down for an alignment on that vehicle, so that's why i bought it again. You can go to any Firestone, very convenient for me as i had some close to work.
I look at this program as somewhat of a "loss leader" since they inspect certain components of the suspension, possibly brakes and can sell you on those services and also oil changes since you are already there.
For what its worth, Firestone recommended i bring in the car every 6k miles for a alignment check. I usually keep a car 5 years, so even if i did this service twice, it would be even money for me. Now, I can see Firestone turning you down if you have worn out parts and don't repair it and repeatedly come back for "checks and adjustments".

tigmd99

msgs350

iTrader: (2)

I trust them for alignments just from my experience, the one i go to has the Hunter alignment machine and the tech seems to know what he is talking about when he explains things to me, such as on my Impreza. For what its worth, I don't fully trust dealership neither nor do I expect a master tech to be doing alignments, at least on a regular basis. My guess is that the tech select the car make/model on the machine software, make the adjustments to get within the manufacturer ranges (GREEN) and its good to go, but again..just my guess.

I don't give the dealerships more business than i need to due to bad experiences and generally higher labor rates..but hey..those comfy waiting areas and amenities won't pay for themselves.