VJZ

iTrader: (3)

So, in my town there are two car dealers: Ford and Chevy/Buick

The Chevy dealer usually has great service and what not.

So, I took my car there to have it aligned, since I just put Espelirs on and new tires.

They call me an hour later, and I am expecting them to tell me to come get it.


NO.

The lady tells me that they had the car on a lift and the tech could not get the bolts loose with his impact.

She said the service manager wouldn't allow them to just do the front because it could "Wear the rear tires out even faster."

I was like...whuuuu

So I asked how much extra time it would take.

She told me out the door is unknown for cost, but "probably over $200"


I got kind of tweaked and just said I'll pick it up and have a second opinion.

I was FURIOUS.

So I go to the dealer to get my car, and he charges me $41.00 for looking at it. I tried to dispute it but he wouldn't give me the key back. He said the $41.00 is for them to try to "get those darned tight bolts loose."

So I paid him and left. I didn't cause a scene or anything, but I'm sure he knew I was pissed.

I got home and called the Ford dealer, and I'm waiting until 2 eastern time here to get it done there.


If these bolts TRULY are rusted, where are they at on the car so I can try and heat them up myself before taking it over there?

Or, should I just wait and see what the Ford guys say?

Its like...I like to support local businesses, but when they try and snowball me I don't want to do business with them.

Any help in the next few hours?

ConSynX

iTrader: (1)

there's a few bolts.
if you're under the car you'll be able to tell which bolts they are. From the back of the hub you can trace the bars and find those that had adjuster plated on the bolt holding them on. . .


PhD in Physics...i wanted one, but the time necessary is a huge turn-off.

VJZ

iTrader: (3)

I'll have to figure out which they are. I'm not an alignment technician...lol.


The thing that REALLY tweaked me was when the manager said, "Its kind of a decent car, but with that many miles and its age I am not surprised."

Seriously? A DECENT car? Its not mint, but its by far better than decent.

And high miles? Compared to what? Oh...compared to ANYTHING they sell.

I'm steaming right now.

Does this sound fishy or might they actually be right?

ConSynX

iTrader: (1)

yes and no
those bolts can suck
i have >200k, and a couple of my rears are pretty much stuck or BARELY adjustable.
on the other hand, dealerships are shady. always trying to make an easy buck.

Alignments and paint...the only thing i've had done to by car by others for a while now.

ICONYQ

iTrader: (3)

guy did not know what he was doing. I got mine off with a impact and you could tell they had not been off. Took a little work...oh wait that might have been the issue--> WORK

VJZ

iTrader: (3)

See part of me wonders if Chevy is doing that because they probably won't be in business by the end of the year and are trying to price gouge as much as possible.

Idk...not trying to make this a political thing, but thats one of the first things I though of other than wanting to curse this guy out in front of his staff.


If Ford does it, I am calling the Chevy dealer and telling them that Ford was able to do it.

I'll probably even write GM a letter as well.


Anyone have a pic of the right bolts to PB Blast?

5sp_jzz30

iTrader: (2)

when i did the subframe swap this winter pretty much all my alignment bolts were seized due to rust.

you really cant heat them and break them loose. the bushings will start melting, or get really soft, before the rust breaks loose.

i bought all new bolts from the toyota dealer. dont go to lexus. same product but 1.5 times more expensive. the bolts are about 6 bucks each for the rears. the fronts are a bit more.

you have 2 alignment bolts in the rear on each side(1 for toe and 1 for camber). so 4 total.

you have 2 alignment bolts in the front on each side(both in lower control arm). so 4 total.

what i did was carefully cut out the old ones and then then install new ones. what happens is the bolt shank seizes to the metal sleeve inside the bushing. the bolt will turn a bit but wont let itself work like it should. it works like a cam. offset bolt. i always put anti-seize on the sleeve and the bolt shank.

i have the part numbers for the rear bolts back at home. the fronts you can get from the dealer. just order the alignment bolts for a 94+ supra. NA or TT doesnt matter.

VJZ

iTrader: (3)

I'm going to check and see if I see any indications as to a socket being on the bolt.

I'm pretty angry about this.

I mean, GM will never have my business for buying a car, but I wanted to do the right thing and keep service work that I can't do locally.

So, my intentions are in the wrong place I see.

VJZ

iTrader: (3)

Damn! This is probably a similar issue then.

I need it aligned before I go the TN on Friday.


If worse comes to worse I'll just have the front done and drive it down.


Or wait to buy new stuff and take my Volvo.


But, I'm running the Tail of the Dragon, and the Volvo doesn't have much in the way of suspension upgrades yet.

rdm20fan

You’re probably going to get the same thing from Ford. The sleeve seizes around the bolt.
Lexus replaces the entire control arm. They don't sell just the bushing. And to be honest replacing the entire control is the easiest thing to do, and that’s even a pain in the @$$.
The bolt won't turn in the steel sleeve. When you turn it you’re only twisting the rubber.
Basically you'll probably need to take it to Toyota, or Lexus, and the control arm aren't cheep. It's a common problem on the SC's

ConSynX

iTrader: (1)

as you can see now, there's two ways this could go.

You could need to replace the control arm or the bushings and bolts....OR the workers could just be lazy and not want to put any time into it.

It's probably more likely that you need to replace parts
I'm delaying doing miny till I have a couple grand. I want lsd at the same time.

5sp_jzz30

iTrader: (2)

if the sleeve is actually seized then just buy a prothane bushing kit. replace the bushings, bolts, and call it a day. no need for new control arms unless the ball joints are bad.

VJZ

iTrader: (3)

I called the dealer and he gave me some of the specs.

RR camber and toe was out a full degree
LR camber and toe was out about a half a degree.

Front he said they did not look at too much but said there were no loose parts or anything they could see that would prevent an alignment.

He also said I need the rear done to do the front.


I mean, If I have Ford just do the front, would it still be okay to drive down to the Dragon?

it doesn't appear to dog track at all....

The camber from the rear looking at it looks tight as hell and isn't excessive, but I'm not sure.

Obviously when I get home I'll start saving up for the bushing kit.

5sp_jzz30

iTrader: (2)

you can do front or rear alignment independently. you dont need to do one to do the other although doing both is best.

if your rear alignment is off you will wear the tires real fast. the car might try to oversteer more then usual. just be ready for it and stay on your toes.

it wont oversteer under normal conditions but it most likely will when doing hard driving.

when i dropped my car it still tracked straight but the rear had tons of camber. right baout -4*. ate through a set of tires with 30% thread in about 2 months or less.

get the front done and then when you come back from your trip do the rear. i suggest investing in an alignment plan from NTB or equivalent.

there is an NTB that is 30 mins from my house that has very good people at it that actually drift and work on tuner cars. my car is 3" off the ground and he can drive it up the alignment rack without front bumper removal. i spend 170 bucks for a 5 year alignment plan. they will change it any time within 5 years for free.

find something like that around you. it will save you money in the long run.

VJZ

iTrader: (3)

Got back from Ford.

Great guys!

The run down is as follows

FRONT LEFT
2.29
-2.03
-0.04
-2.57
+0.33

FRONT RIGHT
1.75
-2.17
-0.32
-2.29
0.32

FINAL FRONT= 0.01

LEFT REAR
2.33
-2.02
-0.07
-2.57
0.33

RIGHT REAR
1.84
-2.17
-0.30
-2.28
0.36

FINAL REAR= -0.02



Meh