Here is the before specs on Nov 7th.  After five years of driving and 67000 miles. My gut instinct was to leave this alone.  I should have listened. 



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Here is the before and after yesterday.  Thoughts are how that can cause such severe tire damage in just 7500 miles, (it don't take much). And this is a textbook example of how just 1 thing out of alignment can affect other readings.  I assure you the only thing that was reset yesterday was the right rear chamber.  When putting that back in place, everything else automatically went back into spec.   Wheel alignment would be an interesting career to tech into.    Anyways, now my new worry is this going to hold?  I wish I had known this info before I went to their shop.  Id have told the kid to add a little muscle to that torque.

Last edited by Greg B (5/16/2024 6:12 AM)

I bought a set of tires for my 2005 Ram 2500 a number of years ago, and the shop included a "free" alignment.  They called and told me the truck was ready and when I got there, the rep said they couldn't do the alignment because the ball joints were too worn - and it would be $600 to replace them.

I said "no thanks", and asked for a $75 credit on the tire bill (the cost of the alignment on their "prices" poster behind the counter), since they weren't going to do it.  I guess I was a "Karen", but it was an excellent debate, with their manager finally getting involved.   I got my $75 credit, paid my bill, and took the truck to the alignment shop I normally use and trust.  They had no issues with doing the alignment.

I came out ahead, learned not to use that business, and had some fun in the process.

I had a set of tires put on one time and the guy told me my steering rack was leaking (WRX) and needed to be replaced.  I usually don't let on that I'm car savvy until its to my advantage, so I let him dive deep down the rabbit hole.  A reman rack was going to be $850, plus installation and it would need an alignment after. so over $2,000 by the time all was said and done.  I asked him how he determined the rack was leaking.  He said the fluid level in the reservoir was low and the rack had oil on it.  So I asked if he actually looked at the oil.  He was puzzled, so I told him the oil was from a typical Subaru valve cover leak that had since been fixed.  If he'd checked he would have seen the oil was brown, not red, and that the fluid in the PS reservoir had been at the level it was at now since I bought car 15 years ago (it was between MAX and MIN).  The car still has the original rack in it with 218k miles.  I replaced the inner and outer tie rods and replaced the bellows some years back because one of the bellows had a tear.  Still handles like a slot car, and the steering has no dead spot on center.  I think at this point we all know knowledge is power.  I think we also know most shops are dishonest. 

I don't understand how they can calculate that small of an angle with something that clamps onto a tire rim?