No factory rear alignment gear?

[bad]

I needed an alignment because I slid into a curb with my front driver's side wheel one icy morning. Midas said somewhere in the $60s for a two wheel and somewhere in the $90s for a four wheel alignment. Another place near my house said $79.99 for the four wheel alignment and they had no separate prices for two or four wheel. So I went with them. First mistake was not asking about taxes and fees, because it came to $90 anyway, where as I know midas always has their fees included in there stated prices.

I got the print out with the before and after settings of my car. The front had been changed and aligned. The rear wasn't changed at all. The cambers in the back are fine, but the toes aren't.

Left Rear toe: 0.48 degrees.
Right Rear toe: -0.25 degrees.
The Rear total toe seems fine though: 0.23 degrees.

I asked the guy at the garage to give me the whole alignment that I paid for but he said there is no factory rear alignment gear on my vehicle and that I would have to pay extra shop labor for them installing shims to fix that and that it isn't worth it unless I notice excess tire wear.

So lesson learned; for anyone who has an alignment problem and you are at least 90% sure that it is your front only, go somewhere that lets you pay less to only get the 2 wheel alignment.

Besides that, I was just wondering what you all think or if you know that he is telling the truth.

Thanks.

[Yaristeve]

Originally Posted by bad

Left Rear toe: 0.48 degrees.
Right Rear toe: -0.25 degrees.
The Rear total toe seems fine though: 0.23 degrees.

I would be very wary with those numbers. Your "total toe" may be .23 degrees but the toe is pointing to the right. I would be very careful about checking to see if your car is not "crab walking" down the street as if you are in a permanent drift. Ask a friend to follow you while driving down the freeway to see if the car at least looks like it is tracking straight.

[IllusionX]

You would have to buy shims and have them fitted to modify toe/camber.

[CoryM]

In terms of tire wear, total toe is what matters. Toe will always even itself out while driving: While driving left and right toe will be the same. When it does this, your rear will be slightly further right than the front. Not large enough to cause any issues, except for the steering wheel being slightly off (probably not enough to be noticeable). Since total toe is good, it is not likely from a collision, and just that the axle-beam bushings are worn. Have a look at those bushings and unless you see torn or separated rubber, forget about it. Your car is fine, and may have left the factory with those angles. The shims they speak of are plastic, are not a good idea, not how to fix your car, and a waste of money.

In terms of pricing, most vehicles just need front and rear toe adjustments (if equipped). You can ask for them to just do your toe, and the price should be lower than a full alignment. I'm tempted to explain that cheaper isn't always better, but with how most people do alignments I am not so sure. We typically charge for a full alignment, but we do them better than most shops/dealers so the value is there. If you take a picture or scan the printout I can tell you how well your guys did.

Cheers.

[bad]

I uploaded the print outs. I took it back because the steering wheel was crooked to the left after the first alignment (after the curb hit, it was crooked to the right). They said they did the best they could and it is still crooked to the left. The car drives straight though.

Please let me know what you think.

[CoryM]

Looks like they are adjusting the car correctly. The front toe is close, and the camber is with-in spec. Looks like one of the two alignments was done on a hoist that is not level (minor change in camber readings). Your steering wheel is likely off-center due to the "thrust angle" of the rear end. As you are driving down the road, the rear end scoots over a little, and the steering wheel is off-center because of it. Will not cause tire wear.

Your choices at this point are likely:
-live with the steering wheel being off
-pay them to try and adjust the wheel closer to center. This is not part of a normal alignment as it is caused by your cars thrust angle. basically they have to guess at where the steering wheel will be, then adjust the front toe the other direction to compensate for the thrust angle
-replace the worn or bent parts. If the rear twist axle has never been hit, you may just need the bushings replaced. If it's been hit, you'll need to replace it. If it's been hit hard, your brackets/frame may also be bent (unlikely).

Cheers.

[bad]

Thanks for the quick response. I'll do what yaristeve said and see if someone driving behind me can tell if my car looks like it is driving in a permanent drift while driving on a straightaway. If not I'll just deal with the crooked steering wheel. It is only a little crooked. I don't have a hydraulic lift and it is still cold out so I don't think I'll be checking any bearings any time soon. Thanks again.