So I take my Camaro to a tire store to have the front end realigned after replacing the struts and mounts. I ask the guy if he can do it today(Sunday) and he say's sure we can get you in. I ask the guy if he has the tool to hold the mounts while adjusting the caster and camber and he said "there is a tool for the camaro". I said "yes, do you have one", no he replies. So I ask him if I go bring you the tool and show your tech how to use it will you align it.

Short history about me. I work in GM dealerships as a tech for 24 years and I retired after spine surgery.

I go home and grab the tool and take it back. I catch the tech outside bringing the car in and ask him if he knows how to use it, he said yeah I've used those before in the last shop I was in..... Cool I think, the guy knows how to do this.

After he was done he pulls the car off the rack and takes it for a ride. He pulls right back in and starts to mount the align machine heads again. I catch him and ask him if it's still pulling. He looks at me and say's next time mark the body when I pull the struts out.... I'm like WTF, dude they are new mounts, the old ones were shot and had been aligned with them in.

Once again I ask does it still pull. He say's no but the camber was out on one side. I tell him I eye balled the alignment to get it here, the caster is way off. He tell's me there is no adjustment for caster(now I'm getting pissed because I must have aligned 1000 of these cars and I know you can set caster). Dude!!! put that tool back on the mount and loosen it up and hit that **** with a dead blow hammer!!!!...It WILL move. The guy argues and says it only has slots for camber. I tell him the caster slots are hidden just hit the **** with a dead blow.

Finally he said OK if you insist(yes Damnit, I do). I know this clown has no clue, I tell him how to center the steering wheel. He insisted on using the hunter machine. I used that same machine for 15 years, there isn't one that comes off dead azz straight so I tell just extend one and retract one the same amount on the tie rods and your good to go.


Needless to say I reset the caster cause it stilled pulled after I got it.

I want to go back to spinnin wrenches so I'm gonna make them give me a job and fire that idiot.

End of rant

 

Wow, 43 views and no one has a comment.

 

Got to love people that work at shops.

Local tire store here few years back put my center caps back on with a hammer breaking 3 of the 4 centers. They were mad that they couldn't just swap the rear rims to the fronts and the fronts to back when I took the car in for a tire rotation. I even told them when I dropped off the car the offsets were different and it wouldn't work. Yet they just had to try anyways. They came back out and told me that it didn't work. I said, "Yeah if it was that easy I would have done it myself." Long story short they had to buy me 3 new caps at GM Dealership for around $45+ bucks each.

Another time the local shop wanted me to pay $75 per fuel injector on reman. AC Delcos.

PS: Keep it tech related or it will be locked. The mods are pretty strict around here.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I try to keep all my post technical even if it's a rant

Ya know if I had a rack I would have done it myself.

$75.00 for a reman delco?!?! Delco doesn't reman those to my knowledge, the coils are usually shot, LOL. Besides, wholesale new is about that price.

Bummer about the center caps bud. Stupidity does cost us all.

I haven't seeen a general forum just for BS. Is there one, I maybe blind

 

I think the reason for all the views and no posts is a “what do you really expect” attitude.

I mean, you’ve worked in the industry, and if you had a clue I’d bet that most of the people that you spent any time talking to were others that had a clue, but for the most part I would argue that most really don’t have any clue at all.

I’ve finally found someone that, on the relative scale is a kid that I actually trust (calls me repeatedly with tech questions for changes, parts selection, advice on how to do some jobs…, but I probably trust him with a wrench in his had as much as I trust myself if not more). The thing is that when I ask him about doing some work, his general response is “well, I’d rather you just showed up with some beer on the weekend or some afternoon and did it yourself…”

To be honest with you, with alignment stuff I’ve found that on a lot of cars I’m more likely to get satisfactory results by just eyeballing it (well, in a pinch, using a tape measure, level, angle finder…) then paying someone to do it. Even if I want it fairly precise and go to the extent to shim up the tires so that they’re dead level… it still takes less time to do all the measuring… then the multiple shots and arguing with the average monkey to get it done right.

 

Personally, topic would make a great technical writeup in the tech section so we can all learn how to align properly.

 

83 Crossfire TA, It was a informative rant. I really didn't expect to many posts. I was mearly warning you guys if a frtend tech say's they can't set caster because there is no adjustment they are dead wrong. My other point was, if you don't know how to do it don't sell the job.

The machine he was using does show how to set every aspect of the alignment with pic's! Also the machine's manufacture offers free alignment training.

Your right, most of the people I hang out with do have a clue and obviously this guy doesn't.


Big AL91, I would be more then happy to write up a article on aligning all generations of F-bodies. The problem we will run into would be special tools but at a min I could do one with say a bubble gage or protractor and a tape measure.

 

some jackstands and string are helpful in figureing out if it's dog tracking...

 

Where can i buy an alignment tool, and by that i mean that hook that attaches to the fender and hooks onto the strut tower. Then you turn the turnbuckle and it pulls the strut towards the fender. I have the part number for Kentmoore tools J-29724 but its very difficult to find one. Im doing a lot of suspension mods and its expensive to keep taking it to the shop to get aligned, and not only that, it takes 2-3 hours sitting there waiting for them just to put it in the bay.

 

Mr Badwrench I did suspension work for 10 years myself at GM dealerships and aftermarket and attended a course in St. Louis with Hunter Engineering at the time 2 week Advanced Alignment. I completely agree with your rant, Taht is the exact reason I quit busting knuckles for a living. There are way too many "techs" out there that think they know but don't have a clue. Read Elthesh post of what his alignment "tech" said. it's interesting

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/susp...t-problem.html

 

Took mine in today and said it wouldnt drive up on the rack. So now I have to find another place.

Ive eye balled it as well as I know how, but I dont know how to adjust caster at home. UGH. Lowering cars is nothing new. Why they dont make low-boy racks, or some shop has one built into a "pit" so that there are no ramps is beyond me.

 

Talk about coming back from the dead! This thread is like two years old now, and the origional poster has not posted since 2005. Lucid, you know the part # you need so, if anyone would like this to remain open, PM me.