mk7_bk
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Philadelphia Area
this is me rn lol
Went to the dealer and they want $700 to do an alignment
I had an alignment done at a dealer in the GTA, a couple of weeks ago, and they charged me $120 + taxes for 4 wheels alignment. You may want to change dealership in the future. Would you care to name the dealership?
The guy that did my alignment is known for doing good mechanic work and he is #1 in time attack in the province. A lot of us enthusiasts in Toronto go to him for alignments. Also I'm more inclined to believe him than the dealer, who wanted $700 to do an alignment on top of a $50 inspection fee today.
That's pretty complicated when we can just look at his alignment sheet.Either the alignment is off or there is a worn part (wheel bearing or ball joint most likely candidates) that is causing the pulling. Go to Home Depot or Lowe's and buy a roll of mason's line. I like either the fluorescent orange or yellow for visibility. Tie a loop of it around all four wheels as high and as close to the wheel centerline as you can without the line touching any bodywork or under-body stuff. At the front of the front wheels and the back of the rear wheels, don't worry about the string line touching anything- the sides of the car are much more important. Make sure the knot is not touching the tires or bodywork. The steering wheel should be in the straight-ahead position. You should have a small, equal gap between the tire sidewall and the string on both sides of the car; on the front, the gap should be at the back of the tire; at the back, it should be at the front of the tire or the line just barely touching the tire. If the gap is not equal on both sides at the front, use the steering wheel to make it so. Now, if the gap is equal on both sides and the steering wheel is not centered, you know why the car pulls to one side- it's alignment. If it's equal and the wheel is centered, try to rotate the front wheels by hand by pulling/yanking the TIRE from side-to-side. If you feel any clunking or excessive movement, it's a mechanical issue.
That's pretty complicated when we can just look at his alignment sheet.
I'm with theDoctor though, your car must have a worn bushing.
I wouldn't accept that alignment from my shop. They know I track and get everything within .01 side to side.
You seem to be defending the person that did the alignment, you shouldn't be. You should be getting them to correct it.
The July 31 alignment is from a different dealer, hence my comment why different machines are providing erratically different readings.
To summarize, this alignment sheet is from the shop where I got my first alignment that started this adventure. The July 31 alignment is from a VW dealer that checked my alignment and did an adjustment free of charge as a courtesy. The first VW dealer I went to on July 29 wanted $700 for an alignment. I declined. All they got was $50 for an "alignment check" and a bad review. I have yet to put my car back at the lift by the initial two shops that did the initial alignment and parts install respectively as they are fully booked. I will have another update this Friday afternoon hopefully. But for now, I'm pretty bummed out as to what the hell is happening.
I don't know how, nor have the tools, so no. But everyone I've spoke to said the rear sway bar should have no effect on it. I also know the brakes are not dragging because I can get the usual 36MPG to 37MPG on highway cruising like I normally do.Did you disconnect the RSB yet to rule that out? Take minutes.