Four Wheel Alignment and Tire Inspection

[mlara1129]

So i put in my eibachs this weekend, and as recommended i knew i needed an alignment.
I had been saving this coupon from the Lincoln/Mercury dealership nearby to get my alignment.
So i schedule an appointment, took the car to the dealership, and after 10 minutes of struggling to get my car on the machine, the tech's finally realized the car was lowered and it was the reason why it was bottoming out(oops I forgot to mention that to them). Another 5 minutes later they finally figured out a way to get it on; by lowering the machine lol

Anyway, besides making fun of the tech's, the point of the story is that they couldn't completely align the car.
Reasoning: "Performed alignment. Tech was only able to adjust toe. Aftermarket suspension is on and will need caster camber kit to get into spec. Parts $489.00 labor $360."

Now i already knew from being on this site that camber would be off, but i had a couple of questions
1) $489 for a camber kit?!
2) Would the Eibach camber kit do the same job?
3) Do I even really need it? (I know this has been covered before, sorry but i really dont have the time to search, college!)

Short vid of me watching them instead of telling them it was lowered
YouTube - Lincoln techs struggling

 

[Bullschmidt]

1. It's a stealership of course they are going to quote you an insane price. I would have laughed at them

2. The eibach kit should do the same. Most who are lowered don't even purchase the kit from what I've read. I personally don't have one and mine is fine.

3. You probably don't need it unless you start to notice significant irregular tire wear.

-I'm sure others will chime in if I am off on anything


Where's the Sentas? You remove them just to do the alignment?

 

[oldhead]

My car is not lowered but I knew that moog makes a camber kits (will need 2?) that you can get from rockauto.com for about 50 each

 

[mlara1129]

1. It's a stealership of course they are going to quote you an insane price. I would have laughed at them

2. The eibach kit should do the same. Most who are lowered don't even purchase the kit from what I've read. I personally don't have one and mine is fine.

3. You probably don't need it unless you start to notice significant irregular tire wear.

-I'm sure others will chime in if I am off on anything


Where's the Sentas? You remove them just to do the alignment?

thanks bullschmidt short, sweet, and to the point lol. I think ill consider the camber kit if, like you said, i notice irregular tire wear.

and the sentas are off for the winter, altho im considering putting them back on for a few more weeks to see how they look with the eibachs

would it have made a difference in the alignment if i had the bigger wheels on?

My car is not lowered but I knew that moog makes a camber kits (will need 2?) that you can get from rockauto.com for about 50 each

thanks ill look into them if i need them.

 

[Bullschmidt]

and the sentas are off for the winter, altho im considering putting them back on for a few more weeks to see how they look with the eibachs

So you never had the Sentas on with the springs?

I only ask because you will most likely encounter a small amount of rubbing like other members who have had identical suspension set ups with Sentas/20"s

I can't find it anymore, looks like they got deleted, but xford used to have a couple threads that explained what he did. He runs Sentas on his white 06. PM him if you run into any trouble and hopefully he can help you out.

 

[dNyce LS]

From my experience bigger wheels do throw off the alignment.

 

[mlara1129]

So you never had the Sentas on with the springs?

I only ask because you will most likely encounter a small amount of rubbing like other members who have had identical suspension set ups with Sentas/20"s

I can't find it anymore, looks like they got deleted, but xford used to have a couple threads that explained what he did. He runs Sentas on his white 06. PM him if you run into any trouble and hopefully he can help you out.

nope havent had the Senta's on with the springs yet.

and xford actually helped me when i was shopping for my Sentas, but i did go against his advice about tire size, i was afraid of having too little tire, and went with Djknowledge's tire size. i think i wont mind a little rubbing tho.

 

[Lownslowlsc]

i dont know much about the sentas on a lowered ls but if you rub in certain spots, just take a heat gun or mini torch and heat up said area and reform the plastic fender liner.

 

[mlara1129]

i dont know much about the sentas on a lowered ls but if you rub in certain spots, just take a heat gun or mini torch and heat up said area and reform the plastic fender liner.

are there shops that can do this for you? or like if i take it to my regular mechanic, he'll be able to do it?

 

[Bullschmidt]

are there shops that can do this for you? or like if i take it to my regular mechanic, he'll be able to do it?

A regular mechanic might not be willing to do it for you or know how, but if you have any tuner shops or anyone who is a professional fender roller in the area I would start there.

The pros use a tool that connects directly to the hub of your car and then they heat up the liner and move it around for a perfect roll. There is some DIY methods online that use things like rolls of paper or a baseball bat that you can look into.

There is even a few sites out there that allow you to rent a professional fender roller if you want to pay a little cash. That might be a good option if you want to try it yourself.

http://www.nlmotoring.com/Fender-Roller-Rental-p/fender-roller-rental.htm