otcviper

76k miles, owned it since 50k miles and never any issues. After performing a DIY Lower Control Arm rear main bushing replacement (what a beating!), the steering wheel was obviously way off center and the alignment was toast, so I signed up for a 3 yr alignment package at a local national tire and battery shop here in Dallas. Initially they alignment was great and off I went. Then about a week or two later, I noticed a slight pull to the right. Thinking that they just didn't dial in enough left to counteract the natural slope of the roads, I took it back. They realigned it, it worked great for a week, then same thing. Took it back a 3rd time, same story.

Fast Fwd about a month and lots of counter-steering, I was down in Houston a few days ago and stopped by a different NTB. The guy there tells me that they can't align an LS430 UL because there is some kind of electronic reset tool that they must use to reset the rack and pinion to let it know that an alignment has been performed and that the shop in Dallas should not have even worked on it because NTB does not carry the tool because it costs $800 and it's not worth it for them to buy one for every store.

So the question is, did the guy in Houston just not want to do an alignment that day, or is the shop in Dallas doing something wrong?

Appreciate any thoughts you might have.

fergo308

Did you get before and after printouts of the alignment specs? If you can,have a quick look underneath and check the camber/caster adjusting eccentric bolts.

If they're markedly different in position to each other,the car will need to be re-aligned.
I'd also suggest you take a tape measure and check the height at all four corners. if they are noticeably different from side to side you could have issues with changing angles as it adjusts while driving. each side of the car will have slightly different camber and or castor and that'll give it a drift to one side. I'd recommend doing a height sensor adjustment to get it sitting level al 'round,and then go back for another alignment.


Justin...

Jabberwock

I would not trust my Lexus with NTB. Call the Lexus dealer and ask for the service manager - tell them your story concerning the alignment - you are way more likely to get an accurate straight answer from Lexus than from NTB.

jimbosr1

Refund!!!!

JimsGX

Each time you went back, what portion of the suspension had come out of alignment?

usermel

To me it's possibly not, definitely clear that the Houston gentleman was being honest. He has nothing to gain by not just doing the alignment himself for the money. I think that a few members have the correct advice as well. Call Lexus and ask about alignment and whats needed to perform it on your car. Heck, I could be wrong but, would like to think that some things aren't worth lying about. The fact that each time you took it back to NTB the alignment kept messing up 7 days later tells me they at worst didnt do a good job at NTB in Dallas and that should get you a refund. After the 2nd time at worst it should have been resolved issue wise. Sounds to me like NTB doesn't want to admit there wrong to keep the money and as long as you dont say anything, they wont either.

Hope this gets resolved for you dear sir, I hate this happened to you because it sounds avoidable had people been honest with you. I do all my services with Lexus regardless of the cost for peace of mind. YES, I agree I dont have to do all my work at LEXUS or even Toyota(havent yet, but may soon) but, they have the tools needed for my car and techs I KNOW can fix or service my car. Its costly for sure but, the damage done via alignments can be a headache! All the best to you fellow member, and hope the give every dime back to you! LGNM

otcviper

Update... after giving NTB 2 more chances to align it (one of which the manager said he'll do it himself and he's never seen a car he couldn't align in 20 yrs), there was no improvement. Zero.

Fast Fwd a few months and I finally had a chance to have somebody else take a look. Turns out that NTB was completely full of it. The toe on both fronts was "about as far off as it could get" and it required a cheater bar to loosen the tie rods. "Those things haven't been loosened in years" was the mechanic's comment, making it almost impossible to believe that much had been done to align it in the recent past.

Downside, they said that next time I need to align it will probably require a new rack/pinion and tie rods. I only had a brief conversation with them while at work so will figure out the rationale behind that this evening, but at least I'm in alignment. Just bought new tires a month ago too, so hopefully I can hold off the new front end components for a while.

Lesson: Only trust Lexus or a dedicated Toyota/Lexus mechanic to perform an alignment. Only trust NTB for... um, airing up your tires maybe?

Bon

Your car doesn't require a "special service tool" to perform a proper alignment. That said, some Lexus' do require special tools and techniques: for example some years of the LX470. If you haven't had your steering rack bushings replaced then you really should check this thread out. Your wandering days may be short lived.

Lynzoid

2002 is without VGRS, so no need to 'reset the rack'...