rikkus256

Took my car to Firestone today to check alignment (I have the lifetime alignment package), everything were adjust back to spec except rear cambers. I asked why and they told me rear cambers on Lexus are not adjustable, and Lexus does not even specify the spec for rear cambers.

Anyone else have similar experience? Were you guys able to get rear camber adjusted at other places? Would having out of spec rear cambers affect tire wears or drivings in anyway?

Thanks

RickC5

Rear camber can and does effect BOTH driving and tire wear.

Excessive negative camber will result in somewhat better handling, as the outside rear tire has more "bite" when cornering on the road at higher speeds, BUT the tires will quickly wear on the inside.

Excessive positive camber is the opposite. The outside tire has less bite and the car will act light in the rear when cornering. The tires will wear on the outside edge. Too much positive camber is not a good thing, IMHO.

Some folks like a bit of negative camber as the car actually handles better, if you can live with the potential tire wear. Tires need to be rotated frequently.

nevernu

this is the wheel alignment spec for the lexus rear, see specs and note on rear camber

5.
Camber:-1°21' +-45' (-1.35° +-0.75°)
left-right difference 45' (0.75°) or less
HINT:
Camber is not adjustable. If the measurement is not within the specification range, inspect the suspension parts for damage and/or wear, and replace them if necessary.

RickC5

Nice to know that! Here's hoping the OP's Firestone shop at least checked the camber to ensure it was within the specified range. I also noted that there's a slight 1 degree or so of negative camber specified.

rikkus256

Thanks guys for the info.
Here is a print out of the alignment result. I have -0.4 camber at left rear and -2.4 at right rear... Should I take the car to dealer?

RickC5

I can't see your print-out, but from what you posted, not only are both sides out-of-spec, but the right-left difference is way out-of-spec too.

If that was my car, knowing what we now know, I would want some peace of mind by knowing what the Lexus dealer had to say. But, I'm pretty **** about my vehicles, and that would just bother the heck outta me.

ELITech

I saw what you posted, and am surprised that rear is that far out of spec from side to side. I would be concerned that it may have been wrecked in the rear causing the severe change.

A typical "good" alignment should have acceptable tolerance of .25 of a degree from side to side. I.E. one side could be 1.7, and other side 1.5, and that'd be ok. But 2.0 degrees is very severe and will cause drastic tire wear issues if not pulling.

Camber should be adjusted before toe is adjusted, because camber does affect toe...

I am not telling you to take it to the dealer, but, at least take it to some place that can adjust the rear camber and will figure out the problem...

Best of luck

rikkus256

Thanks guys for the info. I'm taking the car to dealer tomorrow.

rikkus256

Just got back from the dealer. My service adviser said the car might need new struts/bush arms (not sure if I heard that right) and that's not covered under CPO warranty. He also said the -2.4 degree is no big deal. He told me to drive 6k~10k miles first to see how the tire wears, then decide if it's worth it to fix it.

What do you guys think? Should I try another dealer?

RickC5

That SUCKS! In cases like this, a second opinion is always a good thing. Even a third opinion might be warranted.

"No big deal?" I disagree, but you're hearing that from a dealer who simply doesn't want to honor the warranty, IMHO.

Get some more opinions, as this may cost a fortune.

rikkus256

** Update **

I took the car to another dealer, the tech said the same as the camber is not that far off, but he still agreed to check and ended up doing some tweaks to bring everything back to spec. From the alignment print out looks like they basically did the whole 4 wheel alignment for me free of charge (probably trying to be nice so I will consider going there for future routine services, which I definitely will)

So yes if one dealer won't help, there is always another who's willing to help so they can earn your future business.

Thank you all again for the advice. You guys are awesome! =)

garsarno

As you said, the rear usually just needs a minor adjustment. My local garage guy does it too.

oldgrump

If the Shop Manual states that the rear alignment is NOT adjustable and a shop states that they've made adjustments or "tweaked" the rear alignment (without replacing parts), then I'd be very suspicious of that shop.

1sWt2GS

iTrader: (6)

is your car modded? if its all stock they should be able to align it no problems.

getitright

It is a big deal in terms of handling: You have a disproportionate L and R camber, which affects stability, not to mention the uneven wear. Rotating helps only to mitigate fast front-wheel wear, a downside of the front-drive concept when you have excessive wear from steering, braking, and acceleration combined. This way the uneven outside-inside rear wear eats prematurely rubber.
While negative camber itself up to 2 degrees is tolerable it must be both sides and it helps gain stability.in sharp cornering.