STONER

Just came from the alignment shop and the guy said that the tab on the frame that holds the washer for the toe adjustment on the right rear is stripped. Anyone heard of this? He said they all were in acceptable range but the right rear and it was 30 degrees off. He said it was .98 degrees off when he started. I just had the l-tuned s/s install so I expected it to be off, but I don't know what to make of this guys assessment.

Any comments/ help appreciated.

STONER

I did a search and the only thing I could find close was that some guys had a toe adjuster that had locked and was unable to be adjusted. No one knows anything about this? I will post my alignment results in a little.

jonathancl

I want to see a picture of the tow adjustment tab he says is stripped.

STONER

I will try to take pictures tonight. Its a bolt connected to an oblong washer that is supposed to be contained within 2 tabs on the subframe. He said I must've hit something to knock it out of the range. I think he may have pushed it out of range with his wrench and breaker bar I saw him using.


this one is bad


this one is good

What should I do?

STONER

photos added. Hopefully someone has seen this before?

jonathancl

There's definitely damage to the alignment disc, though I cannot imagine how that happened.

It also looks like the disc is currently over the top of what should be a flange.
Am I seeing that right?

The position of the disc doesn't make sense to me; it isn't anywhere near the tabs against which it rests to change the alignment, and the tab itself does't appear damaged.

My instinct says this guy didn't know what he was doing. But I am a man...removed somewhat from the animal that functioned on instinct.

STONER

I agree. At first glance it looks to me like the bolt had been moved. Like the hole that kept it in place had been stretched. But the more I look at it, it looks like a portion of the tab that is on the left side has been sheared off or pressed down. I'm a little nervous about taking it to the dealership, but I don't quite know what else to do.

gs4rocks

I had an exactly same problem with my rear right camber adjustment. The eccentric (the oval shape metal you turn to adjust) were moved out of place over the flange which became kind of flat. In my case, the alignment guy at the tire shop muscled it and turned it over the allowable range. This happened right after I changed to l-tuened s/s. With l-tuned s/s it takes some skill to work with toe and camber combination to bring both into spec. This is what I learned.

I took it to dealer they fixed the damage for $170.
I wrote to state consumer agency and got a check for $250 (damage and alignment)
If the guy didn't write it anywhere that there was a damage prior to his work, he's responsible.

STONER

Did you get the check because the tire shop wouldn't refund the cash? I'm wondering if I should go ask for a refund. I was told that it was damaged part, and once I got the part replaced that they would re-align for free, so I didn't ask for my money back even though I left without it being done correctly. If I need to I'll call and ask for a refund. Let me know the back story to your state consumer agency deal.

gs4rocks

First of all, the part that is damaged is not easily replaceable. It's part of suspension frame.
Secondly, I wasn't gonna let the tire shop do any more work if they damaged the car.
The manager at tire shop insisted that my car is lowered and alignment cannot be withing the spec. I insisted the s/s is not after market but Lexus parts. I knew the best I could do was get the money back for the alignment.

Once I found out from the dealer that it would be $170 for repair I contacted state agency with all supporting document. Dealer fixed the damage and did alignment, and everything was within the spec.

DoubleWhoosh

That is damage to your crossmember, it cannot technically be fixed unless the crossmember is replaced - BIG bucks and BIG labor

There are various ways to "fix" it but it will never be correctly done until the whole thing is replaced.

This is caused most commonly by east coast/snow area cars when the inner sleeve on a control arm bushing rusts and bonds itself to the eccentric adjustment bolt. When the bolt is loosened and turned (which is what you would do when you do an alignment) it just tries to swing way out of the intended areas and bends the lip that is supposed to hold it in place.

This will not happen unless the bolt or nut has worked loose and you drove like that, or someone did what I mentioned above.

You will also probably need a new control arm and bolt and nut to go with it, as you will probably need to cut them off.

STONER

The replacement arm and bolt is just to get it back to original condition correct? The "fix" is actually a fix right? It's not something that should come undone once set. Assuming that it will hold.
What is your opinion on asking the alignment /tire shop that tried the first time for my money back. He did get three of the wheels within spec, so I can't say he didn't do anything. I will look in the fine print for anything that might be in my favor (yeah right). The guy at the dealership has been there for 12 years and said he's done these quite a few times, but I can't take the hit right this second.

gs4rocks

Yeah, a fix is not like original. I knew replacing the parts was gonna cost BIG bucks. In my opinion, if not all 4 wheels done right, you will have to redo all 4, especially if you take it to another shop. You should take it to a dealer and get a estimate then ask the shop to refund the money and pay for whatever it's gonna cost at the dealer to fix it. BTW, toe setting is more critical than camber in many ways.

STONER

UPDATE:

Just got back from Merchant's and they refunded my money. I'm off to the dealership to see what the damage is going to be there

DoubleWhoosh

I agree, the toe is the most important as far as wear and driveability.

You should try to relay this to all the GS guys screaming for a camber kit - they sure as heck don't listen when I try to tell them this!