Re: BMW Alignments

[Henri Baccouche <henrib@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Fascinating.......alignment procedure outline.

Unfortunately, the only time a car   gets such a procedure is on the production
line.
After that, it's <mostly> what ever the market will bear.
That is, the fastest alignment money can buy........

Henri

Steve D'Gerolamo wrote:

> Pete Rossato writes...."Of course this raises the real question that if we
> can only adjust front
> toe without a major tear down or frame bending, why do we routinely pay
> hundreds of dollars for a "four wheel alignment"? We are only getting a
> front wheel alignment and a rear wheel check. Sounds like a scam."
> ====================================================================
> Most shops will do a decent job of fixing major alignment problems but I
> doubt their procedure or equipment is capable of attaining true factory
> specs.  On older BMW's, its basically "Set the Toe and Let it
> Go"  .  That's all they can do without replacing the suspension components
> that affect caster & camber.  When taking your car to a shop for a wheel
> alignment, ask them:
>
> 1. Do they have a drive on alignment rack?  Without one, its very difficult
> to settle the suspension to the factory's suggest ride height by lowering
> the car onto the turntables and slip-plates.
> 2. How level is their rack....1mm front to back or .5mm side to side is
> about the best you'll see out of any system.  These racks can be levelled
> using a transit or laser level. The machine should be made level at the
> operators alignment height.
> 3. Do they have a 6 or 8 sensor machine?
> 4. Do they weight the car per BMW's specifications when doing the alignment?
> 5. Do they use the BMW factory zero runout clamps which align the heads to
> the hub/rotor (rather than the wheel/tire)?  BMW and Mercedes have specific
> holes in their rims for the pins on these clamps to pass through the wheel
> and bear against the hub.
> 6. When were the heads last calibrated?  Do they have a calibration bar and
> program to check the heads in-house?
> 7. Do they use a toe spreader when setting front toe...this is required
> with certain cars  (eg, all Mercedes).
> 8. Do they use "no-mar" wheel clamps?  How are they secured to the wheel/tire?
> 9. Do they have "drop-down" adapters (for the heads) for lowered cars or
> cars with spoilers?
>
> A good alignment rack costs $20-30k and a good 8-sensor aligner around
> $18-22k.  A true 4-wheel alignment can take 2-4 hours (machines requiring
> runout compensation for the clamps/heads are on the high side of this
> range).  With the investment in equipment and tech time involved, shops
> will try to get as much as the market will allow to do align their
> customer's cars.  If you pay $200+ for a 4-wheel alignment, make sure you
> get what you pay for.   SD
>
> ==================================
> Steve D'Gerolamo - The Ultimate Garage - Tel 201-262-0412
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