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Dealer did 4 wheel alignment...


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Took my 03 Silverado 4x4 into the dealer for warranty work and asked to have my rotation and alignment done as well. What they did was a "4 wheel alignment" (how the hell do they do that?) for $90...

 

My questions are:

 

1. What is a 4 wheel alignment (how do they adjust back wheels...do they come out of adjustment w/mileage?)

 

2. Did I get ripped off for $90.00 (i think the answer is yes)

 

My truck has 25K miles on her.

 

Thanks,

DG

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I had mine done about 2 yrs ago (4 wheel alignment) and it cost $114 :jester: I didnt care because I know it needed it. As far as how they do it??? I know they had the devices (measurement devices) hooked to all 4 wheels at once.

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I have no quadrasteer either...For the life of me I can no figure out how they adjust the rear end.

 

If Wingnut sees front end alignments for $70-80 then I dont feel so bad.

 

 

Maybe they just adjust the front end in relation to the geometry of the rear end..

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Maybe they just adjust the front end in relation to the geometry of the rear end..

For a non-adjustable rear (i.e. most pickup trucks with solid axles), track and toe angle are adjusted at the front with respect to the rear - no actual adjustment at the rear.

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That's right, they don't actually adjust the rear axle. The four wheel alignment makes sure the front is straight with the rear.

 

On the NBS trucks you can save a few dollars if you pop out the adjustment tabs before you take it in. They are little plastic tabs that you can remove with just a screw driver. Shops here charge $5 each to remove them.

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After I drilled a deer at 60mph in Nov. the shop did a 4 wheel alignment. It cost $75, just a front wheel alignment was $50. They wanted to make sure the front tires lined up with the rear ones like the others have said. Considering it was a few thousand $$'s in repairs, with no body damage, all suspension and steering I thought it was a good idea to make sure my truck is all lined up. Your price sounds about right. Chris

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This is not a 4-wheel alignment! This is known as a thrust angle alignment, where the toe of the front wheels is aligned to the thrust angle of the rear axle. The rear end is never adjusted. Most shops here only charge $40-$50 to do this. My wife's STS has 4-wheel adjustable tie rods (yes, rear tie rods without rear steering), so hers cost $100 to align since all four wheels are adjusted. Mine was aligned for just over $200 (lifetime warranty, thrust angle alignment, plus extra for camber adjustment after I raised the torsion bars).

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Yeah, you guessed right, I hit it with the front passenger's wheel. What a major speed bump :jester: ! It was about 6am, totally dark, all I saw was a flash of brown coming from the driver's side, and I got it with the passenger's. So basically I got a complete front end (suspension and steering) for my $500 deductable. I've since added the deer alert things to the front of my truck, don't know if they work, don't want to find out if they don't! I did get a new airdam, I had a bunch of hair caught in it, they just replaced it and I did get a new grille, cracked it and the lower headlight, that's where the head hit it! Chris

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Mine was aligned for just over $200 (lifetime warranty, thrust angle alignment, plus extra for camber adjustment after I raised the torsion bars).

So if I'm understanding you correctly, if you raise the torsion bars (by adjusting the keys) they charge you more than the "standard alignment" price because the camber needs to be adjusted, which isn't normally done? Its not all combined?

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