Just off the phone from arguing with my mechanic.
Front alignment was off he told me I needed 4 new Camber /castor bolts at $38 a piece. Asked him if I could source the parts and he said no problem, would just charge me the alignment and an 1 hour labor to install the bolts. Cool, got on the phone with AutohausAZ and ordered the $9 Febi replacement x4. Took it in, gave them the bolts, waited paid for align+1 hour and was gone. Got home and looked a alignment sheet and castor was still red at -4.3, hadnt changed at all after bolt install, camber and toe was now green. Driver's side was same and still green at -1.4 and 5.0 and .14,
I got under the car and bolts on pass. side were replaced and drivers side were not changed.When I left I wasnt given any parts back or told only 2 were installed. Didnt know till I looked. Went back and get my extra bolts back, owner/mech was gone.
After going around and around on the phone it and agreeing that there was some real shitty communications going on, comes down to a couple of mechanic statements:
1. That even after replacing the pass. side bolts that he was unable to change the caster at all old bolt 4.3 new bolt 4.3
2. That the driver side was in spec and didnt need it, I explained that the car was going to my daughter out of state and didnt want her to have to deal with the whole 'No Ms, you need to replace the bolts' at the next alignment. Mechanic says:
a) that the new bolts could not be set to the same adjustment as the factory bolts, so he couldnt replace the drivers side because he wouldnt be able align the drivers side because the new bolts wouldnt go to factory spec, that I should wait till that side needs alignment and then use the new bolts.
b) so I asked 'if you replaced all 4 bolts you would not have been able to align the car because the drivers side would not go to original spec' He says, yes now I understand'
No I dont really!! A replacement bolt cannot be set to factory baseline REALLY?
So you cant replace the castor and camber bolts UNTIL the alignment is off?
Has anyone here Not been able to adjust caster to spec after bolt replacement?
Has anyone been proactive and replaced all 4 bolts and then been unable to align the front end?
Overall alignment specs with one side replacement bolts
FL FR Range
-1.4 camber -1.5 camber -1.5 -.09
5.0 caster
4.3 castor 4.7 5.7
0.14 toe .21 toe .08 .25
Cross camber .01 range -.03 .03
cross toe .36 range .17 .50
At this point because of not being told he only did 2, and not receiving the unused parts and having to crawl under the car to find out he only replaced 2, I really can't believe his statements about the bolts.
Help me once again Folks
Thanks