Wheel Alignments

FujiFan · Post by **FujiFan** » Tue Jan 24, 2012 2:29 am

Had a wheel alignment on the L wagon last week at a local B!@#repairs and asked for the printout from the Beissbarth machine. Upon reading it the "tyre monkey" err sorry "fitter" has loaded the specs for a 1989 onwards Liberty GX 4-door, despite me specifying 92 L series.
When I asked the "manager" about this he said "the machine probably doesnt have the 'file' for my model and that there all the same, they just zero everything out"
I feel that I have been fobbed off.
In fact I do believe they damaged an outer CV boot either accidently or maliciously but they deny that - another story!

Any advice please...

J

NachaLuva · Post by **NachaLuva** » Tue Jan 24, 2012 3:01 pm

I'd be on the phone straightaway to their head office & being none-too-shy bout telling em:
1) they stuffed up using the wrong program.
2) they damaged your boot.
3) they gave shocking customer service in dealing with your complaint.

I'd also name & shame em on here so others can avoid their incompetence & rudeness.

In this day & age of customer service thats pretty bad...give em hell!

Brumby Kid · Post by **Brumby Kid** » Tue Jan 24, 2012 4:45 pm

nachaluva wrote:I'd be on the phone straightaway to their head office & being none-too-shy bout telling em:
I'd also name & shame em on here so others can avoid their incompetence & rudeness.

In this day & age of customer service thats pretty bad...give em hell!

Agreed!!!

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:07 am

The only alignment that can be performed on a L is the Toe-in adjustment. So I can't see them getting anywhere near you CV boot but I wasn't there so I can't comment.

If you feel that the service you received wasn't what you paid for, then you can call the head office and make a complaint.

I would call the place you delt with first and ask to speak to the owner/manager and if then you don't get any satisfaction, then call head office.

FujiFan · Post by **FujiFan** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:35 am

Yeah thanks guys, and Paul the reason I took the car in was because it developed a wobble in the steering at low speeds noticable upto about 50km/h plus it was tracking to the right with the steering wheel straight ahead. This only recently occurred and I sure dont remember hitting potholes or anything, but sh!? happens.
The day before I took the car in I had a thorough look underneath the front end and found a locknut missing from one of the front stabiliser bar mounts (Cotton reel style) I replaced this with a spare. CV boots were in top nick!! I then went and checked wheel nuts for torque and tyre pressures all round, sweet. But the problem was still there so then I decided to seek the services of the tyre shop I've been using since I got this wagon almost two years ago.
The "tyre monkey" (No disrespect to those who are competent and trained) put the car on the panto hoist and probed around then came back and said the front right tyre was the cause of the wobble and demonstrated this on the wheel balancer.
His solution was to offer me two matching second hand tyres as replacements, just paying for 2 strip n fits. He did not consult the manager about "giving" away 2 used tyres.
Long story short I confronted the monkey about the damaged boot: denied.
I approached the manager with a witness present, about it and the alignment: denied and with bad attitude at that.

Next step is head office while I have a reputable subaru work shop replace the boot and keep it as evidence with an opinion that the hole was not caused by natural forces!

NachaLuva · Post by **NachaLuva** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 12:32 pm

FujiFan wrote: Next step is head office while I have a reputable subaru work shop replace the boot and keep it as evidence with an opinion that the hole was not caused by natural forces!

yep good idea.

I reckon if you cause a stink with head office they'l just reimburse you, they dont want hassles or negative publicity. You could always threaten to go to "A Current Affair" about it

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 1:07 pm

No probs Jay, I would kick up a stink too if it was me.

But your wobble could also come from an unballance wheel, a loose wheel bearing (hub), a worn steering rack end and so on.

Really hard to prove it but go for it. I personally would give them another second of my time or money.

Venom · Post by **Venom** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 1:59 pm

Wobble can also be caused by dirt/mud buidling up on the inside of the rim. But if they spun the tyre up on the balancer and you could physically see movement, then its a good chance that was contributing if not the cause. Especially if swapping the tyres fixed the problem.

As a former wheel aligner i can confirm that zero-ing all the measurements is pretty standard for a car like subaru. Basically all the factory specs for all models is zero toe front and rear, with a little negative camber but L series has no adjustment for that.

Good thing about beaurepaires is they are all company owned shops, no owner franchises. So if you do need to go to head office to complaint you will get results.

NachaLuva · Post by **NachaLuva** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 4:39 pm

Wobble can also be caused by warped discs, I'm sure if only 1 is warped it will pull to that side.

Venom wrote: As a former wheel aligner i can confirm that zero-ing all the measurements is pretty standard for a car like subaru. Basically all the factory specs for all models is zero toe front and rear, with a little negative camber but L series has no adjustment for that.

Useful to know, thanks for sharing. So when they set my rear to 2.8mm total toe they were wrong...always thought it was a bit much! Just didn't feel right

Good thing about beaurepaires is they are all company owned shops, no owner franchises. So if you do need to go to head office to complaint you will get results.

Yep you sure will!

JazzSmith312 · Post by **JazzSmith312** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 4:44 pm

Hi everyone, I have a Vortex 86 But i want to know what my stud pattern is? i have now idea and want some new rims but wondering if they can go on it, since its almost classic? Anyone know?

FujiFan · Post by **FujiFan** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 6:46 pm

All true! and some good points have been made.

Venom: I keep even my stock 13" steelies clean inside and out, so def not that. Good that you also picked up on the name of said company!!

Nacha: Warped rotor/s are usually accompanied by a pulsing through the pedal when brakes applied. nothing like that happening.

I kept the 2 tyres that were replaced just in case I was being bullshitted. That said even well known brand tyres with only a few thousand k's can develop an imbalance. A mate went through a hell of a time months back with Ford over this issue on his new XR6 ute, Diff swapped etc only to take car to independant mechanic who found it was the rear tyres causing the wobble.

Interestingly the 2 second hand tyres they "gave" me are absolute rubbish in the wet, horrible. When I told the manager this his response was "Well you should have bought NEW tyres". Well der I thought, yet his sales staff didnt even try to sell me new tyres in the first place!!
You see where this is going...

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 6:57 pm

JazzSmith312 wrote:Hi everyone, I have a Vortex 86 But i want to know what my stud pattern is? i have now idea and want some new rims but wonderiong if they can go on it, since its almost classic? Anyone know?

Random?? Best to start your our thread mate but for now your stud pattern is 4x140.

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 6:58 pm

Best of luck Jay. Let us know how it goes.

FujiFan · Post by **FujiFan** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:17 pm

Thanks Paul, will do:) and thanks for aligning;) Jazz in the right direction.

NachaLuva · Post by **NachaLuva** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 10:11 pm

You're getting such a bad attitude from these guys. I would so be on the phone to head office! Good luck mate...give em hell

A useful hint is to keep a diary of all conversations, then they cant dispute what's been said. Lets em know you mean business. Its helped me more than once

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