Tacos in St. Louis area

I had this happen on my last alignment too. The steering wheel was crooked. The idiot didn’t put the steering wheel straight and then align it.

needless to say I’ve never gone back to that place.

 

Firestone lifetime for me. No issues with them to date.

 

Yeah. I need to find a new place. Was thinking about trying plaza.

 

Negative on the negative battery cable trick.

This happened at Plaza. Lifetime alignment there for me, but now I'm questioning it....

 

I chose Firestone because they are a National brand with stores all across the country. If I tweak something far from home I can lay up and get it sorted before driving home. I sold a car to a fellow to make room for the Tacoma and he still uses the lifetime on it. I get the surveys in my email from his visits and I know when he’s PCS’d as he find a local store to get it checked.

The problem people run into is the terminology they use when at the service counter. If you have suspension spacers and lift blocks then you have a “lift.” They won’t lifetime spacer lifts because they are rubbish and screw everything up as most of know. If you’ve installed new UCA’s and some shocks and coil overs then you have a “performance suspension.” Doesn’t matter if you are running a basic OME setup or a full tilt arrangement with high dollar kit. It can still be adjusted and aligned within factory specifications. You must be wary of this because if you let someone note “lifted” on your contract they can void it and give you the kick rocks speech.

 

I was pretty clear at.plaza what I wanted and they didn't have an issue with it. Until they did.... Whatever is causing this.

At Ackerman now, service writer tried to pin the issue on my OME setup, I pointed out that it's been here twice since then with no issues, PLUS they have a lifted truck on the lot with half the same suspension on it.

Thankfully, one of the techs recognized my truck from some event pics (and from seeing it here) and stepped in. He's going through recalibrating the sensors now.

 

Regrettably most alignment techs don’t actually know how to align a car’s suspension, they just do what the computer tells them to do without ever learning why. Blaming it on a part that’s not factory is the easy way out for the service writer to just get it off their desks.

 

Yeah, I went to the Dealership right down the road pretty much right after moving back to IN. After the service manager said he got out of offroading/wheeling because of the cost and then I had to explain what the UCA was...yeah, I didn't leave with warm fuzzies and definitely have no plans to go back there...

 

PREACH!


...amen

 

I got the firestone lifetime alignments and I just tell them the numbers to aim for and that my UCAs are adjustable. They get it pretty dang close to what I want without issue. If I drive it off and it doesn't feel right I take it right back and it's just as free as the last time.

 

Good thing is the techs at Ackerman are familiar with quality (and dumb not quality) lifts so they don't seem to have an issue with it. They've got a truck on the lot now kitted out with victory 4x4 armor, scs wheels, massive fox rrs up front, diff drop, and ome out back.

Just annoyed that the plaza guy told me he specifically calibrated the position sensors and then he just.... Didn't.

 

Thanks! I'm also happy to make deals with locals to save me the trouble of shipping. The same goes for anyone who might want multiple things. I want to move this stuff.

 

Alignments are overrated

 

At 74mph I stop worrying about it.

 

No u

 

For the record, the truck drives straight as ever. Perfect for bombing through big puddles at moonlight and the shakedown.