Alignment from the Factory

Anyone else have issues with their alignment right off the lot? My last truck, a 19 Ram 2500 was out and had it aligned 2 times in 2 weeks after buying it new. Well back to the same song and dance. The yota seems to be off a little. I’m really OCD about steering wheel alignment and it’s driving me crazy. I bought the truck 4 hours away from me, so I’m thinking of paying the local dealer to throw it on the rack.

 

I’m pretty certain that the alignment is covered for the first 12 months.... regardless of where the truck was purchased.

 

You can go to any Toyota dealer in the country for warranty work. Even a Lexus dealer.

 

Yea I know. But sometimes techs can be lazy and service writes at times give ya a hard time when the truck wasn’t purchased from them. Been down that road before

 

Respectfully; you mentioned you're OCD, don't sweat the small stuff. There's a good chance they'll just make it worse anyways

 

Do you have agressive tires by chance, maybe thats causing it to wander? Are the tire pressures at spec?

 

You shouldn't need to pay to go on the rack to check alignment...
All the Toyota dealers I've been to have the quick check system at drop off.

 

Exactly what happened with the ram....

 

I just had KO2’s mounted. But this was prior to the tires.

 

I'm thinking it needs a degree or two toe in. They are harder sidewalls also. Might need to up the pressures a few up from stock.

 

I did the chalk test. They are right around 34ish

 

Balanced castor centers the steering. A good tech will allow a bit of variance to compensate for road crown.

If Toyota warranties alignment and you want them to do it, take it anywhere. I prefer an indy that specializes in trucks and/or custom alignments, not just 'in the green'

And because it's new doesn't mean the alignment is at it's best. I've seen many a sports car have tweaked alignments 100 miles off the truck and make an amazing difference in handling.

 

This!
Find someone that knows more about alignments than you, and will spend time, or you'll never be happy. It won't be cheap, but what's your time worth going back n forth getting a free alignment.
GL

 

I’ve actually been searching for true “alignment” shops in the area but haven’t had any luck

 

I actually just bought a lifetime alignment from Firestone with a awesome coupon. Was cheaper than doing a one time alignment. Now they certainly aren’t a “Offroad” alignment but I can go whenever I want as many times as I want. I’m OCD about my steering wheel as well. Took it back a few times. They will get it right because they will get tired of seeing you and making no money off you so that’s there motivation of getting it fixed. Plus I walked in with the exact numbers I wanted on caster, camber, and toe. They put them right where I wanted no questions asked.

 

Mine is flawless and I have major alignment OCD myself

 

I had to get an alignment only after 2 weeks of owning the truck. They did a toe adjustment on the driver side fronts. seems to be a somewhat common thing.

 

My 2001 tundra was off on the castor adjustment for the passenger side tire. Toyota dealer insisted it was correct yet it kept eating the tire. Finally pissed off i went to a midas shop that corrected it. Don't know if they covered for the dealer, or what, but said sometimes these alignments don't always follow what toyota specs out for them. You have to use your experience to make some adjustments yourself to correct the issue. At any rate hats off to midas.

 

Depends on how busy they are. Warranty work isn't profitable for the dealer, but a smart service writer would treat you well in hopes of poaching you as a customer from the other dealer. Remember the dealer makes most of its money servicing vehicles and selling extended warranties.

You've seen how roughly they handle the vehicles in transport between the assembly plant and distribution ports right? This is in addition to the occasional mishaps at the dealer during PDI, cars falling off lifts, etc. If you love food, never watch how it's made. Your truck is a volume-manufactured product, one of a quarter-million made each year, and time is money:

 

Haaaaa, You did something as silly as a chalk test, but you are worried about an alignment? Let me flare up your OCD. That chalk test is pointless. There is nothing scientific about rubbing chalk and you glean zero data from the gimmick beyond driving around with hot pink tread for a few miles.

An alignment check should be part of a pre-delivery check. Because of the way they are tied down during transport, the alignment should always be checked before taking delivery. Along with air pressure, fluids, lights, etc.