Tire Store Alignment - Am I Unreasonably Ticked Off?

TLDR: Shop doesn't provide printout of post alignment specs, and I discovered that all four tires have different pressures, highest 54, lowest 38. Am pissed because (a) of massive incompetence (you're a tire shop, you have one job) or (b) I suspect a lazy tech monkeyed with pressures to get to in-spec results. How mad should I be?

Saturday I dropped my SAAB off at Mavis to have new Conti's mounted & balanced, and an alignment done. I previously had this same location install tires on another car,and do two other alignments. After drop off I get a call from the counter guy saying that my oil was due for a change, as was my power steering fluid. I explained that I personally changed both four weeks ago. Usual up-sell attempt, no big deal.

My wife drops me and 4 year old off at the shop. At counter, I ask for the alignment printout. The counter guy says "We never give those out." I said: "Without me even asking, you've given me one both times I had an alignment done here, as has every other shop I've ever had do an alignment." Response is: "You should have asked us for one before hand." I say: "But you just said you never give those out." They say: "Well, today there was no paper in the machine." Ugh, the usual nonsense back and forth. They offer to put the car back on the rack, I say not today, as I have my kid with me, and we are already 3 hours after the promised delivery time, but I will be back Monday or Tuesday.

Anywho, this morning I check tire pressures: All four tires have different pressures, highest 54, lowest 38. (Saab specifies 32psi, I run 35.) If all four tires were off by the same amount, I would say "Ah, their shop gauge deviates from my Longacre by Xpsi." But I'm asking myself: Are they are so bad at their job that they didn't check the pressures when they mounted the tires?

I actually suspect that the tech goosed the pressures to get the alignments to spec. Much easier than futzing with the tie rod ends in front, or picking which of four eccentric bolts to turn in the rear. I question the competence of any alignment "specialist" who doesn't check that tires are at their target hot pressure before the car is put on the rack, so if he missed this basic thing, maybe I'd rather that he didn't wrench on my cars... We spend a lot of time with our spec miata playing with camber and ride height, so I am all too well aware of how much even a few psi can throw things off. And that's on a hoosier slick, with relatively stiff sidewalls. On a four season street tire, even more so.

Anyway, for whatever reason the car's alignment is suspect. I need to take it back. I guess this post is just kind of a rant about being disappointed when people don't do the basic things right. How mad should I be? (And I haven't yet retorqued the lugs from what I guess is the 137ftlbs they jammed them in at with the air wrench...)

I am positively floored and ecstatic when ANYBODY does ANYTHING right nowadays. Such a rare occasion, that.

SkinnyG wrote: I am positively floored and ecstatic when ANYBODY does ANYTHING right nowadays. Such a rare occasion, that.

Me too. See my avatar pic for usual reaction.

Unless I'm paying the big bucks, know the guy doing it, or have a good history with the place (specific locations if chain), I just expect such things to happen, frequently.

Find a local shop that does alignments. If they do race cars all the better and have them do it. Hell if you were local to me I would say bring it by my shop on a Saturday and I will do it. Alignments are not hard once you get all the adjustments loose. I have had cars on the rack that I spend a couple hours freeing up nuts and bolts and then it is ten minute to get it aligned.

does the car drive in any way that indicates a poorly done alignment, or are you just jumping to conclusions based on the air pressure variation and lack of a printout?

NY535iManual wrote: Anyway, for whatever reason the car's alignment is suspect. I need to take it back.

You mean to say you'll take it somewhere else.

dean1484 wrote: I have had cats on the rack that I spend a couple hours freeing up nuts

How do you get cats to stay still long enough to do anything to their nuts?

Sorry, I had to.

I'd take it back. As a tech, I provided printouts 100% of the time. At the last shop our printer was broken for a while. During that time we'd take a picture of the screen and print it. That's the ONLY thing you, as a tech has to prove you did your job, and the only thing you as a customer has as proof that you got what you paid for.

this … I can't imagine a shop ever getting any more of my $$ if they can't do something as simple as giving me a printout of my alignment

I quit taking my car to tire stores after the umpteenth time I came out with my steering wheel cocked over 30 degrees. I get better results just stringing it.

I'd give them a chance to make it right.

If they put it on the rack and it is out of spec then it's time to talk to the manager/owner, get a refund, and take it somewhere else.

If it's in spec, then point out the print out is the only evidence they did their job and you expect one any time they do work for you in the future.

Regardless of which way if plays out you should get a refund or discount (now or future) to make up for having to bring it back.

I'd take it back. You paid them so you should get what you paid for. End of story.

Taking it somewhere else means you're paying them to do what should be done already.

If they really did align it properly then it should be a simple matter to put it back on the rack for 5 minutes and print out what it is currently.

So one berkeleys with tire pressures to get alignment within spec?

So when your tires are then inflated correctly, your car is OUT of alignment and possibly chewing up your new tires?

Yeah, I'd go back... With a crowbar.

Take it back and get it done right, then tell then you won't be back.

Sounds like you got a standard-issue tire shop alignment, where they just make sure that your wheels are roughly pointing in the right direction. They can't set your lug nut torque to less than 2x the correct amount, what do you expect? For some real hilarity, try to get a custom alignment there.

If you want a decent, or even good alignment done, you need to go to a race shop.

In reply to DrBoost:

. I actually laughed at that one as well

DrBoost wrote: I'd take it back. As a tech, I provided printouts 100% of the time. At the last shop our printer was broken for a while. During that time we'd take a picture of the screen and print it. That's the ONLY thing you, as a tech has to prove you did your job, and the only thing you as a customer has as proof that you got what you paid for.

I like the photo idea. May do that just to keep a record in house in the customers file.

Sounds like they need to read this:

DrBoost wrote:

dean1484 wrote: I have had cats on the rack that I spend a couple hours freeing up nuts

How do you get cats to stay still long enough to do anything to their nuts? Sorry, I had to.

Peanut Butter.

I'd be ticked off too. This is why I now really try to only go to tire rack to get mounting, balancing, etc. of tires, and I haven't found a good alignment shop near me yet. About 2 years ago I had a firestone try to pound lead weights onto the outside of my BRAND NEW alloy wheels, of course marring the finish. Then they also fell off before I got the wheels on the car.

Called back to ask why they hadn't used self adhesive weights, and I got "Those are much more expensive for us to buy - if you wanted them, you should've told us beforehand, and we charge an extra $10 per wheel."

I didn't ever go there again. I recommend you do the same. If they sucked the first time, chances are great they will just continue running the same line of BS to try and cover their own butts. Saving $100 on a crappy alignment is not worth wasting another 4 hours of my time arguing with idiots.

I haven't gotten an alignment since I had a horrible experience at Firestone. They didn't balance my tires because of the lack of stick on weights (I'm sensing a trend here) and then they gave it back to me without tightening the lug nuts, which I discovered after getting on the highway. Honestly I should have walked out after the counter person talked to me using a Daffy Duck voice (the whole conversation, not just a few words). I got my money back and I'm still alive, so I guess it's a win.

I live in a small-ish city where there is not much of anything...but there is a local tire/performance/general repair shop that is owned by a guy that rallies. I've been taking all my stuff there (and buying tires when they are competitive on price, which is quite often) for a couple or three years. My truck, my RV, my wife's Mazda, my G35 etc. I've NEVER had to take anything back that wasn't done right the first time. They know my name when I walk in the door. They'll align my car to any bat-E36 M3 crazy specs I give them without questioning it.

They have earned my loyalty for sure. If you look hard enough, the good guys are still around.

To the OP: Take it back and make them fix it. It may be good entertainment to see what the actual alignment measurements are.

If your tires are not wearing excessively in some way why do you need an alignment ? Toe is easily set with a tape measure. Camber and caster can't be changed on most cars today.

iceracer wrote: If your tires are not wearing excessively in some way why do you need an alignment ? Toe is easily set with a tape measure. Camber and caster can't be changed on most cars today.

Many tire warranty's are dependent on you getting an alignment along with the new tires.