Wheel Alignment

[SBmusic]

Hi guys,

I have a MY16 polo gti and my lovely fiancé was so kind to hit a gutter the other day!

Meaning I now need a wheel alignment after only doing 5000kms..

I called the Volkswagen dealership and they said $130, which I thought was a bit steep considering tyre power and bob Jane charge around $80...

Question being, would there be anymore benefit getting it done with Volkswagen over either of the 2 above mentioned?

Cheers


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[Martin]

It is a bit steep (considering it's only toe that is adjusted) but not an uncommon price
I've had lot's of problems with tyre shops doing wheel alignments
Pedders seem to be better trained and produce consistent results

I would not use any OEM service centre due to price

[dinot81]

JaxTyres quoted me $65 for 4 wheel allignment. Shop around

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[JonW]

I think Tempe Tyres quoted $30ish and the local KMart service center matched it, they also did my RE050As at just over $200 each for my Polo GTI when I replaced the fronts... beating my Tempe quote, who were the cheapest in Sydney at the time.

[JonW]

Oh as as for benefit... nope. The VW dealer probably drives it to a local tyre place they have a deal with, or lets the spotty yoof whos less busy have a go at it. At least the places that do tyres do this all the time and know what theyre doing... just my 2c of course and your dealer experience may vary........

[SBmusic]

Thanks for everyone's responses!

I was just thinking, I did put air in my tyres the other night, and feels like the car had pulled more since that...I put 38psi in the fronts and 36psi in the rears..I think this is the correct tyre pressure for the stock potenza tyres that come with the gti?


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[BenT]

I thought it was 39 all round.


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[Polo GTI]

When you have a toothache do you go to the doctor or a dentist. My point is, find a wheel alignment specialist. They will do a much better job than VW.

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[Sydneykid]

Here's how I see it, if it really is pulling to one side or the other then it most likely has more damage than simply having the toe knocked out of alignment. Camber maybe, or more likely caster and SAI, commonly caused by subframe movement. For ~$30 all a tyre service guy will do is check the toe, if it's out then they most likely will claim extra time and charge ~$60. They might check the caster, but they will then tell you it's out but not adjustable. The average tyre service guy will have no idea about SAI and sure as hell won't check the set back to see it the subframe is out of alignment.

You can spend your ~$30 to $60 and get the toe checked and adjusted, but it almost certainly won't fix the pulling. That's where the VW dealer has an advantage, they have all the specs on the alignment plus some knowledge on how to adjust the subframe. If it needs parts, chances are they will be able to source them faster than a third party shop. Dealers do vary, sometimes you will get an apprentice, sometimes an experienced mechanic who has seen it all before. Bit of a lucky dip there, so what I do is establish very early on a dialogue with the Service Manager. I generally insist that the sales person introduce me to the Service Manager when I buy the car.

The best choice for me is a suspension specialist, they have all the gear, are experienced and have contacts with most car manufacturers. They can also offer options that a Dealer can't, such as aftermarket alignment products. In Sydney I'd recommend Heasmans (ask for Doug), StGeorge Steering (ask for John), Exceller Steering (ask for Bruce) and Road & Race (ask for Peter), tell them I said to call (they might look after you or not ).

Hope that helps
Cheers
Gary

[green_comet]

Personally I would get the alignment done at a proper suspension joint, stay away from tyre shops and the dealership. I get the alignments done on my Mx5's at Centreline Suspension down here in Melbourne, they do heaps of work on track cars and are very good at what they do. Cost is around $120 which is reasonable considering they spend around 2 hours on each car setting everything up, they also take the car for a couple test drives and make sure everything is 100% before handing it over.

You get what you pay for when it comes to alignments.

[seangti]

And tell the dude who's doing it that the cars hit a gutter so they're across it.

[SBmusic]

Here's how I see it, if it really is pulling to one side or the other then it most likely has more damage than simply having the toe knocked out of alignment. Camber maybe, or more likely caster and SAI, commonly caused by subframe movement. For ~$30 all a tyre service guy will do is check the toe, if it's out then they most likely will claim extra time and charge ~$60. They might check the caster, but they will then tell you it's out but not adjustable. The average tyre service guy will have no idea about SAI and sure as hell won't check the set back to see it the subframe is out of alignment.

You can spend your ~$30 to $60 and get the toe checked and adjusted, but it almost certainly won't fix the pulling. That's where the VW dealer has an advantage, they have all the specs on the alignment plus some knowledge on how to adjust the subframe. If it needs parts, chances are they will be able to source them faster than a third party shop. Dealers do vary, sometimes you will get an apprentice, sometimes an experienced mechanic who has seen it all before. Bit of a lucky dip there, so what I do is establish very early on a dialogue with the Service Manager. I generally insist that the sales person introduce me to the Service Manager when I buy the car.

The best choice for me is a suspension specialist, they have all the gear, are experienced and have contacts with most car manufacturers. They can also offer options that a Dealer can't, such as aftermarket alignment products. In Sydney I'd recommend Heasmans (ask for Doug), StGeorge Steering (ask for John), Exceller Steering (ask for Bruce) and Road & Race (ask for Peter), tell them I said to call (they might look after you or not ).

Hope that helps
Cheers
Gary

Thanks Gary for the in depth response, it's very much appreciated....

Just to also let people know, it was the back left that hit the gutter! The fronts did not hit...I'm not sure if this changes anything for an alignment, but just thought I would give more detail on what happened...

It's not pulling hard by any means, it's a very very gradual pull..

[alexaescht]

Just to also let people know, it was the back left that hit the gutter! The fronts did not hit...I'm not sure if this changes anything for an alignment, but just thought I would give more detail on what happened...

It's not pulling hard by any means, it's a very very gradual pull..

The rear can't really be aligned as it's a torsion bar setup and has no adjustments. I think the only option if it's been bent out of shape considerably is to replace the entire torsion bar, but I'm not sure.