In the collision, Mellow Yellow was struck on the right rear quarter panel with enough force to spin it a bit -- the rear tires were pushed about three feet to the left. And even though the van seemed to track perfectly and ride without shudders or other weirdnesses after the accident, I wanted to make sure the alignment was still good before we head out camping tomorrow morning. No sense tearing up a tire, I reckon. So I took it to Alignment Techniques here in Bend, Ore. The van already had been there once in March after the split steering rack boots had been replaced. When I called to make the appointment, the first thing the owner, Mike Wing, asked was whether it was a Syncro. I mention this because the two shops I used in SoCal didn't even know how to work on Vanagons at all, much less know the distinction. He said that though they were way busy I should bring it by after lunch and he'd see if he could squeeze it in. As soon as I arrived, they pulled the van onto their second rack, worked on it for 45 minutes, found nothing whack, touched everything up, and sent me on my way -- no charge. Some pretty fancy computerized equipment: cameras, reflectors . . . swell stuff. He said that if the alignment was going to be knocked off from the collision, it would have been way off. Alignment Techniques, Bend, Ore. -- recommended. -- Rocky J Squirrel |
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