Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2013 07:25:19 -0400
Reply-To: Mike B <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike B <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: NAPA usually has it...
In-Reply-To: <CAHTkEuKWBRyrj6HeRO2niu+9vfVe4taiKFQD76SYRSL3hRfT2A@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
I just received a recall notice for our Toyota Rav4 regarding a rear
supension track rod nut that Alignment shops typically fail to properly
re-torque after a rear wheel alignment. This is apparently causing the
rod to break and the wheel to depart the vehicle, which could kill
you. So, yeah, i'd say it is a widespread enough problem that a major
manufacturer has to issue a national recall to check for this. Bottom
line, don't trust alignment shops. Check their work to make sure they
properly retorqued all the fasteners involved in an alignment.
Mike B.
On 10/17/2013 12:02 AM, Don Hanson wrote:
> I don't care to trust any alignment shops. I've not had good
> experiences with them, though I would love to have access to their tools to
> do my own alignments....if the tools were actually accurate.....which you
> never really know.
>
> I am sure there are some that do good work out there but I have never
> found one and I have had some horrendous work done on friends cars as well
> as a tie rod nut left un-tightened on my own race car...causing me to waste
> thousands of bucks driving to Las Vegas for a roadrace and burning through
> the only brand new race tire in my size...not to mention almost crashing
> into a bunch of expensive Porsche factroy Cup racers....I had to race on
> Hoosiers which were almost 3 seconds a lap too slow.....all because I was
> trusting and a bit too rushed to do my own alignment... My wife lost a
> wheel driving away from a Les Schwabb alignment....No, $40 sounds
> reasonable, for sure....but...
>
> I, too am due for another pair of Nokians before I head out in late
> December...an excellent winter tire in the stock size....
>
> Hey, I have a bunch of springs hanging around...look about like my
> Vanagon ones....Hmmmm...
>
>
> On Wed, Oct 16, 2013 at 8:12 PM, Vern in Bend <vernmcintosh@eoni.com> wrote:
>
>> Don, I was at the Bend Tire Factory store today getting some new Nokians,
>> and I asked if they could align a Vanagon. The manager laughed and said,
>> "Yeah, we've done a lot of them, it seems that Vanagon guys really like to
>> change their springs." So I had to confess, "I changed my springs."
>>
>> Anyway, they quoted me $38. for a front alignment, which is much lower than
>> I expected and seems like not only a fairly cheap investment considering
>> the
>> cost of the tires, but also too low to consider messing with it myself.
>>
>> Regards, Vern
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> so the RAO 8s are wearing the inside shoulders, more on the left wheel. I
>>> decided to dismount the front tires and swap them around to use up the
>>> remaining tread, and to address the poor alignment while I had the wheels
>>> off.......needs some camber adjustment, at least.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> Anybody have any sage advice on reducing the negative camber my front
>>> obviously has? Any gotchas I might encounter or hidden complexities that
>>> won't be readily apparent or outlined in the Bently book? I don't have
>>> an alignment rack or lasers but I can usually do most vehicles acceptably
>>> well without that fancy stuff...
>>>
>>>
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