Looking for suggestions out in LA area

 

Stay away from the dealer!

 

I think its going to be more then $100.00 as some shops labor rates exceed that amount per hour. I am pretty sure it takes longer then an hour to get your alignment done and your specs just right the way you want them. I think Id want them to spend at least an hour after the money just spent on the suspension, no point to do that if your alignment isnt perfect.

 

You need corner balancing.

 

Try Lucent on Sepulveda in LA or the Speed Gallery on Ventura. Both are sponsors. However, I think it will cost more than 100.

 

i pay $120 for custom specs.

 

Once you lower a car the suspension geometry changes. Most standard alignment machines cannot compensate for this suspension geometry change.

We use a machine made by Beisbarth which is the same company that supplies Porsche AG this machine is Porsche specific. The fixtures used to mount the measuring heads mount to the wheel hub and are not the traditional 3 arm clamp type used by generic alignment shops.
This machine is so advanced that we use it to check body shop repairs on Porsches for insurance companies.


As with anything else in life. You pay for what you get in terms of equipment ,quality and service.










Just some information to consider before heading down to the local firestone to have your 100k+ Porsche aligned.


Old Mechanics Motto " I don't get paid to turn a bolt. I get paid to know which bolt to turn" hahah

 

Fabryce,
I've never seen a machine like yours. That is certainly state of the art.

 

If you are in the area stop by for a demo some time. Its really an amazing piece of equipment.

Would be happy to show you how it works. We usually have a car or two to align.


I was going to wait to post this but now is a good time since we are on the topic.


We are going to do a Suspension Tech Session at the shop in the spring. Date is TBD but expect it sometime in April after the LB GP.

The tech session will cover- alignments, corner balancing, how dampers work, how springs work. We will have engineers and representatives from Moton, Eibach and Beisbarth on hand to answer questions. We will also demonstrate the aligner and how it works.
In addition we will demonstrate how corner balancing works and explain how it effects driving.
We usually corner balance a race car during the tech session since they are easier to do then street cars and the suspension components are easier to access.

We usually do one of these tech sessions once a year, its a a few hours on a Saturday. A ton of fun and a great place to learn a little about the "black majic" of suspension tuning.

I will have a formal post about this later in the year but for now here this is a little preview of events at GMG this year.

 

I hope this isn't the same machine the rely on at the factory to set up new cars.

 

I don’t think they put every car on a traditional alignment rack for the majority of cars off the production line. When there are no miles on the car, all bushing/suspension and tires are brand new they probably preset steering components and suspension components or use specialized tools to preset spaces and gaps. This would be a similar principal used when replacing a tie rods and how you can count the threads off the one being replaced to assemble the new one to the same length. As long as you take your alignments to smart experienced technicians that use an accurate properly setup machine you will be fine. Just going to any random place is as with any other thing, a gamble. The good thing about the dealer in my area is that all of the lifts, as well as the alignment rack are countersunk into the floor. This way you don’t have to worry about someone getting in your car and scraping the front lip all the way up the two ramps.

The good thing I see on the machine GMG is using, is that because it mounts perfectly centered on the hub. This would eliminate any inaccuracies you would encounter while compensating the machine for a car with any damage to the wheel or wear on the tire. Tire wear would still be in play once you had in locked in place and start adjusting, but that would happen on any machine. A similar lug mount adapter is used at some shops. Both of these setups also help eliminate any damage that could occur with traditional clamp on heads. You always get what you pay for, unless you have connections.

If you want I could look up how much labor time is suggested so at least you could double check what you are being charged although some shops charge flat rate for alignments. Just let me know the info (year, model, suspension). Corner balancing is something that not every shop is set up to do either and this can really make a difference.

 

Fabryce, PM me a quote of how much it would be to lower my coilovers a bit, do a corner and an alignment.

 

Expect to spend at least $250 for a good corner balance and alignment.

Save the $100 alignment deal for your minivan or Honda Accord...

 

Fabryce and Woodster are correct, Even in stock form you should expect to exceed the 100 dollar mark for the job to be done correctly, and definatly after an aftermarket suspension has been installed.

You can get it done cheaply, or correctly.

 

i think we're all missing the main point here. There really is no difference in alignment setup when you compare a Toyota/Honda to a 996. Believe me, i thought i needed a speacial alignment and people who really know how to work on theses cars. But its not true after i worked on my car's suspension and got familiar with the car. What ym saying is that the 996 is as easy as setting up a Honda and if it takes 1 hour to do a Honda, it should take that long to do a 996. Porsche made everything fixed on teh 996, there is hardly anything to be aligned except for the steering tie rod and camber. Unless if i am proven wrong with facts, i see no reason spending over $100 for an alignment.