Alignment: Dealer, Highstreet or Specialist?

[Verr_Err_Ess!]

Okay, I've decided to get some replacement alloys (with new tyres fitted) to bling-up the silver machine.

Now judging from the wear pattern on the fronts, I'm pretty sure the tracking (sorry, Alignment) is out. I say this with confidence after taking potholes at relativistic speeds and front-ending a small deer a year ago (at a very low speed which still necessitated a bonnet replacement ).

Obviously, it makes sense to get a check/adjustment at the same time as getting the new 'corners' fitted.

After searching the threads, could anyone give up-to-date opinions on the best option?

ie.

1) local Skoda (Independant) dealer (nice guy, but might be expensive......gonna ring for a price now)

2) "You can't get better than a Kwik-Fit Fitter" (well can you?.......are they cheap or nasty, or both?)

3) Back to JBS where I had the Eibachs/Konis done two and a half years ago. Is this level of check a bit OTT, when its probably just a tracking adjustment?

Thanks for all replies.

[Verr_Err_Ess!]

I've just rang my local dealer and he says £25 including any adjustment :eek:

That's a bit good innit, or am I missing something?

[mluton]

I've just rang my local dealer and he says £25 including any adjustment :eek:

That's a bit good innit, or am I missing something?

They will take it to Kwik Fit for £15.

[Chrispy]

They will take it to Kwik Fit for £15.

£25.....they did mine the other day. Nowt wrong with the job they did.

[Chrispy]

And by the way, the rear wheels are not adjustable (without shims) in the Fabia and so there's no point in paying any more for a wheel alignment IMO. The standard one Kwik **** do is good enough as they compare the front alignment to the rear wheels anyway using the laser and mirror arrangement.

You can also not adjust the camber/ caster easily either - only the tow in/ out using the track rods.

Basically, providing they lock the steering wheel straight and get the front wheels within the tolerances then that's good enough.

[ScoobyChris]

Depends what kind of alignment they are doing and what rig they are using (and if they know how to use it!) and the price will reflect that. I paid £80 for getting the Scooby set up at an independent specialist and the car was on the rig for the best part of 2 hours and was completely transformed by the custom settings they applied to it. Also got a full print out of before and after.

In contrast, I paid £25 the other week to have the Mondeo set up at my local tyre fitter (on the same type of rig). They just set the car up so it was within factory spec, explained what they were doing and gave me a before and after print out.

When I had the Fabia in for a new track rod arm at the main dealer, the alignment was checked by one of their highly trained technicians "by eye" and counting the number of turns needed to do up the nut and cost me nothing .... except a new tyre 5k miles later where it had worn so badly! Took it to my local tyre fitter who couldn't believe how out it was.

So I guess the moral of the story is you get what you pay for, but the key is to get before and after print outs so you can see what has been done and what current settings you're running.

Chris

[Chrispy]

Scoobies are fully adjustable though, as was my old MR2.....Fabia's are not. The rear beam is fixed and all you can do on the front is fiddle with the track rods to adjust toe in and out. Therefore spending a fortune on a car that you can't adjust anyway is pointless.

EDIT: And the 'by eye' approach is what the garage did who fitted my new track rods. The tracking was miles out as a result and Kwik Fit had to do loads of turns on the track rods to get it right when I took it in. You also get a warranty with Kwik Fit so you can take it back up to 2 weeks afterwards and they'll check/ adjust it again for free.

[ScoobyChris]

Scoobies (at least mine) weren't fully adjustable without fitting camber bolts to the rear (which was part of the setup they did). They also worked all sorts of other magic like the "bump steer mod" to make the handling nice and neutral.

As said, you get what you pay for and these guys could set the car up to behave exactly as you wanted

Chris

[Chrispy]

Can you fit camber bolts to a Fabia? The only way of fiddling with camber AFAIK would be shims on the rear beam (you name a wheel alignment place that would do that under normal circumstances) and possibly fiddling with the front console bushes to some degree to give an offset. Otherwise it's all fixed and the track rods are what your limit is in terms of adjustment.

[ScoobyChris]

Have no idea on the Fabia but to be honest it's probably not worth it :sofahide:

My point was more that if you wanted to go all out then there are specialists out there who can set the car up exactly how you want it (by whatever means they have available). If you just want the alignment checked and that it's within factory spec then most tyre fitters can do that as it doesn't require the same skill and knowledge and so costs less.

Chris

[Verr_Err_Ess!]

Just an update. Kwik-Fit say £25 for laser adjustment (with little flags on the back wheels ) and an 'Ayrton Senna' to bang on the new alloys. So £35 in total.

That sounds a little more in-depth than Mr Local Skoda Dealer, now you lot have scared me off with the old 'setting-it-up-by-eye' adjustment (thanks, by the way ).

Probably go for this.

[Chrispy]

Agreed. I think the point I was trying to make was that on the Fabia (or any 9n chassis car for that matter) I doubt it's worthwhile under normal circumstances. I paid £60-odd quid for a 4WA a while ago and feel a bit ripped off now after learning the rear beam/ rear wheels are fixed (Basils threads on shims) and after pulling apart my own front suspension many times.

When I had my tracking done last week, (£25 job) they still used all 4 wheels with the mirrors etc but only set the car up to be how it should be which to be honest is all the the people doing the "4WA" will have done.

I agree though, if I wanted the car 'just so' then I'd pay some ££ and get it done properly. Considering neither places asked how I wanted it and just set it to factory limits then i might as well have stuck to the Kwik Fit job.

To summarise, an expensive 4WA on the Fabia where they just set the factory toe in/ toe out settings (nothing custom) is a waste of money IMO.

[vrsfab]

If you're getting odd wear on the front tyres it may well be the console bushes getting tired.

It would be a good time to swap them for the Seat Cupra ones to help you enjoy your new rubber to the full

[Verr_Err_Ess!]

If you're getting odd wear on the front tyres it may well be the console bushes getting tired.

It would be a good time to swap them for the Seat Cupra ones to help you enjoy your new rubber to the full

Cheers, Rich. I'll get those checked.

[Chrispy]

The worn bushes will make the front tracking all over the place. You'll get the front alignment corrected, then the slack in the bushes will make it wrong again. Tracking should be sorted last IMO....get all the suspension nice and tight first then have it aligned, preferably all in one go if ££'s allow.

[rum4mo]

In my experience, there is a bit of movement possible on the front swivels and as said the camber can be equalised or "centered" on the fixed "axes" of the rear beam by moving the front crossmember. If you've had your car from new and know that it wa set up correctly at the factory + has never been heavily kerbed + has not thumped too many deep potholes, then a four wheel re-alignment might be OTT. Otherwise getting any suspect parts changed - like voided bushes out solid bushes in, swivels checked etc and then getting a four wheel realignment might be a good idea. One thing to bear in mind, is that most cheapish cars can only be adjusted either front or rear - but you will never know if the car is set up to run true if you don't get this check done. A little aside, some time ago my daughter bought a two year old previous model Ibiza - so did not know it past history, she got new tyres all round and I suggested she got the tracking checked, local Kwikfit was used - they said "can't sort it by tracking only it needs a four wheel realignment" - then he showed me why - losts of negative camber one side none or just posative the other side - but no visible damage any where! Seat said "can't adjust camber on these cars" - I said that the lower strut bolt was called camber adjusting bolt! So eventually Seat carried out this work and the car looked okay and three years later it still drives okay. Moral never say never to four wheel alignment its not just for performance cars - oh and Audi A4 etc Passat B5 + B5.5 and Superb have fixed front suspension and 4-Motion cars use fully adjustable S6 rear set up.