Does this make sense to anyone..?

Hello everyone, it's my first post in this group. (so take it easy on me pleaseeee! ) I've been reading a few threads here and there since buying my first Tundra about a year and a half ago and there's TON of knowledge and expertise on here so I'm asking you guys to pleaseeeeeee come to my rescue!!! Sooooo. I took the Tundra into the alignment shop today (firestone) which had good reviews and is the only place around here besides the dealership that offers 4WD alignments with the printed before and after reports. I was experiencing a little wobble and a decent pull to the right so I figured it was time to get an alignment since it's been about 5000 miles on my new tires. I politely asked if he could get the camber and toe to zero out and leave me a little positive caster on the right. He kinda laughed and walked back into the shop. I know it wouldn't be perrrrrfect but I did want to let him know I had some basic knowledge of what I wanted and basic expectations as well.

So the mechanic pulls me to the back about an hour and half into the work and basically shows me the computer reading on the camber (-2.9), and then walks me under the truck to show me a bent camber tab, and this is why he cant get the camber down. I asked what happened and he immediately said "I have no idea I've never seen anything like it. Where did you get your last alignment done.?" I felt up around the camber tab and honestly... it felt fresh.. like I could see a small sliver of shaved metal, no rust on the edge etc.. He said he couldn't fix it and I'd have to go to a body shop, get it bent back in after dropping the LCA, or get new ones installed. I looked up the process and it doesn't look to difficult.. I weld for a living so some basic tabs from an aftermarket company wouldn't be tooo hard...ANYWAYS...... I've attached the printed reports and my main question/concern is.... if the left front camber was at -.7 on the before measurements and he couldn't get it zeroed out because the cam tab was bent, why is the cam now at -2.9? Why couldn't he at least get it back to the original spot? Because he bent the tab..? and no way he was getting all the necessary work done to fix the problem in the next 2 hours so he tried to pawn it off on the previous alignment.? By the looks of the report nothing really changed besides the toe (.05). I know speculating is hard but am I right in the fact that HE had to be the one who bent it because the camber is now obviously way worse? Or are there other factors here regarding how these numbers are affected that I'm not aware of. I'm calling the shop first thing in the morning to speak to the store manager but I wanted to post on here and get some insight first.
Dang, not even sure how longs it's been since I've typed this much!
If you've made it this far reading..THANKS, I really do appreciate it.


Eric

And on top of that I was charged $17 for "shop supplies".
what kind of consumables are used for an alignment..? Sure is a lot of soap and paper towels for someone that wasn't using gloves.

 

Man be careful, I had a similar encounter with Big O Tire on 5049 N. 7th Street in Phoenix, AZ.

I just bought new tires a set of 5 that were very pricey and I went to this establishment because people on here were talking about a guy named Sarge that work for one of the Big O’s. I found the guy, talked to him about what I wanted done and asked specific question about UCA adjustments, etc. and was told that is how he got his reputation. I wanted to come in then which was a Friday and he said if I wanted him to align it I needed to come in on Saturday because he was leaving early. No problem, I went there on Saturday. Long story short, I went in with no issue with feel on the alignment but wanted it done because of my investment. When I was ready to leave he told me my camber could not be brought into spec. I said what are you talking about, I had no issue with the alignment bringing it here and have had the same person align my truck for years. He said that he could get me an after market kit to hopefully bring it back into spec. They were packed and it took over 3 hours to get me in and out with an appointment.

I got my refund after I proved to them nothing was wrong with my truck and a simple adjustment of one bolt would bring it into spec. HOWEVER… in order for them to complete the ticket they “have” to send CarFax information. When I left after the refund by the time I got home I had multiple text messages and emails from CarFax telling me my coolant needed to be checked, my tires are due for a rotation, it is time for an oil change, etc..

You’re not alone but it was a lot of work on my end to get the refund then I am still trying to find out how to get Big O Tire to accept responsibility. I went to CarFax and told them another company created an account for me and I wanted it deleted. They said they cannot delete an account but I could if I log in. I DID MOT CREATE THE ACCOUNT. I don’t have the password. I would like to sue them and CarFax for allowing it to happen.

Sorry for the short version…

 

The camber is probably at 2.9 now because he probably felt getting the toe in spec was more important.

 

So moving the toe in .4* could cause the camber to move out 2.2*?

 

Not sure but I would think it’s possible. But there are other factors. Maybe the cam was off center before because of the bent tab. And he positioned it back into place.

Honestly, I don’t think this tech bent it. Because your camber and toe were off before taking it in, I’d say it’s likely it happened before. And it’s not easy to bend one of those while doing a simple alignment. It takes quite a bit of force. Even if he did somehow bend it, it’ll be impossible to prove and you know they’re just going to deny it.

If it were me, I would just remove the LCA, bend the tab back and weld on a little piece of metal behind it to hold it. Since you can weld, probably be a 1-2 hour job. Maybe even do all the other tabs while you’re at it because these fail all the time.

 

So somehow I forgot that when the tie rods were replaced they did a free alignment. Small local ma and pa shop. After speaking to a few other people today it's "most" likely the cam bolts weren't torqued to spec which would cause it to shift around and possibly flatten out the tab. This also explains the wobble I was feeling. I knew something was loose. I could feel it damnit!

I'm going to drive up to the ma and pa shop locally tomorrow and see what they say. Maybe I can have them pay for the new tabs or at least give me the $100 back for the alignment. Or.... prove they used a torque wrench instead of an impact and I'll take the blame for taking a corner to fast.

I'm glad I didn't call up Firestone and act like some idiot. Thank you guys. Seriously.