I don't know much about cars, other than I always seem to get ripped off when having service done. I can never ask for one thing without 2-3 other "problems" being identified. Looking at this alignment print-out from the mechanic, I can't see where it shows poor alignment by more than .01 degree. It wasn't pulling one way or the other before or after. Did I really need an alignment?

 

Maybe most disturbingly to me, is that by their own form, there seems to be little change from the Before measurements and the Current Measurements.

Including the rear tire marked in yellow, which I am also guessing means it is potentially the problem.

Remember, you have a right to ask exactly why a service is being recommended, and after, you have a right to a detailed explanation of exactly what was discovered, found and addressed.

If you feel you're being ripped off? You also have a right to go elsewhere.

 

Just because a mechanic suggest it doesn't mean it's required to do. Judging by your name, you're female. Unfortunately there are those that will attempt to prey on you just because you are female. I would take the recommendation and do some research before making the decision on any work. You could always take it to another mechanic for a second opinion.

My suggestion is to find yourself a trustworthy mechanic. Personal recommendations I've found is a good way to find one.

As I understand it, the rear of the fit isn't aligned by design. So all they did was a front end alignment and it appears it wasn't even required. I get my alignments through Firestone. I bought a lifetime alignment and can get 2 every year. I want to say it was around $160. What did they charge you for the one alignment?

 

My only advice is to stay away from chain type tire and alignment places where some "technician" just moves parts until the box turns green. Google alignment shops in your area and use available online reviews to make a determination of where to go

 

I don't see any significant changes... Did they say they adjusted the alignment?

 

Thanks for everyone's input. Yes, they already did the alignment, but as one person says, it looks like they didn't do much at all according to this print out they provided. They charged me $105 for whatever small aligning they did. I'm going back to ask them about it. Thanks for the advice everyone!

 

yes u got ripped off. i bet they charged you 4 wheel alignment instead of a 2 wheel alignment, since only the front wheels can be aligned.

 

It may be a bit of a hassle,,, but if you can find a local club that does autocross, check out one of their meetings and ask what shop does alignments for the club. (Most do their own but not all) whatever shop that is they are probably racers, and for the most part will take better care of cars in my experience...

For anybody in the PDX(Portland OR) area,,, A-N-T tire near PIR are the guys .. Garth has been aligning track cars for years.. Really good guy. His dad owns the shop but kinda just hangs out these days..

 

That seems like allot of hassle and beyond what the average Fit owner is going to do?

Most aligned their own car because they want different specs from factory. If not there's usually a handful of shops that will align to customers specs. The one shop most in Chicago use is over an hour drive from my house. I found a local independent alignment shop that the owners son road races motorcycles. One of their tech is a grear head and will work with me to whatever I want and let me sit in my car while it's aligned. It's not with the time for me to do it myself for the $120 or so they charge me.

I do do agree with not going to a chain but an independent alignment shop. I don't know if it's necessary to contact ones local SCCA club to get recommendations when all that's needed is a stock alignment? Seems like overkill for 99% of the gas mileage, wiper blade, or any other prosaic item caring Fit enthusiast?

 

Depends, you want it done right, good price or get screwed with by a chain or the dealer? My point was there are good local shops and they build their rep by word of mouth, not google not social media.... Not sure how the OP even ended up talking to a shop about an alignment so I just threw it out there..


I am picky about how my cars drive, even the ones just for the street, so to me going out and finding a guy that will take care of a car when I send my wife there is worth it to me.. YMMV

Plus I've sent 3 other regular folks to good shops via my local race friends and 2 of them tried autocross and loved it, they had never done it before, not saying you have to try it but the folks that play with cars in general are a friendly bunch.

 

I think we're just arguing about symentics? I had recommendations from other autocross friends where to go for an alignment. It was farther from my house than I wanted to go. I google local alignment shops, read the online reviews for the independent shops. I then hopped in my car and took a field trip. First one I went to when I asked if they would align to anything other than factory specs the answer was "NO". The next one, when I walked in I seen al sorts of motorcycle road racing pictures. I asked who the photo last were of. The guy behind the counter said "my son". I asked if they would align to anything other than factory specs and his response was let me get my one tech, he's into cars. Long story short tech was more than willing to align however I wanted as long as it was possible. I've had three different alignment on my autocross car trying different things. Had my wife's car aligned by them. More than satisfied and I found them by myself.


So am I. I don't believe the average Fit owner is?

I love autocross. Run with 3-4 groups. Basically any weekend I'm not working and there's an event within a 3 hour drive. That being said, it's probably not for everyone?

 

So they charge her for a 4 wheel alignment because a rear wheel they can't even align is slightly out of alignment.

Then when they basically adjust "nothing"...they print the final print out and say..."Thanks For Choosing Us"?

Sleaze Factor Maxed.

 

What's the surprise? You get what you pay for.

Go to a chain and get lifetime warranty for as many alignments as you want or need. They know the next time might be when another set of tires is purchased? Allot can happen during that time such as trade in, accident or total. Not trying to stereotype since I'm sure they're good tech's working for some chains? With lower wages, benefits and other factors basically one knows they're not as good as tech's working at dealers. Looking at the sheet there's a reason that's its aligned to a Go/NoGo format.

That being said dealers can also be scum. Last time my wife car was in for service the service writer was trying to persuade a woman sitting next to me for doing her brakes. She told him two times that she really couldn't afford it which his response was something like ma'am, there's only 4mm of pad left. Finally, instead of minding my own business I piped in and said ask him how thick the pad was to start with. He said something like 10mm. At that point she was smart enough to do the math and said I'll take care of them at my next oil change. People just don't know. Without anything to reference they might think that brake pads are over an inch thick to start with? That's how these places get away with what they do. Simple

 

It's not a matter of being surprised. It's a matter of integrity, ethics and competency.
Plus I have no idea how much this place charged the OP...I'm guessing the alignment wasn't cheap. EDIT: Evidently they charged her $105. IMO not cheap.

But the reality is just what happened.
Any place, dealer or otherwise should know whether the vehicle can be aligned for front and rear or front only.

If you can't align the rear wheels or are not willing to do the work necessary? Then don't charge the customer for a 4 wheel alignment.

It appears to me, from their own printout that the problem wheel is in the rear.
So basically this customer got charged for a service that returned the vehicle to her.....nearly exactly as it was before the service.

That's really not acceptable at any price. Even if this type of happening shouldn't be too surprising.

 

We can hem and haw but this happens everyday and in many industries. You can do a youtube search and see crooked hvac, plumbers, auto mechanics etc being exposed by news networks. I think it's important to be educated so you can call them out when it happens, and if at all possible do business with credible people.

I found a trustworthy mechanic and even though he's about an hour away, I'll take my car to him. I knew I could trust him when the AC in my car wouldn't work. It was the tail end of summer so I didn't worry about it and put off till next year. The next summer was one of the hottest I could remember and I finally sucked it up and took in to get looked at. He had the car 5 minutes before he called me back and said the knob was broken. He pulled the knob and used some needle nose pliers to turn bolt behind and sure enough cold air gushed out. I asked him what I owed him and he said nothing, you can get the knob at the dealer. That cemented the relationship and I've been using him for over 15 years. When he had to move his shop, I followed him. Now that I moved an hour away, I'll still go to him because he's trustworthy and his prices are not terrible. Everyone who I've recommended to him have had no complaints with his work.

I don't trust the dealership and only use them for warranty work. I had a trouble code come up on my 4Runner that my code reader couldn't read. So I took it to them to look at. They diagnosed it as my wiring harness was bad and they wanted to charge me several thousand to replace it. I told them no thanks and they charged me $100 to "diagnose" it. I asked to talk to tech and manager and they had the gall to tell me that my transmission leaked and corrupted my wiring harness. I told them that was the dumbest thing I've ever heard. They lost my business for life, the mechanic and car sales side. So took it to my mechanic above and it was just a bad O2 sensor. Not sure why my code reader wouldn't say that but at that point I was like OK just fix it. That cost me $150 from him.

I had an issue with Firestone too, so I keep an eye on them. I came in to get new tires and they told me my rear differential on the 4Runner was leaking. I hadn't seen any signs so I asked them to show me. He took me to the bay and showed me. I took my finger and wiped the differential and it had oil on it. Not even thicker differential oil, it felt like motor oil consistency. Plus there was no road grime or dust. Just straight up oil. I called them out and said don't touch anything else on it. When I got home I wiped it off with some brake cleaner and haven't seen an issue since. I don't go to that one anymore. My wife takes it there for oil changes, rotations (free since I bought tires there) and alignments. When they suggest work, I tell her just to get the printed out recommendation and I'll look at it. Last time they said I needed brakes, and they were low but I ended up doing the work myself to save the labor costs.

For me, the lifetime alignment has paid for itself. I keep my cars for a long time. The 4Runner is a 2004 and I don't even know how many alignments I've had at this point. Last set of tires lasted 65k so they must be doing something right in that department. I got it on the Fit because I hit a pothole that tore the sidewall on a tire and screwed up the toe. The normal alignment was I think $90 and for $160 I could get the lifetime. Since I keep my cars a long, it was an easy choice. I don't need any custom alignment settings to carve up parking lots, so a chain store is fine for me. My cars get me from point a to point b.

I'm in the DC Metro area so I'm familiar with Curry's. They used to be a smaller shop and it seems they've grown quite a bit. If you do some Google searches, the reviews are fun reading..