scottishb

So I went to get an alignment today after I did the OME lift. The guy said he couldn't do it because the tie rods were seized. My truck still tracks nice and straight, it's the camber thats way off now. Is that the right word, camber? Anyways, I thought all you had to do was move the upper control arms in more. Does adjusting camber change the toe? Couldn't they just move the upper control arms and leave the tie rods alone? Am I gonna have to sell my amps and subs to pay for this? wtf.

Cbohl51

I believe that the camber is adjusted down on the lower control arms. If you remove the skid plate, you will see some dialed washers attached to the bolts through the arms.

When you adjust the camber, you will be adjusting the toe slightly. If you have negative camber, and then get it back in spec, you will get toe-in. If you have positive camber, and go back into spec, you will get tow-out.

There is a little wiggle room for factory specs, so possibly after adjusting the camber, your toe will be within spec enough where it doesn't need to be adjusted.

Eventually, you will need to get this fixed as the toe will probably need to be adjusted in the future.

gpcollen1

You could definitely request that they do the best they can without touching the tie rods though their response worries me that they are not really going to do a good job for you. For starters, shouldn't they have come and said to you that it is going to cost a few bucks more because we have to un-seize the tie rods - not it cannot be done. Who the hell is going to loosen your tie rod then if not your mechanic?? After a bad experience in bringing my 4runnner back 3 times on one alignment, I switched to me local dealer who has done it 100% right every time since, which is only once.

Mauzer

X2 on finding a different shop, if they don't wanna do the work then find someone who does. I've never even heard of a shop complaining about doing additional work, they must just have tons of $$ and not care about customers...so don't be their customer.

scottishb

I went with plan B today, and went to another mechanic. He said, "we'll get it!" So we'll see how that goes tomorrow.

scottishb

Mechanic number 2 says, "This vehicle has VSC so we can't align it!" So it's off to mechanic number 3 tomorrow. Wonder what their excuse will be!

Mauzer

Man, mechanics in your area suck! Just take it to the local toyota dealership

Kerby J

if its a lifted vehicle toyota wont do it already been down that road what ya need to do is find like a customization shop that does really big wheels and tires like at least 22's and ask them where they have the cars aligned (bc sometimes suspension modification has to be done) that they work on thats what i did and the place happened to be the dealership right beside the place and it was only 70 bucks and it was done completely right

Hokkaido

You'll be lucky if you only have to do it once. I have a 2inch coil lift and after the alignment any serious off-roading screws it up. I have been back to the shop at least five times and they always put it back straight, but I'm feeling sorry for those guys!
I have learned as long as the camber is good, or should I say, good enough, you can do the toe yourself by measuring it. You can tell if the camber is off or not by looking at the tires from a distance and see if they are leaning out or in. But that's just how I do it and my rig is getting pretty wore out.

Mauzer

Your a prime candidate for the firestone lifetime alignment! Op may want to look into this as well

Edit: Just realized your in Japan, thinkin you probably don't have a firestone close by haha

Ardent

x2! I got tired of forking over $60 after every wheelin' trip. Firestone does a decent job and it's paid for itself 3-4 times now!

gpcollen1

My dealer does my alignment - lift and all. You cannot just paint a broad statement like that.

scottishb

I went and got an "alignment" today, they test drove and said they got it as close as they could... I pull out of the parking lot and my steering wheel is completely sideways. My drivers side wheel has to be like 10 degrees out of line. To put it right I have to shell out another 1000 bucks. So this thing isn't even really driveable now. On my fixed income I'll never be able to afford to fix this. With no cartilage in my hips I can't walk too far. Can you say screwed?

Mauzer

Thats BS scottish! You take it back to them and tell them you want it done right or you want your $$ back.

brian2sun

x2, I think you need to make a call to the Better Business Bureau.

Yukon

Seriously?? Go tell them to shove it up their ***** then if they say anything but we'll fix it, dispute the charge on your CC and go somewhere else

scottishb

I'm just gonna have to do this myself! Hmm... New cam bolts, inner and outer tie rods. Should be good to go after that, right? Then new end links cuz I broke the front ones doing the lift.
Anyone need 3000 watts of BASS for their ride? haha Cheap!