Cost For Alignment

Cheap price means they aren't paying the mechanic well. Low pay = sub-par mechanics. Anything around $100 is going rate around here. With these trucks you want a patient guy not stressing on how much he's loosing getting it "just right"

JMO

So here is my alignment story. For a long time, I had issues with my 97 C1500 eating tires. I took it to 3 different shops, and had 5 different front end techs look at it. No one found anything wrong. We had a mechanic come by out machine shop for some press work about 1 year ago. He saw my truck and started asking about it. I said yea its in near show room condition, but I can get anybody to align it rite. He looks at me and he said He can do it, so we walk to the truck. He said yea you have an issue on the drivers side. Bring it to the shop and Ill fix it for you. So I did on a Saturday. He looks at it, and finds both upper A arm bushing were bad. So I had Him replace them, and align my truck. I went back 3 month later, after I knew it wasnt eating tires any more, and put 275/60/15s all the way around. At that time, I also had Him replace the other upper A arm on the passengers side. Yea, it cost me $1000 but I still have almost new tires after 1 year. Before that, I got less that 2 years out of my last set of cheap tires. At about 20,000 miles those tires shot. They were 50,000 mile tires. I have almost 10,000 miles on my tires now, with very little ware. Now you tell me why 5 different techs didnt see worn A arm bushings. No, Ill tell you why, because those guys didnt care. They just wanted to make a buck. Every time it was, sir you truck is aligned. They even gave me a print out of it being in spec. Like I said earlier, a good tech is worth every penny. I will gladly pay $100 for a proper alignment.

y

Manmeyco said:

Honestly, I'll see how it goes. If he's willing to discount it, great. If not, oh well. He's also mounting my tires, though, so maybe for the overall he'll be willing to shave the price a bit.

Click to expand...

People amaze me. Do you invest your money in a shop, buy, maintain, update, and repair equipment, and use your expertise to work at a discount?

Will you do whatever it is that you do for me at a discount? I want the best job I can get out of you for next to nothing.

Its varies between 49$-75$ in the cities I’ve lived in

I paid 100 for a recent alignment with tip. The shop specializes in front end work. Those shops are getting hard to come by these days...

The shop I worked at we charged around 100 bucks. We would also check and make sure there where no problems. If there was the owner would bring the customer out and show them the problem so that they knew that we where not trying to pull a fast one on them.

I got a lifetime alignment from Firestone during a promotion when it was $150. Regular "menu price" IIRC was $200.
Can be redeemed at any Firestone location nationwide and valid for as long as YOU own your CURRENT vehicle. Although guy at counter said there is some leniency on that rule say for example I give my vehicle to my offspring... Depends on who answers the phone lol.

I got it years ago and never looked back. So far 6 alignments (in 3 states) haven't cost me anything.
Except for tip of course!
Idk how they pay their techs, but since my 'free alignment' was the only thing I was having done (every time) I always stayed with truck and tipped the tech $20 BEFORE he got in it to drive it on to rack. Along with hanging out at bay door to watch cause these are the only moments I allow someone else to touch her with tools and it makes me anxious haha.

Money well spent so far IMO. I think they do the promo Every Spring, I know I got mine in March.

Before Firestone my local mom-and-pop tire shop charged $69 for what they advertise as 4 wheel alignment, and it was $17 for an 'alignment check' if no adjustments are needed.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

EppNation said:

I got a lifetime alignment from Firestone during a promotion when it was $150. Regular "menu price" IIRC was $200.
Can be redeemed at any Firestone location nationwide and valid for as long as YOU own your CURRENT vehicle. Although guy at counter said there is some leniency on that rule say for example I give my vehicle to my offspring... Depends on who answers the phone lol.

I got it years ago and never looked back. So far 6 alignments (in 3 states) haven't cost me anything.
Except for tip of course!
Idk how they pay their techs, but since my 'free alignment' was the only thing I was having done (every time) I always stayed with truck and tipped the tech $20 BEFORE he got in it to drive it on to rack. Along with hanging out at bay door to watch cause these are the only moments I allow someone else to touch her with tools and it makes me anxious haha.

Money well spent so far IMO. I think they do the promo Every Spring, I know I got mine in March.

Before Firestone my local mom-and-pop tire shop charged $69 for what they advertise as 4 wheel alignment, and it was $17 for an 'alignment check' if no adjustments are needed.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Here is where you just have to get out and find a good shop, with a tech that has been a front end tech for many years. Every Firestone shop in my area are total rip offs. Everytime anyone one goes into any Firestone shop in my area, Firestone always finds all kind if extra work that is not needed. EVERY FIRESTONE shop in my area, EVERY TIME. There is no exception. They are by FAR the worst shop for ripping people off. But where eepnation lives, this may not be true. Find a shop in your area with a frontend tech, that has been a frontend tech for 20 plus years, and still cares, and takes pride in his work, and that is where you will get your best result. My guy has been a frontend tech for 30 years.

kennythewelder said:

Here is where you just have to get out and find a good shop, with a tech that has been a front end tech for many years. Every Firestone shop in my area are total rip offs. Everytime anyone one goes into any Firestone shop in my area, Firestone always finds all kind if extra work that is not needed. EVERY FIRESTONE shop in my area, EVERY TIME. There is no exception. They are by FAR the worst shop for ripping people off. But where eepnation lives, this may not be true. Find a shop in your area with a frontend tech, that has been a frontend tech for 20 plus years, and still cares, and takes pride in his work, and that is where you will get your best result. My guy has been a frontend tech for 30 years.

Click to expand...

Same story here on the Firestones. That lifetime alignment thing is a way to get you in the door so they can find the gravy to sell. I took a set of rims and tires to them to mount and balance since they were right by the house. Scratched every single freakin one of my new rims. Luckily they reimbursed me.

There's a frame and alignment shop a few miles away that's been in the area forever. They still use caster/camber gauges and tram gauges. I went down there and was out in about an hour. I watched them actually do the caster/camber adjustments which went pretty quick since I did the knockouts at home. Paid right at a benjamin for it and it's been straight as an arrow since.

kennythewelder said:

Everytime anyone one goes into any Firestone shop in my area, Firestone always finds all kind if extra work that is not needed. EVERY FIRESTONE shop in my area, EVERY TIME. There is no exception. They are by FAR the worst shop for ripping people off.

Click to expand...

Same can be said about most franchised auto repair companies. Griping about how mechanics all rip you off has long become a socially acceptable complaint. Similar to unfavorable weather, or pollen season, or rush hour traffic, etc.

Yes, I have gotten that list too, and at first I was convinced it was all BS as I never let the truck out of sight, and watched every move the tech made performing alignment. How could they possibly tell me that I was due for a diff service??
I've since learned, those lists are almost always software generated based on your year/make/model/miles on odo, and almost always extremely accurate to what the vehicle needs based on the way the average drivers maintains their vehicle.
The average driver maintains their vehicle very poorly in case you weren't aware. Absolute minimalists, full well knowing they just need to keep the car sellable for the short time they own it before they're onto their next one.
Who would pay thousands and thousands of dollars of maintenance during a cars first 50K when they no it will be someone else's problem and there and something else new??
It's ******, but the logic is sound.

I digress... there is no obligation to have any more work done by Firestone while redeeming my lifetime alignment.
Depending on my mood my response is either "thank you I'll review this list tonight when I'm home". Or "I do all my own maintenance, but tell your robot to go **** himself".

Any vehicle still on the road as a daily driver beyond 10 years is already an anomaly to the statistic. Shouldn't take things so personal. They're just trying to stay in business, would you have the same attitude to a contractor who came in to fix your roof but noticed you needed new windows and tried to acquire that work from you at that time?? Probably not

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk