Installed H&R Springs | Shops wont do alignment?

[Debashis]

With the help of a mobile mechanic, I installed H&R Springs on my 08 9-3 this past weekend. All is well, looks great ... but I've been to 2 tire shops and both are refusing to do an alignment. I'm hearing these crap excuses ...

"You shouldn't install aftermarket springs on a car, we dont have the numbers to input into the machine to get the alignment right"

"There isn't a shop in town that will touch your car"

"Why would you do that to your car?"

I live in the DC Metro area ... anyone know if this is the kind of stuff I should expect to be hearing? Does anyone know a good shop to do alignment around here?

[Vector-SS]

Originally Posted by Debashis

With the help of a mobile mechanic, I installed H&R Springs on my 08 9-3 this past weekend. All is well, looks great ... but I've been to 2 tire shops and both are refusing to do an alignment. I'm hearing these crap excuses ...

"You shouldn't install aftermarket springs on a car, we dont have the numbers to input into the machine to get the alignment right"

"There isn't a shop in town that will touch your car"

"Why would you do that to your car?"

I live in the DC Metro area ... anyone know if this is the kind of stuff I should expect to be hearing? Does anyone know a good shop to do alignment around here?

You know, I feel like I will be facing the same damn problem when I install my springs/shocks this coming month.

When I was calling up local indy's I was getting responses such as:


SHOP # 1:

Me: Do you install springs/shocks for a Saab?
Him: Sure, did you buy the parts from us?
Me: No
Him: Sorry we can't install them for you if you bought them elsewhere, we can't guarantee it.
Me: Okay, so can I sign some sort of waiver mentioning that I don't car about guarantee and that I'm responsible for anything that might happen.
Him: No, you see, it's like going to a restaurant and bringing your own food, they won't guarantee it.
Me: Oh okay, makes sense


Shop #2

Me: Do you install after market shocks/springs?
Him: No, of course not, we don't touch anything that's not OEM
Me: Okay, thanks

Shop #3

Me: Do you install after market springs/shocks
Him: Sure
Me: How much?
Him: $240 CAD
Me: Sounds good

I don't know why they are all petrified to touch anything done to our cars that is not OEM - I'm sure some sort of law suit exists somewhere, but I find it ridiculous as if anything, they shouldn't be installing the OEM Saab springs as they're the one's cracking left right and center

So when you ask for an alignment, is this the good old wheel alignment or some sort of other alignment?

[9-3gotboostAERO]

Slightly off topic but $240 CAD installed is a great effin price.

[Debashis]

Next time I'm just going to take the car in and ask for an alignment without mentioning the springs. I dont have time for this BS.

[shadco]

Originally Posted by Debashis

Next time I'm just going to take the car in and ask for an alignment without mentioning the springs. I dont have time for this BS.

Try Curry's auto service

[Vector-SS]

Originally Posted by 9-3gotboostAERO

Slightly off topic but $240 CAD installed is a great effin price.

Yeah I was surprised myself with that quote, specially in Canada where prices are usually sky rocket high.

To be fair, my friend (Audi owner) has been using this mechanic this year and installing quite a few parts for him, so he asked on my behalf. I'm not complaining

OP: Try doing what you mentioned. I mean once the alignment is underway I doubt they will stop and get you out.

[glowing626]

I never had problem to instal aftermarket piece...
my coil was done by me and my uncle.. but.. i know few place in mtl or around that can do the job

I think about camo tuning in lachine or gordon audio performance in verdun...

Doing spring on our saab is quite easy..

For alignement you should go to a place who just do this...
A good tech should do the job right... you just need to go at some ''performance shop''... normal garage is gay and dont like to do some aftermarket mods or install pieces that they dont sell to you... They are quite lazy!!!

[cjhutch]

Originally Posted by glowing626

For alignement you should go to a place who just do this...
A good tech should do the job right... you just need to go at some ''performance shop''... normal garage is gay and dont like to do some aftermarket mods or install pieces that they dont sell to you... They are quite lazy!!!

Exactly right, find a performance shop or a tuner shop and get them to install the springs. Talk to the import guys and they will send you to the right place. In addition ask the shop that's doing the install to recommend a place to get an alignment. There are a lot of places around here that will align a car to your specs if you want them to. This is common because there are a lot of guys running extreme camber setups, stretched tires, and crazy offsets on their wheels.

[maj28]

Try finding an NTB (Nat'l Tire & Batt.) I get zero work ever done there, but get alignments there all the time, just don't tell them about the springs and if they ask, act dumb like your buddy told you to get them or something. I think franchised/corporate places are less likely to give you BS excuses, because you can complain to upper mgmt and cause problems for them.

My personal opinion is that places just want to give you sh*t, if they don't get to rape you on parts price markups. (I've had muffler places tell me they're out of welding sticks before when I asked them to tack some strut tower braces for me, it's very irritating.) It took me a while to find a shop that will install anything I bring them - sadly they don't do alignments though.

-jason

['97 Saab SE Turbo]

Maybe I've missed something along the way, but can more than toe-in/toe-out be adjusted on the newer cars now? Like caster & camber? I know that alignment shops can make those measurements, but is there a physical adjustment when the measurements are out of spec? Looking at the EPC for an '07 9-3, I see different color springs and shocks, but I have to assume that they are all the same respective length to facilitate alignments. I can see that the rear hubs can still be shimmed, but with the front hubs having only 3 bolts, I don't think that they can be easily (and safely) be shimmed... Ron

[kanundrum]

http://www.ptuning.com/


Call them up (the showroom) ask for Mike and make an appointment. Tell them you were reffered by Sapan.

I gurantee they will do alignment 100%!!!!!!!

There service is excellent and there laser alignment machine is state of the art. You can have them adjust camber toe etc to what ever specs youd like.

[maj28]

Originally Posted by '97 Saab SE Turbo

Maybe I've missed something along the way, but can more than toe-in/toe-out be adjusted on the newer cars now? Like caster & camber? I know that alignment shops can make those measurements, but is there a physical adjustment when the measurements are out of spec? Looking at the EPC for an '07 9-3, I see different color springs and shocks, but I have to assume that they are all the same respective length to facilitate alignments. I can see that the rear hubs can still be shimmed, but with the front hubs having only 3 bolts, I don't think that they can be easily (and safely) be shimmed... Ron

Good question...

Most FWD GM's (atleast in the 90's) have a little bit of play where the 2 strut bolts go through the knuckle/hub, but it hardly seems like an ideal method and on the bottom the control arm is completely static horizontally.

['97 Saab SE Turbo]

Originally Posted by kanundrum

http://www.ptuning.com/


Call them up (the showroom) ask for Mike and make an appointment. Tell them you were reffered by Sapan.

I gurantee they will do alignment 100%!!!!!!!

There service is excellent and there laser alignment machine is state of the art. You can have them adjust camber toe etc to what ever specs youd like.

Then please explain how it is done... Ron

[kanundrum]

Originally Posted by '97 Saab SE Turbo

Then please explain how it is done... Ron

YOu have a Book of general alignment specs foe each car (database) they match up the car with the stock alignment specs

Camber
Toe
Etc

These are all in the bolts on your control arms linkages. They loosen the bolts put it to specs and then tighten the bolts. If you want more camber then they loosen the bolt up more adjust the camber (until the laser aligns with the reciever using robotic arms) and then tightens the bolt back up. Here is a picture of my report and my car getting aligned (to explain better)

[plus2ss]

Originally Posted by kanundrum

YOu have a Book of general alignment specs foe each car (database) they match up the car with the stock alignment specs

Camber
Toe
Etc

These are all in the bolts on your control arms linkages. They loosen the bolts put it to specs and then tighten the bolts. If you want more camber then they loosen the bolt up more adjust the camber (until the laser aligns with the reciever using robotic arms) and then tightens the bolt back up. Here is a picture of my report and my car getting aligned (to explain better)

Ha nice! We have the same John Beam alignment machine here at my shop that i use everyday! I just checked mine yesterday after winter (lots of potholes), and it was out of wack. We have a drive on pit style alignment rack, instead of the lift style pictured above. If we get a car in thats to low, it wont clear the lift jacks and we have no way of driving it onto our rack. If my car was 1/4 inch lower in the front i would be screwed. My car is lowered on Megan springs. Some shops around here are d!cks and wont do lowered or lifted vehicles, so we get most of them. If you do find a shop that does it, tell them to use the specs for the sports chassis 9-3 and not the standard chassis 9-3 because they are alot different camber settings.