10 Alignment Tips To Increase Productivity And Profit
Tires are not perfect! Like every part on the car, tires and wheels are made within tolerances. These tolerances include runout and radial force variation. The changes in uniformity and stacked tolerances in the tire and wheel can cause a steering pull. You can try rotating the tires to cancel out the pull or at least move the worst tire to a non-steering axle. But, during the next rotation, the pull could return.
Performing An Alignment On A 2005-2011 Cadillac STS
The STS is one of those vehicles where a scan tool would be handy if you are performing alignment and chassis repairs. Every STS requires a scan tool to reset the steering angle sensor. Also, it maybe necessary to have an enhanced or factory scan tool to read codes, clear codes and look at sensor information.
Alignment Service On A 1998-2006 BMW 3 Series
The BMW E46 was the best selling generation of the 3 Series. And while the rear-wheel-drive sports sedan is one of the more complicated cars to align, it offers many service and repair opportunities. The front suspension is a strut design with the familiar sickle-shaped control arm that was introduced on this platform in 1983. The rear suspension carried over from the E36, but it has a unique rear trailing arm design.
Alignment Service On 2006-2011 Hyundai Accent
The front suspension is a MacPherson strut setup. The lower control arm isolates harshness and vibration with a large bushing in the front. Always inspect this bushing for damage. Look for any separation of the rubber from the metal. Always make note of tire wear. If a customer does not rotate the tires, the stock tires would wear the inside edges. This is normal.
Servicing Bent Arms And Struts
Normal driving usually won’t knock the wheels out of alignment or damage the suspension. However, normal driving also involves encounters with the unexpected, which often includes potholes, curbs, railroad crossings (which are famous for being rough), parking lot speed bumps and other things that jar and stress the suspension. For this reason, periodic alignment checks are a good way to ensure proper wheel alignment and to detect damaged, worn or bent parts that might need attention.
Chassis Service On 1999-2006 Honda Insight Hybrid
One of the defining elements of the Honda Insight Hybrid is the rear suspension. The rear wheel track is significantly narrower than the front. Another item is the skirts over the rear wheels. The skirts are attached with two fasteners at the bottom of skirts’ lips and slide down out of the clips.
Alignment Specs: 2010-2012 Kia Soul
The Kia Soul is one of the best selling cars of the past three years. While the usual Kia/Hyundai bits are under the Soul’s trendy exterior, it does have four different strut and spring options that can make ordering the right parts a nightmare. This is the typical “net build” vehicle with no adjustments for camber or caster. The factory manual recommends replacing parts if something is out of alignment, but the aftermarket offers several solutions to bring a Soul into spec.
Alignment Spec: 2006-2011 Hyundai Accent
Hyundai began selling the 3-door Accent hatchback in the United States during the spring of 2006. The Accent is a “net-build” vehicle with no built-in adjustments, but adjustments can be made with aftermarket parts.
Alignment Specs: 2002-2006 Mini Cooper
There are no built-in factory adjustments for front camber or caster. The only way to adjust these angles is to purchase adjustable upper strut mounts.
Alignment Spec: GM W-Platform Alignment
The 2004-2013 GM W-Platform represents the evolution of the GM mid/full-sized front-wheel-drive car. The W-Platform includes best sellers like the 2004-2013 Chevy Impala, 2006-2007 Chevy Monte Carlo, 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix and 2005-2009 Buick LaCrosse. This is a “bread and butter” vehicle for every shop. This generation of vehicles is solid and easy to work on. Gone are the quirks of previous generations.
Worn Shocks and Struts Kill: Do I Have Your Attention Now?
Can’t sell shocks and struts? What is your excuse? Do you blame the economy, customer income or even how well late-model vehicles are manufactured? There should be no excuse when it comes to recommending new shocks and struts. By not recommending these items, you are doing the customer a greater disservice than stealing change out
Tool Tips: Driveline System Balance Adjustment Using an Electronic Vibration Analyzer
2005 Saturn Truck VUE AWD V6 3.5L VIN 4