Odd Dealership Alignment Solution

So I'm Lowered on Steeda Progressives. Took it to the dealer for a realignment after about 2500 miles (second time the car has been aligned since getting lowered). They told me that they couldn't get the camber in front to spec and suggested that I allow them to drill out the strut tower bolt holes to allow for more adjustment. I promptly told them no and that I would purchase camber/caster plates etc to allow for more adjustment. The dealership insisted that their way was a much better and more effective way to solve the problem. Anyone else had the dealership offer up that "solution"?

Yes, for a while slotting the stop strut to spindle hole was the official Ford procedure for getting camber corrected on cars that needed it, it may have changed to using crash bolts (not 100% sure). So your dealership mechanic is not smoking crack, and yes the effort/cost involved is less than it would be to install camber plates. (slotting the strut is free and labor is less because you don't have to disassemble the springs/shock assembly.

That said, its not a mistake to use camber plates to fix this sort of issue, its just a little overkill when all you need is a one-time fix.

[MENTION=7748]tj@steeda[/MENTION] are the plates even necessary for the front with just the 1" drop progressive springs?

LG23 said:

[MENTION=7748]tj@steeda[/MENTION] are the plates even necessary for the front with just the 1" drop progressive springs?

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I needed them for my Progressives

Clink said:

I needed them for my Progressives

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Odd. Went to dealership a week after install and they told me alignment looked good, I believed them because why would they not want an easy $100 lol.

NightmareMoon said:

Yes, for a while slotting the stop strut to spindle hole was the official Ford procedure for getting camber corrected on cars that needed it, it may have changed to using crash bolts (not 100% sure). So your dealership mechanic is not smoking crack, and yes the effort/cost involved is less than it would be to install camber plates. (slotting the strut is free and labor is less because you don't have to disassemble the springs/shock assembly.

That said, its not a mistake to use camber plates to fix this sort of issue, its just a little overkill when all you need is a one-time fix.

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Well that's good to know. Not sure that is the route I'd go but at least i know he wasn't on the crack pipe.

You shouldn't need them for the front but some cars will need it. You can do camber bolts too but camber/caster plates will be a stronger solution. When I had my Ford Racing springs installed (1" drop) I did indeed need camber bolts to get it right. I plan to get caster/camber plates soon to take out some of excessive caster I have.

5.oh said:

suggested that I allow them to drill out the strut tower bolt holes

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:eyebulge:

NightmareMoon said:

slotting the stop strut to spindle hole

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If you take it that [MENTION=24665]5.oh[/MENTION] didn't mishear or misinterpret what the dealership said OR that the dealer misspoke, it is absolutely NOT the same thing as what you're suggesting.

With that said, I'd put money on them actually meaning to slot the strut hole like you mentioned, and it got misconstrued somewhere with the OP.

Right, I misread that strut tower hole part.

... the crack pipe might be back on the table.

Competition Orange said:

:eyebulge:



If you take it that [MENTION=24665]5.oh[/MENTION] didn't mishear or misinterpret what the dealership said OR that the dealer misspoke, it is absolutely NOT the same thing as what you're suggesting.

With that said, I'd put money on them actually meaning to slot the strut hole like you mentioned, and it got misconstrued somewhere with the OP.

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I have a feeling they misspoke.

Yeah they probably misspoke. They are not about to make a OEM strut tower into a camber plate, rather slot the strut mounting hole.

They wouldn't be turning the strut tower into an adjustable camber plate, just relocating the strut mount holes slightly either by slotting them in the desired direction or redrilling them in new locations. Although this can be made to work (and work well), this is not a standard repair-industry method of correcting camber.

Ford's official procedure of grinding the strut mounting tab hole slightly is still the best approach to correcting camber on a car where stock/stockish camber is desired and is intended to be a "set it and forget it" job.


Norm

Norm Peterson said:

Ford's official procedure of grinding the strut mounting tab hole slightly is still the best approach to correcting camber on a car where stock/stockish camber is desired and is intended to be a "set it and forget it" job.

Norm

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That procedure is gone from the FSM by the way. Confirmed.

Must be recently then - the F Street autocrossers were doing it just last year as a class-legal means of obtaining a limited amount more negative camber.


Norm

Norm Peterson said:

Must be recently then - the F Street autocrossers were doing it just last year as a class-legal means of obtaining a limited amount more negative camber.
Norm

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I know, that's exactly the reason I wanted to do it, looked into my copy of FSM and it's not there. Other people looked and confirmed it's not. Whether it's still legal to do it is the question since it clearly was in the manual.