Where does everyone go for wheel alignment?

[mikes2017gt]

I'm trying to get all my ducks lined up for when I do my all-Steeda suspension overhaul in the next few weeks. The final piece will be a 4-wheel alignment, but I'm not sure where to take the car. Not sure if there is value in taking it to a shop that mostly does brakes and alignments, or if a more general car-maintenance type place will be just as good?

Places I'm considering include:

Ford Dealer
NTB
Firestone
Brake Check

Suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

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[BmacIL]

Try and find a local performance shop if you can. They'll do a better job getting it the same left and right and will have no problem doing a custom spec, rather than just "in the green". They'll also have alignment racks for lowered cars.

Second choice would be Firestone. I've had lots of good experiences there and my friend got his aligned there after doing springs and cradle lockout.

 

[mikes2017gt]

Thanks, BmacIL. There's at least one in my city...they specialize mostly in Chevy's and foreign cars, but alignment is alignment and you're right about the attention to detail in getting both sides even.

 

[HappySquirrel]

I recently tried a local Firestone service center and they did an excellent job. They were friendly and they did a great job aligning everything in a symmetric fashion according to the specs I provided. I did have to explain how to adjust my camber plates, but I kind of understand since the Steeda camber plates are not visible from the engine bay. They also adjusted my rear camber perfectly, which is more than I can say for a local shop that neglected to touch the rears on a previous alignment (because technically they were in spec, even though they were at -2.0 and I had mentioned I wanted them adjusted).

Having said all that, I'm sure it depends a lot on the individual shops. But I will definitely return to this Firestone location for any future alignments.

 

[NightmareMoon]

I dont trust those chain stores at all. I've caught Firestone guys lying to my face before, but every shop has different staff.

Check who the local racers use. (Get in touch with your local SASCA autocross club and Im sure they can give you some San Antonio recommendations)

 

[jwats15]

ive used the dealership for mine 4 times, and once at a chain; pepboys. the chain totally screwed the pooch on it and refused to listen when i tried to explain that the car does have factory rear camber adjustment. even had the store manager argue with me over it.
the dealership is okay but you gotta specify want you want. if you dont they will run the vin and set it in the green according to that. i have a base GT so after being lowered and a lot of other suspension mods the base alignment was not close to working for me. after i got em to agree to set it to the performance pack specs it was better and then i printed out the FRPP specs and had them set it to those specs.
having the actual specs printed out with the ford logo and spec sheet info on it makes it way easy for the dealer to agree to a " modified " from oem settings.
just research what is your after and have an idea of the terminology and what it does so you can explain to the shop what you're looking for....walking in and saying " i need an alignment " is very vague and leaves a lot of room for interpretation on their part with you not getting what you think you should be getting.
if you can find a local race shop that does the scca or autoX cars in your area that type of shop would be easiest on you. you can tell em what mods you have and what type of driving your cars sees and they should have enough experience to set it properly.

 

[D.Brown]

I've used the dealership for mine 4 times.

Interesting. I went to a Ford Dealership and they charged me $89 and said they couldn't adjust the rears.

 

[mikes2017gt]

Definitely won't go to Pep Boys; had an incident with them 23 years ago and they have not had one cent of my business since then...I carry a grudge like a mutha. :rant:

I will either check out a local speed shop, or ask around in the local Mustang club...both things suggested by you guys in this thread. Thanks very much for the help. :clap2:

 

[GJarrett]

FYI, my local Firestone does a great job at alignments, and Firestone used to have a deal where you paid double for an alignment and that bought you a lifetime alignment for the car. I got one for my 4x4 and went to them every time after a trail run to get it re-aligned.

They quit offering that deal, but about once a year I noticed that they would offer that as a special. I wonder if you could still catch them at the right time and get that because it is well worth the money.

 

[dentalguy]

To be honest, I took my mustang to finsanto automotive, which was recommended by other car enthusiasts. They butchered my alignment, and they said my car was defective because the couldn't loosen the bolts in the front to adjust the camber. They tried to say the front knuckle was on backwards. My steering wheel was way off center. Anyways, I told them to stop working on my car and I'm not paying. Stay away from there.

I went to Mccombs ford west, explained the mods on my car. Gave them the specs I wanted. My alignment was perfect. They even have the correct tool to lock the steering wheel in place. I would recommend them. It's $80 for an alignment believe.

 

[Mustang_Lou]

They even have the correct tool to lock the steering wheel in place..

I'll need to get an alignment soon as well and this is a good point ... I've had previous alignments mess up the steering wheel so it's off-centre a bit and that's annoying. I'll be sure to ask about this tool.

 

[dentalguy]

I'll need to get an alignment soon as well and this is a good point ... I've had previous alignments mess up the steering wheel so it's off-centre a bit and that's annoying. I'll be sure to ask about this tool.

It hooks to the grips on the steering wheel and then braces to the floor so that there is zero play, it's amazing.

These aren't like older cars where you can set the toe, then disconnect the wheel to center it. If you don't lock the wheel in place and then adjust the toe you run the risk of your wheel being off center. I'm OCD so a crooked wheel would eat away at me.

I believe security package cars have the option to lock the wheel, negating the need for the brace.

 

[mikes2017gt]

I went to Mccombs ford west, explained the mods on my car. Gave them the specs I wanted. My alignment was perfect. They even have the correct tool to lock the steering wheel in place. I would recommend them. It's $80 for an alignment believe.

Ironically, that's where I bought the car. :lol: Have never used their service department though...I'm only at 3500 miles now so haven't even had the first oil-change yet...that might be this week though. While there, I will inquire about an alignment. Your story about how you told them about the mods to your car and they apparently understood is VERY encouraging to me. This whole thing is really about:

1. The shop having the proper tools to do the job correctly
2. Personnel at the shop knowing what the hell they are doing

 

[jwats15]

2. Personnel at the shop knowing what the hell they are doing

thats why i ended up going to the dealer...i figure they sell em, they should know how to fix em.
price was the same as the chain stores and at least the dealer is familiar with the car itself.
at the time i started doing mine the car had only been out a few months so a lot of places wouldnt even attempt it as their computers hadnt been updated with the specs on the cars factory settings yet.

of my 4 dealer alignments i went to 3 different locations. one a smaller volume dealer on out skirts of town...they did a good job but set it to factory base specs after being asked to do the PP specs.
2nd one i went to is supposedly the highest volume dealer in the southeast...they set it to PP specs after i had explained the mods and reason why i wanted it that way.
3rd one and now my go to dealer...happens to be a Roush dealer. my assumption was they work on the performance roush cars so they should be familiar with non factory parts and settings. turns out i was right. easiest one to deal with. no hassles and mod friendly. no questions asked, set it exactly as i request everytime.

 

[keltymd]

I go to firestone. $180 for a lifetime alignment and i can go before each track event for track specs and go back after each event to get it set back to a street alignment for free.

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