Just a Warning!

[jonesfam]

Just a Warning for the THICK like me.

Never get a wheel alignment on you air suspended Land Rover done by anybody but an expert!!

I have been getting wear on the outside of my left front tyre & the car has been pulling left.

So I phoned a few wheel alignment places, asked if they could do air suspended D3's?
Yep, mate, no worries mate!

So I spend $90 getting the job done.

3 days later take the D3 to my LR specialist Indy to have the timing belts & a service done.
First thing he asks is if I had done a wheel bearing? No, says I, no noises or anything, he points out the rear right wheel which has about 2 inches of toe in & 4 inches of the front being in further than the back (can't remember the term for that).

So, I have to pay for another wheel alignment this time done by a mad Scotsman but done properly. he showed me the print out & not 1 wheel was in spec.

My only excuse for not noticing is that the alignment was pretty bad before the first go at the job so I just thought it was better.

So, if you are going to get a wheel alignment get someone really clever to do it.

Jonesfam

[Russrobe]

Pretty tempramental machines. A flash of light, not being in ttm causing a suspension change, machine might need calibration. Always worth trying to bring it back first. What you've mentioned would have been something gone wrong. Nobody would deliberately setup a vehicle like that.

Did they give you a print out of the original?

[101RRS]

A while back I was getting some tyres for my RRS and I noticed a D3 on the wheel alignment machine. So I asked if they had arranged for the suspension to be locked as in TTM - they said yes and I left it at that but on thinking more the dealer is 20km away so I asked where they took the car to get it locked - the response was that they lock the suspension with the switch in the car - questioning this what they do is lock the car at access height - that is they considered was necessary :(.

I explained that was not the right way to so it but were not interested as they were the experts and I was just a customer.

I do not get wheel alignments as a matter of routine any longer. Many years ago as part of routine maintenance I got a wheel alignment on the car I had at the time - the car was never right again.

My current RRS is 120,000km and still has the same wheel alignment it left the factory with and is on its third set of tyres - it runs at onroad height -20mm and after 50,000km on the current set of tyres they are all wearing evenly even with the front end starting to knock a bit - if it isn't broke don't fix it but if it is use the correct LR recommended procedure.

Garry

[Tombie]

I spoke with the local aligners - I now use my IID to lock all their D3/4/RRS in TTM for them.

[AnD3rew]

Even with someone who knows what he is doing and had the knowledge and equipment to put it in ttm I found that it was all downhill after the first wheel alignment. I would advise anyone not to get one done unless you have an obvious problem.

[scarry]

I spoke to a few around here as well.
No worries,easy as,we just let it idle then open the drivers door,they all said.

And one tyre place is a few doors down from the new stealers at Springwood.

Same as others,mine has never had an alignment,tyres are badly worn and chipped,but wear is even.

When the tyres are replaced,it won't be getting an alignment.

[Tombie]

Well if they're not torquing it up properly after then it will be far worse!

The first wheel alignment mine had was done at Pre-delivery.. and drove like a dream.

It had the second and the front bush was found weeping.

It's now going great - I just insist on calibration of steering being correct - if they get that and the specs check out I'm happy.

[LRD414]

I just insist on calibration of steering being correct - if they get that and the specs check out I'm happy.

What's the steering calibration Tombie? Is it a check for the steering angle sensor? And is "they" meaning the dealer?

Cheers,
Scott

[Tombie]

What's the steering calibration Tombie? Is it a check for the steering angle sensor? And is "they" meaning the dealer?

Cheers,
Scott



Yes, I get them to centre the steering spot on (steering wheel dead centre) and then have them align from there.

I have a local tyre mob that I've trained to do D4s [emoji6]
And occasionally have LR do it as well..