One dealer is charging $65, another $90 and another $137. Is going to a place like Pepboys, Sears.. a good idea?. Should I do a 2 or 4 wheel alignment if the car is pulling to one side. Any idea if these are reasonable prices. Why is there so big of a difference in prices.

 

I would allign the front wheels at a place like BrakeMasters, they cost like $30. Look around for cheaper prices if you don't have one where you live.

 

4 wheel alignment for sure.

The difference in cost is just a difference. Just like the difference in gas prices from one place to another, or difference in anything. If its pulling to one side, an alignment will fix that. I think I paid about $75 for an alignment like 2 years ago

-matt

 

there is a bigger difference in prices because the lower priced places probably do a crappier job. for example: there are 3 tire angles. toe, camber, caster. a lot of shops just "set the toe and let it go" as a lot of people say. thats because toe is the most tire wearing angle. sure, that works...but if you want it done the right way you have to check camber and caster too.

so that would be my educated guess at why some are cheaper than others.

 

hmm, yea not true brotha! read above.

 

You can check camber and caster, but on a stock Max you can't change either (maybe a tenth of a degree, if even that, since the bolts holes for the strut to spindle aren't exactly form-fitting). We have a Hunter alignment machine that we use all the time, and it doesn't show any way to do anything but toe on front or rear wheels on the 4th gen. You can buy camber bolts, though, for about $10 a set at an auto parts store.

 

im pretty sure mines stock and i fixed the camber quite a bit on a hunter alignment rack at my school. not sure the exact number but it was at least a degree or two.

 

Since you live in queens theres a place called Jamaica Rack & Axle they have the HUNTER DSP 600 alignment machine. Fully laser based machine 70bucks and tax 173-14 Liberty Avenue Jamaica, NY 11433 good shop

 

With what, eccentrics on the spindle-strut mount? If so, it isn't stock.

 

i belive the front two tires are the only ones that can be aligned in the maxima. the rear might have 1 setting that may be, but i heard that they cant be aligned.

 

I paid 49.95 for alignment at Firestone after installing my coilovers.

 

I got the lifetime alignment at firestone for 119.95. I get the car aligned now at every other oil change for free. And its the lifetime of the car not the tires. Cheaper than paying 30-50$ every time especially on a lowered car.

 

wow every thread i read regarding some sort or pricing is just crazy...i can't imagine spending so much money for some bs like that. I get my done for like 40 plus 10 tip..

 

$119 at Firestone is well worth it when you replace parts, change/experiment with different suspension set-ups like many on here do.

 

I did what tlrmax did. Every 5000 miles oil change and an alignment. I think I went there like 3 times already.

 

$45 bucks at my usual place. $35 bucks last time......

 

I pay $34.99.


http://www.forums.maxima.org/showpos...5&postcount=12

 

$73 after I put my KSports on. That included adjusting the camber plates up top.

 

So is there any point in paying for an alignment if the car doesnt pull one direction? I'm getting a new set of tires and the shop thats putting them wants $70 to do a "4 wheel" alignment on it. I was considering it just because the car has 110K and it hasn't been done before. My last set of tires still wore evenly and the car doesn't pull. Is this something you should do every so often on a max? Should I just do the front two wheels?

 

4 wheel alignment !! Firestone have a lifetime alignment for 120 buck. You can't beat that. Regular 4 wheel alignment at firestone is 69 buck i think.

 

Yes you can.

 

I suggest goodyear, they do a pretty decent job. It isn't very expensive sometimes they have special offers where they'll do it for 35

 

2-wheel alignment ONLY. If you pay for 4-wheel in a maxima with solid rear beam you're paying them more money to do nothing. $39.99 at Autobacs on a hunter machine with color printout.

 

I got my lifetime from Firestone 2 years ago

 

the firestone by me plays games. after getting my car aligned, i was driving home and the car handled funny like it was wobbling all over. i got home and looked at the iters and they looked low, they were low, every tire down to 20 pounds. swore at the idiot who did it and re-inflated my tires, everything was fine.

maybe a year later, it went back to them for another alignment and driving home the car "mushed" all over. get home and check air pressure and again 20 pounds.

maybe its because i don't have bridgestone/firestone tires, but i'm never going to firestone again.

 

:attention
Is the consensus that you should only pay for the fronts to be aligned? Other cars I have had have all been different as far as alignment issues went. I don't want to pay for something I don't need on the max.

 

i just paid 165 or so with tax today! i wish i could have got it for 119.00 plus tax

 

There seem to be mixed thoughts. Some people say get a 4 wheel alignment, but I hear the rear is not adjustable. So if you replace your rear struts, I assume you don't need to align the rear wheels (since you can't)?

 

Since the rear wheels dont steer, there's no caster. Since the beam is just a solid bar of metal, theres no camber or toe adjustment either... kinda an insult that your rear suspension is only slightly better than a pt cruiser...