Can't get an alignment and stripped allen bolt
 

Well for some reason all of the places I have tried to take my car to get an alignment have said that it is too low. Even when some of theses places have done it in the past. I am dropped on OBX coilovers and probably down 1.75" so not a huge drop at all. I am curious how do I get them to align my car and what makes them say they can't? BTW I have camber bolts in there and it has been put into spec before.

And now my next problem, since I am on coilovers I was going to raise the car back up to get an alignment but when I tried to loosen the allen bolt it seems to have stripped and kind of rounded the allen wrench. Any ideas on how to loosen the bolt so I can raise the car? I need help badly.

Thanks,
Adam

Why raise the car to get an alignment? Once you drop it back down you're gonna need another alignment cuz your camber will be off. DUH!!! :bonk:


-Tony

one suggestion for the allen head is to hammer the biggest size that fits, into the rounded off hole...hopefully this will create new "grip"(since its larger) and you'll be able to ratchet or unscrew it out as normal

Whats their reason for telling you they can't align it, not being able to get it up onto the rack is just an excuse. A piece of wood can help get over that. If there telling you a lowered car can't be set to spec, your better off not letting that place touch your car. Find another shop.

Re: Can't get an alignment and stripped allen bolt
 

get a drill bit that is close to the size of the allen and drill a hole in it. Then get an ez out to thread the bolt out.

They said that they can't get the alignment heads to line up or something like that. But I have also been told they can't get it up onto the rack. I have another alignment appointment on Thursday morning at a place where I have heard they do lowered alignments. If they try to tell me the same thing what can I say to get them to do it? Please help.

Adam

Alignment racks use infrared communications. They don't line up any heads. :rolleyes: The wheels don't move, (heads per say mount onto your wheels) same spot every other wheel on any other car is, only the body of the car is lowered. It's sometiomes an issue of getting the car up onto the ramps, if thats the case, bring a 2x6 about 2 or 3 feet long so you have a ramp to drive up. Other then that, there is nothing different about aligning a lowered car. The wheels never moved, only the cars body has lowered.

Your best bet is not to let a shop the beefs about a lowered car touch your car. Obviously, they have no clue what there talking about and you really shouldn't let them touch your car.

I posted my info in the wester coaster forum...

Well, there is some reason the shops don't want to do the job. The way I look at it, every time you bring your car to a garage, you are giving them a chance to rob you. They will willingly do it, taking you down to *****town.

The alignment rack is like a taxicab--you need it in operation 24/7 generating revenue--or in the case of the rack, a car needs to be on it every minute the shop is open. I mean if the shop dropped $45,000 for a rack, don't you think they want to rip-off as many customers as possible at $59/alignment? There must be a reason why they feel they can't do the job--in which case the customer comes back and ties up rack time making them do it again under warranty. When they're doing warranty work, they can't rob a customer who will pay with credit card or cash.

Anyway there is supposedly something called power-rack which is easier for lowered cars to get onto. I dunno that may be 70's technology though.