Alignment from dealer (UPDATED with printout) I took my 2008 36K Prius to the dealer to have alignment work today because I just put on a new set of four tires. The alignment has never been done on this car before. Here's the work report from the dealer but I dont understand what it is saying. BTW, we have a lot of potholes in Northern Utah. Thanks! ----------------- Update: Thanks guys for your help! Instead of going back to the dealer (always ripoffs), I went to a local firestone store that I have trusted for many years. They put my car on the computer and checked the alignment free of charge. And I was told there is no need to do alignment for this car. So I guess the dealer made some adjustments anyway?? Anyway, I am attaching the alignment measurement printout.
It says thank you for your money. The right on comment is BS. There is a wide tolerance range on the alignment dimensions and if they actually checked it they should have told you what the numbers were for each measurement. Ask them for the alignment print-out.
So that means they didn't make any adjustment? because I was told by the dealer last time they rotated the tires that the car needs alignment work
There is no way to tell if they did anything. They owe you a before and after alignment readout unless it was OK and they didn't need to do anything, in which case they still owe you a before read-out.
And if the dealer can't produce one, take it to a good tire chain store. Many will check alignment for free in hopes of getting paid to fix it. Yes that's incentive to fudge the results but in my experience that hasn't been common. You could even take it to more than one place and compare printouts to see if they agree before paying for the alignment to be done. - D
Thanks guys! But how can i tell if the car needs alignment? the steering wheel is pretty much centered and the car goes a straight line if you release the wheel.
I'd suggest you don't trust your feel. You would feel nothing odd and still the alignment could be bad enough to cause uneven/early tire wear. On the printout they should give you, it clearly outlines the acceptable range of values for each measurement and what your car's measurements are. Then talk to you about what is really a worry or not. - D
Ask the dealer for a printout of the actual measurements. Don't take no for an answer. "Right on" means nothing! If they can't provide you with a printout, they need to put the car back on the rack and do it again (on their dime). This just about takes the cake in my book!
