Wheel Alignment Differences Between 2009 Gen II and 2010 Gen III Prius?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by roadtripper, Nov 2, 2012.

  1. roadtripper

    roadtripper New Member

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    So I brought my 3rd Generation 2010 Prius III to Firestone to take advantage of my lifetime alignment I purchased there. When I picked my baby up the employee explained to me that a couple settings were out of alignment and "unadjustable due to minor damage" but to not worry about it.

    After looking more closely at the paperwork I noticed the specs were for a 2009 Prius, which is Gen II. I pointed that out to him and that mine was a 2010 and he said that there were no real differences between the two years and that it was fine.

    My question is, is it true that the 2009 and 2010 Prius have the same wheel alignment specs? And if not, could the possible misalignment cause fuel economy loss, excessive tire wear, or even worse some damage to the vehicle?

    If you want I can dig up the records and post them here for your perusal. I thought Firestone would know what they are doing, but... who knows???
     
    #1 roadtripper, Nov 2, 2012
  2. mickey513

    mickey513 Member

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    Sounds like to me the tech didn't want to own up to his mistake and redo the alignment. The manager would had chewed him out for such a mistake. I'm pretty sure the alignment on a Gen II & III are different, should have had they give you a print out of what the specs are on a Gen III. Anyway, bring it back and them redo it or if not, at least print out the specs and compare it.
     
    #2 mickey513, Nov 3, 2012
  3. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    Also, if they do not perform a zero point calibration after the alignment, you may notice that the steering has a slight "dead spot" in the middle and the stability control will kick in sooner. At least that is what I noticed....


    iPhone ?
     
    #3 The Critic, Nov 4, 2012
  4. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    While this may be my own ignorance, this is why I'll pay the slight premium to have my dealer do the alignment instead. At least there, I can trust that they've been trained to do the zero point adjustment for VSC, and that they'll use the specs from the proper model year/generation.

    That said, lifetime alignment could mean you come in next week to make someone else fix his mistake if you find the specs are indeed different.
     
    #4 HTMLSpinnr, Nov 7, 2012
  5. srivenkat

    srivenkat Active Member

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    Not necessarily. I had an alignment done at the dealer a couple of years back in the hope it will fix the highway wander issue, but when I found it didn't fix it, I called the dealer and asked if they performed zero-point calibration. The answer was no and I was asked to bring the car back in. I did and the issue still existed after I picked the car up. I never quite tell if they actually performed the calibration when I took it in the second time or simply kept it and returned it as it was.

    Recently, I called a local alignment shop and they say only toe is adjustable on a Prius. Is this true? Can someone please explain what are adjustable among toe, camber, caster in the front as well as the rear. Thanks in advance.
     
    #5 srivenkat, Apr 18, 2014
  6. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    Here ya go...
     

    Attached Files:

    #6 RRxing, Apr 18, 2014
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  7. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    I got an alignment when I bought the new tires. When I looked at the paperwork I was shocked the car was so out of spec. Then I noticed the dealer's mechanic set the machine for the Gen2. Back to the service writer to complain. He admitted the mistake & said he should have caught it. The specs for the 2010 V are not the same as the rest of the 2010s.
     
    #7 JimN, Apr 19, 2014
  8. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    Correct, rear alignment on a Prius is not adjustable w/o a crow-bar or other method of actually bending parts at the rear wheel.

    Front alignment is limited to toe as camber/caster are fixed based on how the strut is attached. You can adjust camber somewhat if you use "crash bolts", which are lobed and can be turned in a particular orientation to affect overall camber. Generally, these are used for cars with slightly misaligned frames after an accident.
     
    #8 HTMLSpinnr, Apr 20, 2014
  9. cipsaz187

    cipsaz187 Member

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    Find out if the alignment is needed in the first place..

    I've never done on my 02" camry since we got it in 2002. Drives straight as new. The alignment for a 2010 Prius sound like unnecessary, rip off service. Never get the alignment if it drives straight.
     
    #9 cipsaz187, Jul 3, 2014
  10. MarcSmith

    MarcSmith Active Member

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    [​IMG]
     
    #10 MarcSmith, Jul 3, 2014
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