I took my friend's 2006 Prius to Pep Boys for four new tires and an alignment. They performed an alignment and told me that the RF camber was reading -1.4 degrees. The specified range is -1.3 to 0.2 degrees. The full results of the alignment are attached, but note that most of the initial readings are missing because the two techs did not setup the rack properly, which caused the initial readings to be erroneous. Anyway, Pep Boys did not have the camber bolt in-stock. According to their SPC catalog, their price is $46 for the camber bolt set. They also want 1/2 hr labor ($61) to install the bolt. While the labor is somewhat reasonable, their asking price for the bolt is outrageous. A Moog-branded camber bolt costs $13, so I would have expected them to charge $20 or $25, but not $46. Nevertheless, the camber is only out-of-spec by -0.1 degree. With frequent 5,000-mile tire rotations, will the slightly out-of-spec camber become an issue? Should I just leave it? Or should I tell my friend to just cough up the $107 and have the car aligned properly. Thanks.
Given your other experience with them I'd say run away. Take that sheet to another shop and get an opinion. Les Schwab is in Fremont. Not sure about CA Les Schwab's but up here they're very well thought of. - D
Are you aware that it is possible to adjust camber within a small range, simply by loosening the two large nuts at the bottom of the strut, then moving the front axle hub in or out as needed? Or are you saying that the camber is -1.4 degrees after that adjustment was attempted? If you are still concerned, I think you should call around to find a specialty wheel alignment shop in your area and have the wheel alignment reperformed. It is pretty obvious that the Pep Boys shop you went to does not have competent staff. If -1.4 degrees is the true camber reading, cannot be easily reduced as I described above, and if you don't see unusual tire tread wear, then I wouldn't worry about it. As roads are typically crowned, moderate negative camber on the RF tire is good.
I would get another set of readings from a different shop. The skill and throughness of the tech can affect the readings that are obtained. Even on the same equipment with the same operator there will be an uncertainty in the measurements. There is actually a range of adjustment even without using the camber bolts as Patrick explained above. The purpose of the camber bolt(s) is to increase the range of adjustment if it cannot be adjusted within spec using the factory bolt(s). Re: Tire wear - As I understand it, the camber will have less of an effect on tire wear compared to toe in. Uneven camber may cause the car to pull to one side as it did on my car. My front camber was similar to the readings above when I first bought my car and I had some noticeable pull.
Have the same camber issue. Last time I did my wheel alignment, they couldn't adjust my camber. Both Left and Right Fronts had negative camber, which causes the wheel to wear out on the inside. Am going to try adjusting it the way you stated and see if it fixes it
How was the other side? If it is over 1 I would leave it and keep rotating the tires every 5K. Negative camber is good for cornering, lets the tire stay in better contact with the road when the body is tilted. I set up my cars with a bit of extra negative camber because I like cornering at speed a little too much. No I don't get 70K out of tires!
