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Firestone on Alignment

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by macmaster05, Nov 18, 2010.

  1. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    I called my TireRack cause I was concerned that my Lifetime Alignment service would be void if I lowered my car on springs. Thankfully the guy said it wouldn’t but they’d only be able to adjust the toe, not the camber cause they’re no longer at OEM specs. However, then he said he didn’t think it’s possible to adjust camber on a Prius in the first place, so it wasn't a big deal. My questions are;

    1. Is only adjusting toe considered an adequate alignment after getting a car lowered, and every subsequent alignment going forth?
    2. Was he right about the OEM camber settings never being adjustable?
     
    #1 macmaster05, Nov 18, 2010
  2. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    1. Maybe, maybe not. Lowering your car will make the front camber a bit more negative (tires lean in at the top). It may also effect front toe, so get that checked. After they check your camber, you can decide if it's good enough.

    2. Front camber is adjustable using Toyota parts and the Toyota shop manual tells how to do it. It involves changing one or two bolts (depending on how far out of alignment it is) per front wheel. There are also aftermarket adjustable bolts that allow camber to be adjusted.

    Rear camber and toe is adjustable but requires the use of aftermarket shims.

    I would be concerned that your alignment "tech" is either ignorant or dishonest enough to tell you the front camber isn't adjustable. It's a common factory approved method on McPherson strut Toyota front ends.
     
    #2 xs650, Nov 18, 2010
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  3. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    I know, but is this something I should tell them? I don't want to piss them off and then make them touch my car. I've called 3 Firestones about this issue and they all have said the same thing: The McPherson struts are not adjustable on Toyotas and they never correct the camber anyways. In other words, although they will likely show me that I have a more (-) camber, by lowering my car I won't be missing out on any "services" from the Lifetime Alignment agreement that I would regularly receive.

    I'll have to go home later and check my receipts for the camber from the last alignment to to see how out of spec I already am, if I am. Also, if my visual memory serves me well, I believe the camber and caster values were the same for "before" and "final" meaning that indeed, they didn't adjust that.
     
    #3 macmaster05, Nov 18, 2010
  4. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    That's up to you.

    If they sold you a "Lifetime Alignment" then told you they won't or can't make a factory approved adjustment, then you have just experienced the wonders of Firestone's lifetime alignment service.:eek:

    Sounds like what you actually bought was just a lifetime front toe in adjustment. That isn't actually such a bad deal for the price, too bad they aren't more open about what they are actually selling.
     
    #4 xs650, Nov 18, 2010
  5. a_gray_prius

    a_gray_prius Rare Non-Old-Blowhard Priuschat Member

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    That's really odd - I know a few people who use the Firestone service to get their lowered (sometimes slammed) cars aligned (typically pre-trackday) and they do the full alignment. Yeah, cue jokes about Firestone race alignments.
     
    #5 a_gray_prius, Nov 18, 2010
  6. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    I agree. I'm they sold it to me cause I was an easy target. Of course they had to know how little was involved to align a Prius. But if every other Prius/Toyota owner (or whomever it concerns) is also not getting the camber and caster adjustments when going in for alignments, then its no skin off my nose right? It's not as if the dealership or other shops would charge me only $20/alignment because they didn't adjust the camber and caster...?

    Assuming this all goes well (*knock on wood) I would definitely recommend Firestone's Lifetime Alignment. I've used it 3 times so it's already paid for itself ($150). For now I'm very happy that my local Firestones are honoring the agreement even after lowering the car. I've read horror stories on other forums where that wasn't the case.
     
    #6 macmaster05, Nov 18, 2010
  7. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    Maybe those cars have adjustable front struts, or have camber kits installed?
     
    #7 macmaster05, Nov 18, 2010
  8. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    Hey guys. I took a look at the printout of my previous alignment, here's where I'm at:

    Camber (actual): Outer limit spec:
    RF -.8. -1.4
    LF -1.3. -1.4

    RR -1.2. -2.0
    LR -1.2 -2.0

    So currently I'm in spec. Obviously lowering it 1.4"/.7" will make the camber more negative, but by how much? And how much negative camber is "okay"?
     
    #8 macmaster05, Nov 18, 2010
  9. george a Mitchell

    george a Mitchell New Member

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    Forget Firestone ,Find a pro alignment shop and let them do it ,you'll have to pay but if you find a good private shop they will do a good job for you . At a dealer the mechanic will probably be paid at a lower rate than if your car was not under warranty so he's not going to spend a lot of time on it . as far as Firestone lifetime alignment ,you 're going to get a good job there because they make zero dollars on it after the first time it is done. Been there done that at both places . Lined them up for over 25 years ,just follow my advice . george
     
    #9 george a Mitchell, Aug 21, 2019
  10. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    On the Prius, front camber is slightly adjustable as-is by loosening the two bolts at the bottom of the strut, and moving the strut in or out.
     
    #10 Patrick Wong, Aug 21, 2019
  11. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    I’m confused. If Firestone does a good job, and offers lifetime warranty, why do you advise forgetting them and going to a pro shop (who will also do good work)?
     
    #11 jb in NE, Aug 21, 2019
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  12. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    Probably for the same reason he’s commenting in a thread from 2010.
     
    #12 Skibob, Aug 22, 2019
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