alignment at dealer

i went to a tire store and they told me they were unable to perform an alignment check on my 1999 saab 9-3. they said that you could only do that on at the dealer for saabs. is this true? can you only perform alignment at the saab dealer or certified saab shop?

Reply to
tenpercenter
Loading thread data ...

No, they are talking crap, and are clearly incompetent. Don't go there again.

Reply to
Grunff

I had one done at a local tire dealer when they put on front tires. They did an excellent job.

snipped-for-privacy@madmousergraphics.com

formatting link
design, print design, photography

Reply to
LauraK

In all fairness, I'd rather that they tell you they can't do it, than that they try & screw it up. But yes, I'd avoid them. "Incompetent but honest" is something, I suppose.

Reply to
Dave Hinz

Lol...That one got me thinking - would I rather have someone incompetent but honest, or competent but dishonest? Hmmm... I'll stick to working on the cars myself 'til I figure that one out.

But it is worrying - what kind of garage/mechanic can look at a pair of track rod ends, which look exactly the same as every other pair of track rod ends made in the last 30 years, and say "Nope, can't do that, need a specialist"?

Reply to
Grunff

i was kinda suprised when they said that they could do the alignment. when i asked for it, they guys went hack into the shop, ask one of the techs and said they couldn't do it. when i asked why they said something about special weights that they had to use on the rear tires, that they didn't have.

yeah, i know, doesn't really make sense. especially because i remember getting our 1991 900 aligned at a non-specialist. just wasn't sure if there was something different with the 9-3.

i'm in the washington dc area. if anyone knows of a good shop please let me know. thanks.

Reply to
tenpercenter

The only ballast SAAB specify is a full fuel tank and an empty boot/trunk, It is probable that they shied away from doing the alignment because it is not the easiest of jobs on a 93 because of the position of the track rod ends, [halfway up the strut], so they span you a tale. If you ever need to confuse a techy at an alignment shop ask him to explain the Ackerman theory, Regards Tom.

Reply to
Saabtech

Incompetent but honest. They'll always tell you what they can't do. THe other ones will always tell you they can do it, and you might get a good job, you might not. They will competently replace all sorts of stuff that may not need replacing....

"Yeah, the frammistat is shot, runs up your wear on the nitrous oxide injection system. You have to replace that, and it's big bucks. We can do a little preventative maintenance for about 250 and readjust the whole system, flush out the Oxides, refill the cannister, reprogram the injector system, and it'll keep working exactly the way it is now without a single Oxide Injection system failure."

something like that?

Harvey

Reply to
Harvey White

I have to go with Grunff.

My local brake a, muffle and alignment shop were honest, inexpensive and , judging from the handling and the tire ware (tyres for Grunff et al) verycompeptant.

Good Saab,

Malcolm

Reply to
Malcolm

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.