front wheel tracking cost.

My local tyre shop charges 20 quid for front wheel laser alignment. Assuming your figures are in mm I would ignore it, that dds up to 0.5mm toeout.

AFAIAW the rear tracking on a Focus is non-adjustable. What would you do if it was out of alignment?

I've owned two Focuses since 2000. They've each covered around 100k miles. I always get the tracking checked at tyre change time - it's never been out.

Of course they do; extras represent their profit for all of these types of service from national chains. It's the Gillette effect.

If you have one locally, an independent that you establish a relationship with will often work out cheaper in the long term, even if headline prices are a bit higher.

Have them checked now by someone else would be the more sensible option.

Ring around, taking note of my comment regarding independents.

Chris

The independents for tyres/garage I usually use are around the corner from where I work and a commute of an hour from home - drop off the car in the morning and then take 15 minutes 'off work' to pick it up again later that day. However I'm not at work this week and I needed to replace 1 tyre by this weekend, hence checking on-line on Thursday and selecting F1 this time.

Wheel alignment on a road car varies moment by moment in any case. Manufacturers give a range of acceptable measurements, absolute minute precision is unnecessary on a normal road going car, particularly given the speed humps and kerbs that the average car hits everyday.

My main concern is just how accurately they check and adjust toe-in. The equipment to check this is delicate and needs regular calibration. Before the 'that's close enough' attitude of many fitters.

ATS tried this on me: their machine measured a toe in/toe out that was (near enough) zero, which is all fine and dandy for an Alfa Brera. The data sheet they were working from was wrong - it specified a small toe out which is fine from the handling point of view but means the tyres eat themselves within a few thousand miles. The mechanic then started to try arguing with me about whether the measurement was millimetres or degrees ...

I went to Motor-Inn for wheel balancing. After a long wait in waiting room, the mechanic started up my car and drove it to a new place in the yard. He left the car idling, so I though it would be next in. But after a while I was extremely worried about this. Any oppotunusts could just jump into the car and drive off the yard. And it's not healthy to let the engine to idle the car for longer periods. So after 5 minutes I went over and switched off the engine. Anyway, their wheel alingnment had no effect at all. The machanic did ask me whether I could feel the car pulling in one direction, I said that I just wanted it to be more precise, but there was no difference at all. £35 wasted.

modern cars have steering angle sensors, so if something gets misaligned the computer will be confused ???

It really is an old wife's tale that tracking being out will make the car pull to one side. It's far more likely to be another fault.

I'm guessing it's because if a car hits a kerb or whatever and something gets bent or moved on the mounts, it is necessary to turn the wheel away from its normal position in order to go straight.

Chris

if the steering wheel was off centre, get used to it. A tracking place

They get pretty close, the place I sometimes use, clamps the steering wheel dead ahead and then checks the tracking on each side, then adjusts each side till the correct and equal toe is reached.

It's worth thinking that tyre fitting and wheel alignment are two different services, to be performed by different people.

Tyre fitting is very much a commodity business: it's very competitive and there isn't much profit in it. Once you've accounted for the tyre cost the fitting only pays a few pounds extra. This is why they want to upsell other things.

Tracking is different: it doesn't consume any parts, it just takes a mechanic's time. If you try and do it fast it'll be wrong.

So treat the tyre fitting like a supermarket purchase: find the cheapest, go there, get it fitted, ignore all upsell (including 'free' checks). Then go round the corner to an independent for the rest - where you're paying their hourly rate and you can be confident they won't try and sell you things you don't need.

If the tyre fitting people play the Fear/Uncertainty/Doubt game, the independent can easily give you a second opinion. And you're not taking much business from the independent because there isn't much profit from tyre fitting in the first place.

Theo

But that's not pulling to one side. ;-)

And if the steering wheel was off centre, get used to it. A tracking place will never sort that to factory standards.

Not so sure about that. There are still tyre fitters on the high street - where once you'd have found other garage services too. They've all now moved to cheaper premises.

Indeed - that's the point I was making.

The best tracking I ever had done was at a local Kwik-fit. The manager spent ages aligning the steering wheel, then locking it into place. He used roller plates under the wheels so he could turn the steering lock to lock after each adjustment. I wouldn't mind betting that was as good as it could be done.

The next time I went there he had left. The monkey changing my tyres broke a wheel trim, then denied doing it even though he was stood next to the broken piece. I had a hell of a job getting them to pay for a replacement, although they did eventually. When I checked the pressures next morning. all four of them were different, and none of them correct. I've never been near a tyre chain since.

As long as the steering wheel is splined, you can have the wheel straight, and the tracking out. I know from bitter experience; I bought a car like it once.

Chris

And you've actually has this done by a garage? ;-)

yes, I thought it was standard procedure nowadays.

but it is simple to correct it, whether it is splined or on a hexagon. Just wind in one track rod end and wind the other out by the same amount. It is something I often have to do when people have played themselves.

It is lined up by eye and often the steering lock will position it straight as far as the average driver is concerned, then the toe of each side is measured. the old days of driving the car in a straight line and measure between the rims are gone.

If I am suspicious of a cars tracking then I put it over a side slip gauge, that shows any gross misalignment, then, if needed, I either adjust it myself or get the local tyre place to do it depending on the car. Ordinary stuff I do myself, expensive stuff I get them to do it. But I always get the adjusters moving freely before I take it in, since they don't have the time to get things free and lubed.

All the modern cars with steering angle sensors need that set up too or the stability controls won't work correctly, but so far I have not had to play with those.