Buick LeSabre rear alignment - "named" garage says "nothing adjustable"...
My 2004 Lesabre, with 115K miles, started exhibiting a fairly pronounced left drift, and consdiering I'd replaced the right control arm a few months ago (due to a failed bushing), I figured it was long overdue for an alignment.
So I took it to the local "hot rock" garage (avoiding the actual brand name, which I normally restrict to oil changes because I know better), and they do the alignment measurement - and tell me the front end can only be aligned by moving the engine cradle, but the back end alignment is so bad and "can't be adjusted" because it needs close to $600 of shims, plates, eccentric bolts, etc., and it has to be "torn down" to get them installed. The rear camber and toe both were substantially out of adjustment, and I was so frustrated I forgot to ask for a copy of the alignment computer printout. Grrrr. I left with an estimate, but they only charged me $20 for performing the measurement.
They actually adjusted absolutely nothing, and the guy said "no cars these days has anything adjustable anymore. I did a Honda last week that cost $1,000 to align properly."
I'm no mechanic, but I've puttered around cars enough to know that there are plenty of potential alignment adjustments available, but I'm not educated or experienced enough to know if I'm being sold a bill of goods. My trick knee says that's more likely than not. I'm not about to throw $600 at the "hot rock" garage without some sense that I'm not being ripped off. I've read a few posts where this same chain has a tendency to tell folks a similar story, so I'm trying to educate myself before proceeding. Heck, I'm not at all beyond trying to do the work myself if possible. No fear.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
-Dave
Comments
I would take the car to a professional alignment shop or body shop and stay away from chain stores. There is a certain amount of messing about to align the front and rear ends of these cars but what you are being told sounds excessive and implausible unless the car has been damaged. Shimming here and there, or grinding here and there is SOP but "tearing down" the suspension to do this sounds like a big upsell to me.
Thamks, Mr. Shiftright! That was certainly my instinct as well. The car has never been in any kind of accident nor needed any substantive structural work. As I mentioned, I replaced the right-front control arm about six months ago and the front bearing hubs on both sides. I replaced the rear shocks last year. The car's ride is, in my opinion, excellent - replacing that control arm fixed a strange "jump" and vibration it had, and I frankly only expected them to see a slight leftward toe to explain the left drift I was noticing. From now on, I need to heed my default advice to visit hotrock only for oil changes when I have a coupon.
I did go back to that shop and request a copy of the alignment measurement, which they gave me.