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More than one way to align? And other questions!
Hi. I took my daughter's 2001 Sentra to K-Mart for a wheel-alignment. They could not align the rear right tire without a shim, so I decided to take the car to a Nissan dealership for their opinion. They were able to align the front two wheels, then the back two wheels, without a shim. K-Mart was trying to balance all four together. Which is the correct way?!
Since I'm trying to get my daughter's car ready for her to go back to school, I gave it a good washing. Unfortunately there was alot of dried pine sap on the paint, so I used some "Blue Magic" bug&tar remover to get it off. I had a hard time, so I used a kitchen scrubber sponge made for glasses and non-stick cookware. Well now the surface of the paint is dulled and scratched. (I wish I left the sap alone!) Now what do I do?
Also, if water gets under the edge of the black weather-stripping between the windshield and roof, will this cause any problems (leaks, etc.)?
Sorry about all the questions...
from "Worried Mom"
Since I'm trying to get my daughter's car ready for her to go back to school, I gave it a good washing. Unfortunately there was alot of dried pine sap on the paint, so I used some "Blue Magic" bug&tar remover to get it off. I had a hard time, so I used a kitchen scrubber sponge made for glasses and non-stick cookware. Well now the surface of the paint is dulled and scratched. (I wish I left the sap alone!) Now what do I do?
Also, if water gets under the edge of the black weather-stripping between the windshield and roof, will this cause any problems (leaks, etc.)?
Sorry about all the questions...
from "Worried Mom"
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Comments
The paint issue will require a professional buffing of the top coat, and this may or may not restore the finish. So you'll have to have it buffed out by machine to see what damage you may have done. Basically, you used an abrasive surface and scraped some of the clear coat off. Since the clear coat creates the shine, the paint now looks dull. If you can restore the clear coats transparancy, the paint may look good again. If not, you'll have to repaint that surface.
Water should not be getting under the weatherseal. The weatherseal is supposed to fit tightly against the windshield.
Alignment---don't go to discount chain stores for work like this. The best place for alignment is a specialist who does alignment for dealers, race cars, commercial vehicles, etc.
"Worried Mom"
Thanks.
Worried Mom
1. Make sure the back wheels are parallel and then align the front wheels to the back ones. If the vehicle is new, let everything settle for at least 5-10k and then make sure the dealer sets everything right (3 settings they need to check (castor/cambor and toe-in).They SHOULD do this under warranty! Shims are a normal part of alignments so don't pay extra for that part. Check the tires for abnormal wear, it is easy to see if it has been happening for very long. Sometimes a tire will have more rolling resistance and will PULL if it is on the front-alignment can't fix this-you can mark it and keep it on the rear if it is very bad. Check air pressure every month. Don't let anyone tell you to pay extra for anything normal!
Take charge!
Good luck
Rando