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#1
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inner tie rods
my alignment is off pretty badly and i took my car in to a place called Ron's Garage to have it fixed (i had recieved a coupon in the mail to have the alignment fixed for $60) but when i got in there he told me the alignment could not be fixed until my inner tie rods were replaced. and then he proceeded to tell me that instead of paying $60 for the alignment it would run me around $300+ for the inner tie rod replacements and alignment
my question is, would it be better for me to do the inner tie rods myself, or is that something i should let a specified person do (my option there would probably be the subaru dealership in Bellevue, NE; the mechanic there is an SVX owner himself)
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Trevor Avondale, AZ 1992 LS-L Liquid Silver 126k "BXR6" Sold 3/23/13 1992 LS-L Claret 178k totaled 10/26/09 1987 BMW 325is 60% of the time it works, every time |
#2
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I don't know Ron, or anything about your car, but is it possible that everyone that takes Ron a coupon needs parts?
Don't get me wrong, the inner tie rods do go bad on these after all these years. But I would be suspicious... Also, around here $60 isn't even that good of a price for an alignment.
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Dave - 03 Baja - 92 SVX - 86 Brat - 08 OB 3.0 |
#3
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[QUOTE=Hocrest;549489]I don't know Ron, or anything about your car, but is it possible that everyone that takes Ron a coupon needs parts?
QUOTE] you know, i kinda wondered that myself he claimed he told me the first time i was in that my tie rods were going bad and should be replaced soon...but idr that i guess that could just be their way of making money
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Trevor Avondale, AZ 1992 LS-L Liquid Silver 126k "BXR6" Sold 3/23/13 1992 LS-L Claret 178k totaled 10/26/09 1987 BMW 325is 60% of the time it works, every time |
#4
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[QUOTE=tiv0;549490]
Quote:
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1994 SVX L - FWD Barcelona Red 190K miles ~ SOLD 1994 SVX LS - 5spd AWD Emerald Green 202k miles PWR Radiator, HID 5000k, New paint job with issues, 17" STI BBS wheels, converted to 5spd AWD from FWD. Purchased from SVXyGirl 2/20/09 -- Undergoing complete rebuild 1993 Justy 4wd 5door- Teal of sorts , beater. 2008 OBXT Newport Pearl 65k miles |
#5
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IMHO, DIY alignments are worthless. I once worked for a guy (quite a while ago) whose alignment machine consisted of 4 aluminum brackets, 1 per wheel, and fishing line. Needless to say he sold a good deal more tires than the local population should have been supporting.
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#6
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Getting ripped of...
Ripped off is routine at mechanics shops. For people with a mechanical aptitude, reasoning ability, gathering information from this form gets us through just about any problem.
However, trying to to do a wheel alignment is not on my list. I took my SVX to Renton Subaru in Renton Washington for a alignment. They offered a lifetime guarantee for about $120.00. I try to get as many things on our car guaranteed for life as possible. If there is a day that I am not around and my wife is, I want things to be as easy as possible. After a careful professional diagnosis , I was informed that it couldn't be aligned because the ball joints were so bad. That would cost me $1,200.00 so i went to plan "B". Plan "B"... purchase the ball joints wholesale from another dealer, (this dealer does not do alignments, in case you are wondering why I went to Renton Subaru in the first place) and install then myself. I paid about $80 each I think but not sure... Has been a while. One ball joint was totally tight and the other one had a little but hardly detectable looseness. In other words, a scam! I changed them both in a total of about an hour and with only a floor jack in my crowded garage. Took it back and got the "lifetime alignment"!!! My car seemed to be pulling slightly to the left, probably needed tires rotated, but why not take it in to Renton Subaru to make sure the alignment is good? So, off to Renton Subaru for the second of my lifetime guaranteed alignments! I pretty much know the people that run the place, but I happened to get one that didn't know that I can do all the necessary repairs on my car... I will be 78 years old this coming June and easily fall prey to crooked folks. I was greeted warmly and had a sheet pushed in front of me that said it was necessary for me to get the $200.00 Maintenance thingie because I hadn't been in for a while. I went over the list and explained that I actually do all that myself. I reiterated that I was here for the lifetime guarantee alignment. He responded that they would just do an alignment check... But that was $55.00 with taxes. The lifetime guarantee covered turning the alignment bolt but did not cover checking to see how far to turn the alignment bolt. I am an easy going person, but the ensuing conversation drew a crowd. He took off the $55.00 and ended up no charge. They kept me there for a couple of hours and finally, after expert diagnosis, determined that my frame was bent, assuming he was referring to the car's frame.(of course it isn't... car has never been in a wreck) On second thought, he might have been referring to me, my frame??? A few years back his frame might have been bent! I got the tires rotated at Costco, a great company, and everything is great. I think about my wife if I wasn't around to help her and her trip to Renton Subaru, or frankly just about any other place. She wouldn't know how to handle the scams. I am so blessed! I suggested that all you people.. don't be afraid to try to learn. Willing to try is a great start! Keith... in case you didn't catch the name, it is Renton Subaru...in Renton Washington Last edited by kwren; 05-29-2008 at 01:07 PM. Reason: spelling (of course) LOL |
#7
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My all wheel alignment cost me 60$ at work Stuckey Subaru in Hollidaysburg. They also do a full check on everything free like brakes,rotors,leaks and others. One thing I thought was funny was at the time I had a bad valve cover leak and they wrote on the report leaking oil but don't know where ( it was obvious by the oil all over the covers). Plus if they would EVER scam me, I would walk 10 feet to the shop and raise hell.
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Seth 94' Barcelona Red w/ Tricoat black 2-tone AWD Ls -Sold Mods:AWD conversion/4.44 swap by Budfreak, Custom red interior lights, Custom Satin black dash, Power mode switch, Cold air intake, Permecool tranny filter,Sony xplode 10" sub, Sony xplode 1000w amp, Blitz in-line driver, DDM Tuning 6000k HID's, New paint job/body work by me, 97' Grill, QC shift kit, 17'' MB Motoring rims, 15&20 min mod, front & rear urethane swaybar bushings, Custom fiberglass sub box, Custom red led a/c control unit, perrin lightweight crank pulley, Black wrinkle finish powdercoated intake manifold w/ clear hoses , 02' outback heated/power black leather seats Soon to come:Fiberglass hood, upholster ALL suede to black leather Past subies: 92' Pearl White/black top LS-L-SOLD 96' Legacy Outback-TOTALED 99' Legacy Outback Limited 30th anniversary edition-TOTALED 98' Forester L -Totaled Other toys: 99' Forester S -WRX brake upgrade, soon an 04 wrx motor swap 06' B9 Tribeca-Stock 1982' Yamaha xj650 Maxim Mods: work in progress |
#8
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I get my alignements done for free, but that's because I work in a shop that does alignements. There's no reason one can't be done with some small play in the inner tie rod ends. Mine both have play, and the car lined up fine. If your car is towed out 1+ degree and has all sorts of wonky camber issues, an alignement, even with play in the inner tie rods, will sort most of that out.
Changing the inners is a bit of a pain. Not hard, but you want to have the right tools to do it. Ideally an inner tie rod replacement tool, but at least a big crows foot socket that fits. You should probably replace the boots while you're at it. subaruparts.com lists inners for something like $40 each, and another $40 each for the boot kits.
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Chris 92 Ebony Mica LS-L "A Rolling Restoration": 223,250 KM - Sleeping 2007 STi 6MT, Stance GR+ coilovers, PWR Rad, JDM hood badge, svxfiles 6000K HIDs, JDM Clear Corners, $15/15 min mod, $20/20 min mod, Energy Swaybar Bushings, Hella Supertones horns, Gold STi BBS rims, Group A lightweight crank pulley, A/C system removed, Custom header-back exhaust, Hybrid carbon/metal rear sway bar, restored headlights with CCFL halos 2008 Subaru Legacy Spec B - Diamond Grey Metallic - Sold 2020 Ram 1500 Longhorn - Red Pearl |
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