alignment ?

[AkUmA]

ok i got my car put though a full alignment. the techs check the alignment and all, and one of the guys comes in and says i have a bad camber bolt on my left front. i noticed before i took the car in, the it was pulling to the right but very slightly. so he walks me though the whole thing and says he cant get it bad to spec, with installing a new bolt or something. then tells me its $70:AF: . i told him to set it as close to spec as possible and ill have a toyota tech check it since they did the install and first alignment when i had the spring and struts install'd. anyway i got them to print the spec the car is at now. if someone has the time, can you check the if you know something about the camber and stuff. thanks.

left front: -1.45(now) -1.42(before) (spec) -1.23 (range)0.27
right front: -1.11(now) -1.10(before) (spec) -1.23 (range)0.27

front cross camber: (now)-0.34 (before)-0.32 (range) -0.75

he said everything else check'd out ok, but i did tell him the car has performance spring and struts. he said that it didnt matter. should i take it to toyota and ask them, or is there an easy way to sovle this. thanks again.

[NoCones]

uh, assuming the specs you list are correct (I can check my shop manual later), you're within the specified tolerances.

when he said "bad" camber bolt, did he mean there was literally something wrong with the bolt, or that he needed a thinner "crash" bolt to get camber closer to equivalent side-to-side?

[AkUmA]

from what i got from him, he said the bolt was bad, and he couldnt get the left front to spec. then he print'd a spec sheet, and told me to take it to the dealer, and if they could change it, he could order the bolt for $70...

but yeah nocones, if you have time, could you check, if you need more specs i can type them out, as far a toe, and caster also. on all 4 side. thanks for your reply!!!

[NoCones]

hmmm...don't know where he was getting his specs. From the factory shop manual:
front camber: -0.48 +/- 0.75 deg
right-left error: 0.75 deg

So, according to the correct factory specs, yes, your left front is out of spec. However, I wouldn't worry about it. The side-to-side variation is still well within the spec, and -1.45 is far from outlandish. I wouldn't worry about it.

I don't know why he would use the term "bad" for the bolt...if it was truly "bad" he shouldn't have let you drive away. I assume he just meant he couldn't get to spec with that bolt. As for the $70, I would have to assume that would be for a "crash" type bolt and re-alignment with that bolt...ain't no way the necessary bolt alone is $70...more like $4-5.

If it really concerns you, you can buy Toyota crash bolts. They're identical to the original bolts, but have thinner shafts which allow a more camber adjustability. But again, I wouldn't worry.

Bryan

[AkUmA]

:bowdown: thank you nocones.

i was just a little worried, cause i did do an autocross event a few months back, and i thought i had done some damage, when he told me that. the car drives normal and all, just a very slight turn to the right, but it takes almost a 1/4mile to start the pull. again thanks for looking up the specs, and stuff.:thumbup: