I had front lower control arms replaced due to clunking noise going over bumps and had a 4 wheel alignment done.

Lower control arm replacement was covered under the warranty but I had to pay for the 4 wheel alignment (which was a bit odd).

However, for some reason, casters and cambers were not adjusted, only the toes. Are the new measurements okay to drive? or should they be adjusted accordingly?

Would the new measurements pass the wheel alignment test?

Thank you for your feedback!

 

On my last service visit, I also had the lower control arms replaced. I didn't even know there was a problem. They just did it. They didn't charge me for alignment and I don't think they should have charged you if it was done in warranty.

I wonder if the lower control arms are a common problem.

 

Apparently, caster and camber are not adjustable. It likely means they would need to replace more parts to get those measurements within spec.

 

You need to go get your money back, the Alignment is in the TSB and should be included, it’s specifically listed in the warranty section of the TSB. Threaten to call corporate if they do not refund you, sounds like they double dipped, got paid for the warranty work and you getting charged, dealers are always so grimy and cheap






http://www.urvi.net/forumfiles/SB/B20-025.PDF

 

Or just made a mistake.

That is the approach I would take before accusing them of ill will.

 

Three cheers for this approach!

 

I had a bit of damage on the right side of the wheels, both front and rear (scratched the rims on the curb while avoiding an accident). I think this may have caused the misalignment and thus the charge I think?

When I spoke to the service manager, he said he had to charge me for the wheel alignment as they had to adjust the rear wheels as well, instead of just the front after replacing the lower control arms.

Should I still ask for a refund...? and is it okay to drive with the current measurements?

Thank you all for your feedbacks!

 

i feel they should of given half off, considering the front was covered by warranty, sure the back was extra, but full price for just the rear, seems steep

 

This answer will probably be unsatisfying to you, however it's real life.

First of all, this is true for all professions, there's no way to know. That's the bottom line. We all sit around trying to figure out whether someone is ripping us off or not and at a certain point you have to either trust someone or not. If you don't trust this one guy, then go to another dealership, or even to just another place. Sure, a non-Acura place won't cover the cost, but if it's someone you trust then at least they might give you a straight answer. But the reality is that you could go to a few places and they might all just be trying to sell you on something you don't need. So once again, you're going to come down to the bottom line: either trust people or don't.

Then you ask if you should ask for a refund. Sure, why not. The worst that can happen is they will (probably) just laugh at you. Then it's up to you how far you want to take it. Some people will get insulted and say "then I'm never coming back here again." OK, they probably won't care. Or maybe they'll give you that refund. Who knows.

There's the question of whether it's safe to drive it. I don't think any of us know that, for sure. I mean, I know that IN GENERAL you want your car to be in alignment, of course, but I think that's all most of us know. We don't get into the specifics of "how far out of alignment is unacceptable?" or "do I have to align additional parts of my car?" When I have my wheels aligned, I just tell them to align it. I've never heard of "toes" or "casters" before.

Lastly, no matter how "honest" a business is, they'll probably just do whatever you tell them to, whether it's necessary or not. I made a mistake and thought my wheels needed to be re-aligned every time I had them rotated. My dealer had not recommended it, but I asked him to do it, thinking he forgot. So he did it. I found out later that it wasn't necessary, but that actually wasn't his fault. I mean, he could have told me it wasn't necessary but to be honest I probably would have thought he was making a mistake.

The bottom line is it's like a hundred bucks. I know that it sounds elitist to say that "it's just a hundred bucks" because that might be a lot of money to some people. But it's just a hundred bucks. Just let it go.

 

So, there is a known issue with the lower control arms. Like I said, I didn't complain about clunking or squeaking; they just went and did the TSB (along with others) when I left the car. I think my dealer really likes warranty work and will do just about anything they can justify.

But I didn't get one of those cool color printouts like the OP.

 

1) if they replaced the control arms under warranty alignment is cover by the TSB. Acura paid the dealer for this, you should not have to pay.
2) as for the numbers on your car, they are not perfect but not terrible. I would not worry about them too much. I have a Honda Fit with similar numbers and its not a problem with driving or tire wear. We got over 50,000 miles out of the original tires with tread to spare...other Fit owners complained that their tires were shot at 20,000 or less...so much for proper inflation, rotation, and not beating the car.
3) as for the camber not being adjustable...sorry...it can be adjusted with the proper adjustment kits. (camber adjusting bolts, etc). readily available in the after market. Acura/Honda will tell you its "not recommended" but millions of cars have been aligned this way for years.