If you guys needed a front-end alignment and possibly a wheel rebalanced - would you take it to Acura or your local guy who usually does your tires on previous cars etc.??


thanks

 

I would take it to my own guy!!! The labor rate is a bit less and he will discuss what is going on with the car more so than the radio announcer wannabe service writer that pushes the paperwork...

I rather hear that carl checked it all over and he comes by to tell me what was going on then to see that it was aligned and that tech 02675 worked on the car. Was he awake for alignment class... who knows...!!

 

If you are getting them balanced, make sure they use a Hunter 9700 Road force balancer. They not only balance the tires, but can find out if the tires are out of round or if there are other problems with the tires that another balancing machine will not find. As for alignment, I just take mine to the dealer (since they have the Hunter there). For a location, find thier website and they will tell you what places are closest to you.

 

local guy may not have the 04-05 specs and may alighn it to 03 or less specs


so just make sure the local guy has the proper specs and you're good to go

 

The wheel alignment specs are on page 257 of the 2004 owner's manual.

 

owner manual being the one that came with car or the Big Service Manual?

 

i'd go to the dealer just to ensure its done to Acura specs. I will probably stop going to the dealer once the warranty is over though or the car has been around a little more so the local guys can learn the new technology.

 

Call and check if the alignment is under warranty. I think it is.

 

I hope the specs are correct. I write books and you know how often those specs can be wrong!!!!

 

I'm with D_Nyholm .. If you can find a local shop that has a Roadforce Balancer take it there. The locals are usually cheaper than the dealer, but, as noted in multiple threads, the Roadforce Balancer makes all the diff on our cars.

 

By the way, here's a link to find a Roadforce balancer near you.

Roadforce locator

 

Owner's Manual being the one that came with the car, that says Owner's Manual on the front, not the Service Manual, that says Service Manual on the front.

 

Oh - you mean that thing that you apparently keep in your back pocket! Thanks Ron.

 

Really? That would be cool. I'll ask. Still have to go in for the Tranny recall - could make them do it then.

 

Since when is an alignment under warranty??? Hit a big pothole, shove your car out of alignment, it's Acura's fault??!?

If this is the case let me know, maybe I'm missing something

 

I know some performance shops that would leave Acura in the dust. I am not impressed with none of the dealers here or the people.

 

Yeh. I hope you don't think I'm big enough to keep the Service Manual in my back pocket.

 

Maybe I'm missing something, because I haven't seen anything about a pothole in this thread before your post. Maybe he needs an alignment because the car is pulling, not tracking right, or something else like that. In that case, warranty should cover the alignment, I think at least for the first year of ownership.

 

Ron - wasn't indicating that Tbone hit a pothole ... I'm sure he's a fine driver, stops for school buses and old ladies and allows blonds in convertables to cut in front of him on the highway .. I agree if it was a manufacturer defect it should be covered.. but then again this post didn't start with the obligatory rant about Acura quality, and TBone's been on here for almost a year, so I jumped to the conclusion that there was some "outside influence" that would have caused his car to go out of alignment.

By the way, per the warranty book under the section that reads: "This Warranty Does Not Cover ...Wheel Balancing or Wheel alignment after 1 year or 12,000 miles, unless required as a part of a warranty repair."

See, I RTFM !!!

 

ah...Confuscious say you very smart man grasshopper Brewmaster...yep, the "oustide influence" was the friggin blackhole on Rt 287 in NJ that swallowed my left front tire ...I think some of my teeth are still scattered on the roadway. If it was only a better story like I swerved to miss the old lady crossing the street that I did not see cause I was staring at the blonde in the convertible with the big juggies who then after seeing me disappear into the blackhole, kindly pulled over and asked if I was ok and we lived happily ever after..

 

Thank you TBone-san .. its a curse

With a pothole that size I would definitely pay the extra for a Roadforce Balance. They not only balance, but can tell you if your wheel is out of round. In a case like yours it's definitely worth the $

'bye the way, sorry things didn't work out with the blonde!

 

can an out-of-round wheel be compensated with weights? (ie - rebalancing it) It definately got whacked - cause i feel vibration that was not there before.

I'd hate to have to buy a new rim - what are they $250?

 

Rt 287 claims yet another victim...I drive 30 miles up and 30 miles down everyday on that road....I can draw a picture in my head of every pothole in my commute...its the new ones that mess me up...on the bright side...most potholes have been filled in the past week, so it shouldn't be that bad now....

I would go to the dealer for this in case it is covered under warrenty...if not, then as others have stated, find a good place that has the hunter balancer....good luck..and let us know how much does it cost for balancing with the hunter...thanks


by the way, do you remember where the pothole was? near which exit? north or south bound? which lane? this could help others prevent it.

 

from what im seeing it did work out ok, you see the smile on that banana face? hes just getting a little rowdy....

as long as the shop has the right equipment i would go outside of acura....

 

It was North bound - must have been middle or right hand lane. I always drive left lane, but there was a truck in the left - thinking he belonged there, so I cruised on over to the right lane - and BLAM!!! That is all I remember. Had to be in the 30's as far as exits go. Coming Southbound - I stay in the very left of the left lane as the portion of the Left lane is completely hole ridden in one section. It is hard in the morning cause I am on the road when it is still dark, so they come up on ya and BLAM!!

 

Just called a place by me - costs $24.95 to Balance the tire. Hunter will tell me if rim is bent etc. and will be able to tell me if it can be "fixed" by re-positioning the rubber on the rim. I will cruise there this weekend and see what happens.