Boxster Alignment

[RichardNew]

I just thought I would pass this along because people always ask.

I had the Boxster aligned yesterday by The Golden Wrench here in Naples FL.

The total bill was $200.00 I thought that was reasonable. This is the only shop that people recommend here in Naples for high end alignments. I think he's done every Ferrari in town.

It'll be interesting to see what shops around the country are charging.

Richard Newton
Garage Lighting

[lkchris]

Wheel alignment is a scam.

Here are the ONLY reasons you ever need wheel alignment (assuming done correctly last time)

- Parts are worn.
- You've been in an accident and parts are bent or broken. (Maybe you can do this hitting a pot hole.)

Given this, it is impossible to correct alignment without fitting new parts. If they didn't, you didn't need them.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by lkchris

Wheel alignment is a scam.

Here are the ONLY reasons you ever need wheel alignment (assuming done correctly last time)

- Parts are worn.
- You've been in an accident and parts are bent or broken. (Maybe you can do this hitting a pot hole.)

Or, maybe you want different alignment specs to what the car currently has. Maybe the previous owner had a crap alignment, and you want a sporty alignment.

Given this, it is impossible to correct alignment without fitting new parts. If they didn't, you didn't need them.

Huh? What do you mean "impossible to correct alignment without fitting new parts"? So, if the alignment is not symmetrical side to side or is off, you don't believe that it can be changed to put it back into a good state? Or are you saying that if something wears, that you can't get the alignment back to a good state without replacing what's worn? I'm guessing that's it.

I think you're looking at things a bit to narrowly. I'm not sure anything is quite as black and white as you state. I think there are things that can change that you can compensate for by changing alignment.

[RichardNew]

I agree with everyone here.

Alignments are too often a huge scam. A shop cannot justify the cost of an alignment rack unless they replace parts. Most alignment techs work on a commission basis so that makes the problem worse.

masraum is also correct that you may want a setting that is different from the factory setting. The alignment on my track car gets changed on a regular basis. I take tire temps and adjust the alignment on that information.

The only reason I got the Boxster aligned was that I installed new front struts. That changes just about everything.

Richard Newton

[JFP in PA]

Sorry, but I cannot agree with any the comments made. We see a lot of Porsche's, as well as other makes, whose alignments are way off kilter. Quite often, it starts with a customer complaining about the car handling funny, pulling, hunting at speed, or experiencing unusual tire wear; and every time we put the car on the alignment rack, it is a mile out of spec.

Cars with large diameter wheels, larger tires, and those driven over pothole infested roads simply go out of alignment faster than your average Prius. It is a simple fact of life. So if you want those 20" diameter low profile tires to live a happy life, expect you are going to have to invest in periodic alignment, or deal with the consequences. After all, it's your car and your money.

[mikefocke]

My experience (small sample) is that an alignment done by the right person with input on what the car owners wants/expects can make an enormous difference in how the car handles and how the tires wear, especially the rears. If you look at the specs, they allow a significant variation in the settings while still remaining within the spec. The person who knows the effects of different ends of the settings on the handling and wear (someone with racing setup experience for a Porsche) can do wonders. The dealer or tire shop won't have much experience wit the effects of specific to 986 settings. So that may be why someone has had less than satisfactory experience with an alignment.

After my 986S was aligned, I got more than 15K of wear out of a set of PS2s and they wore so evenly I replaced them due to age and not wear. I probably could have gotten 20K and still been legal.

You get what you pay for.

[lkchris]

"Going out of alignment" can only occur when something bends or breaks. Tie rods cannot by design unscrew.

Obviously if a ball joint wears, this should be felt through the steering wheel. Replacement, not repair is the solution.

Perhaps there are directions held by simple clamping and shock might overcome the clamping force originally applied ... I'd think that a poor design or poor previous setting of alignment.

[tcora]

Originally Posted by lkchris

Wheel alignment is a scam.

Here are the ONLY reasons you ever need wheel alignment (assuming done correctly last time)

- Parts are worn.
- You've been in an accident and parts are bent or broken. (Maybe you can do this hitting a pot hole.)

Given this, it is impossible to correct alignment without fitting new parts. If they didn't, you didn't need them.

Ummm, maybe that makes sense if you live in Albuquerque. I live in NW New Jersey. Potholes (year round, worse in the winter/spring) are a fact of life. Anything which is big enough to bend a Boxster wheel is big enough to tweak the suspension. I've bent two wheels in the last 10 years, so this is not a hypothetical situation.