Staddard's Questionalbe Diagnosis?

I took my 85 911 in for a four weel alignment at Staddard Imports in Willoughby.
They told me they would not perform an alignment becouse my shocks were Bilstien not
Boge original Eqpt and needed replacement.They touted how my ride
height needed adjusted and that i should upgrade to turbo tie rods .I bought the car
with 17' Ruf rims and they didn't seem to enjoy that either. Any comments or sugestions,please!!!The estimate was for $850.00 Help!!

What was the price breakdown for shocks, installation, tie-rods, installation, and alignment? They might have been reasonable on the alignment, and I'm sure they would have quoted you just that part if you insisted the other work would just have to wait ...

An alignment could easily run $200 or more, and if you've seen what has to be done, you might understand why!

And, for comparison, $850 is just about what the going rate is for front strut replacement ALONE on any Honda at the dealer, according to Autoweek!
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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa


[This message has been edited by Early_S_Man (edited 09-12-2000).]

Suggestion = Fred Baker Porsche Audi or Tom Vail Jr's World Cars near Coventry on Mayfield Rd.

If your Bilsteins are truly shot, them um, take a look at the prices for replacements. They are not cheap! If you are questioning whether they are really gone or not, by all means get another opinion!

My Bilsteins (over eighteen years old and more than 150,000 miles) could probably stand to be replaced and I'd probably notice the difference, but hear this: Twenty-five year old Bilsteins will run circles around almost any other brand new shock in the world.

I think the turbo tie rod upgrade is probably a good upgrade. I'd consider it for my 'bone stock' SC.

As for a shop that refuses to do an alignment because your shocks are not good enough....well.....I guess I'd tell them they have a deal. thanks for the advice guys and I won't ask again.

the only thing a wheel has to be is straight, and while shocks do affect handling, cars can be aligned regardless of their condition.

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'83 SC

Superman, you're right about the alignment -- unless something is truly "broken" the car can be aligned. Their 'hangup' is probably warranty/customer service oriented. Hypothetically speaking, let's say you had bad struts/shocks and maybe worn out bushings too. You go have a $200+ four wheel alignment and corner balance. The car still handles like the proverbial 'crap' and wanders all over the road. You go back to the shop and complain...

I suspect that is where their service manager is coming from, could be wrong though...

If you remove Boge shocks and replace with Bilsteins, don't you get a higher ride height? If that was done by a previous owner, the ride height might need to be adjusted now.

Measure the distance from the ground to the highest point of the front wheet well. Should be 25-1/2" if memory serves correctly.