Anyone know of a good shop in the northeast PA or north Jersey area? Someone willing to take the time to align the fiero correctly? As soon as I replace the struts it will be ready for an alignment. Everything has been replaced over the last year so there are no seized fasteners to deal with. Everything will adjust nicely without driving the mechanic crazy.
Any alignment shop can do it, it is not rocket science. If its not right the first time, have them recheck it. Even a poor pro alignment is better than a DIY.
Pepboys told me the other day that they couldn't align my 86 about two weeks ago because the car was too old. They said that their computers only went back to 1987. I told them that the 86's and 87's were exactly the same but they said that they would only align a car with it's specific year.... No more Pepboys for me
You are right not to use them, and they are right not to do your car.....They have set up a system, and if they are going to stand behind their work, they can't do anything that falls outside their system. It's going to happen a lot in the next few years as Fieros get older. Right now I would say you should never take your car to a GM dealer....which may not be completely true.....there may be that one dealer out there who still has a mechanic on staff that knows Fieros....or how to align Fieros, but I would want to talk to the old man before I left the car at the dealer....
I took my 85 in for alignment, I watched the guy under the front end looking around with a confused look. I said, "you either found something bent, or you don't know how to do a Fiero". He said" there's no way to change the caster or camber". AFTER I explained to him about the ball joints turning and the washers moving around, then he understood and put it right on the money.
Any alignment shop can do it, it is not rocket science. If its not right the first time, have them recheck it. Even a poor pro alignment is better than a DIY.
I agree, its not rocket science and any shop CAN do it but WILL they do it properly? probably not. The reason I think is because a lot of shops charge roughly one hours rate 80 -- 100 bucks for an alignment. If the car is close to spec when it arrives, it might be possible to do it in one hour. This time I replaced every single pivoting point in the car and I just dont think any mechanic will want to spend 2 or more hours on it and only charge $100. The last two alignment I had done were different cars at different shops and one did a crap job and the other just a satisfactory job. At least if they were honest, maybe gave me a call and explained that it would take longer to get it right, I wouldnt mind paying the extra cash but they just move em in and move em out around here.
I have been to stores up here called Expert Tire and Wholesale Tire, both seemed to do a good job. Also I waited until I had a coupon for half price off an alignment, alignment normally $69.99. They did the work and when I went in to pay I gave them the coupon, ended up only costing $35. I didnt want to tell them I had a coupon before the work and have them do less of a quality job because of it. At Wholesale tire it took a long time, I had just replaced the rear struts and it was waaaaaay off when I drove in there. They also said the car was more difficult because of the chassis design, but they got it done, and didnt ask for more money. Alot of the time its just about quality of the employees and managers who work there, even at sketchy places like Pep Boys.
[This message has been edited by 2.5 (edited 04-24-2014).]
The key to a good alignment on your Fiero is communication before the commencement of the work. Don't come across as a know it all or a nit picker, just discuss your concerns with the service manager. Mention that the car are sensitive to cross camber settings and that if they have any questions that you can help answer them because you are knowledgeable. They are different, but its still just nuts and bolts.
I had a lot of trouble getting my 88 Fiero to stay aligned. I don't believe you said what year your Fiero is, but with the 88 it is critical to get new bolts and nuts for the upper control arms, otherwise you might not stay in alignment. The ones from Rodney Dickman are the best out there and they certainly worked for me.
Once you have your Fiero with a great alignment you won't want to go back. It is a world of difference between properly aligned and out of alignment.
Pepboys told me the other day that they couldn't align my 86 about two weeks ago because the car was too old. They said that their computers only went back to 1987. I told them that the 86's and 87's were exactly the same but they said that they would only align a car with it's specific year.... No more Pepboys for me
Same thing for me, and my son's 86. I told them the 87 and 88 were the only ones listed because the 84-87 were the same and only the 88 was different. They didn't believe me so Tread Quarters got my dime.
Jim
[This message has been edited by jimbolaya (edited 04-24-2014).]
yeah I guess once I put the new struts in I ll try another shop. I was just hoping someone had a recomendation in the area. Im pretty sure the car is wondering because of the OE struts anyway. Oh, its an 86 GT. I dont want to put the blame totally on the last shop. After all, had I replaced the struts prior to the alignment it may have been more than just a satisfactory job.
