Can't Decide on Alignment Shop

Need to take the car in for an alignment after I do tie rods this week. I have such a hard time making a decision when it comes to others working on my car. So I basically have (3) options-

1- Local Indy $165(Bullet Performance), they did the alignment last time when I put the Eibach ProKit on the car, but didnt equalize the front camber, said it couldnt be adjusted even though i knocked out the alignment pins(I think they just didnt want to deal with unbolting the Dinan front strut bar)

2- Firestone Lifetime Alignment $150-$200, sounds like a good deal, the one I called says they have the special tools to do a BMW alignment, just a little weary. Says if they have to take anything apart it will be more $$$ (after i mentioned I had a strut bar)

3- Dealer (Irvine BMW) $150 after coupon, since the car has Eibach ProKit Springs and Koni FSD struts etc (lowered .75" or whatever) and has Dinan Strut bar. Im afraid they will give me a bunch of grief because of the mods. Does come with a free car wash


Sure this has been beaten to death but someone make the decision for me LOL. Id love to take it to Mangos guy up in Valencia but I cant take a day off to drive all the way up there.

Do what's cheapest. Alignments are not difficult, especially if they're just doing the tie rods. I've had toe only front adjustments done for $40.

I have Firestone I'm cool with it

I hope all of those alignment techs know to adjust camber first THEN toe. That should be alignment 101. did you knock out pins to equalize or to gain performance?

make an appt at valencia for saturday =) trust me.. i would not go anywhere else. i've had REALLY bad experiences with all other alignment shops. the last alignment shop i went to told me to never come back again LOL

Hes open on Saturday??? I had called before months before and thought he was only open M-F. Ill have to give him a call and see. Since I bought the car the camber was a little different on left and right front tires. BMW in Florida did the first alignment and didnt change it. Bullet Aligned it last time after suspension rebuild and didnt change it either, said it wasnt enough to worry about. Im being anal about it this time and want the numbers to be the same, I dont like that red number on the alignment sheet. I hit a metal plate up in the valley a few weeks ago and the car feels funny. Figured the tie rods are the only thing original in the front suspension so they are gonna get changed out and then have it aligned to fix whatever the plate did to knock the car out of alignment. Cant beat the guys price either. Even with the gas to drive all the way up there from OC its still cheaper than most places.

Originally Posted by mystert

Hes open on Saturday??? I had called before months before and thought he was only open M-F. Ill have to give him a call and see. Since I bought the car the camber was a little different on left and right front tires. BMW in Florida did the first alignment and didnt change it. Bullet Aligned it last time after suspension rebuild and didnt change it either, said it wasnt enough to worry about. Im being anal about it this time and want the numbers to be the same, I dont like that red number on the alignment sheet. I hit a metal plate up in the valley a few weeks ago and the car feels funny. Figured the tie rods are the only thing original in the front suspension so they are gonna get changed out and then have it aligned to fix whatever the plate did to knock the car out of alignment. Cant beat the guys price either. Even with the gas to drive all the way up there from OC its still cheaper than most places.

yeah i realize its super far for you. there was a period of time a couple months ago maybe that he was closed on the weekend. he should be good to go now

We recommend going with a lifetime alignment deal. BMWs suck with inner tire wear. I try to take my car every 6k to 10k so I can get the most out of my tires.

Originally Posted by Kris@TSS

We recommend going with a lifetime alignment deal. BMWs suck with inner tire wear. I try to take my car every 6k to 10k so I can get the most out of my tires.

That does not make any sense unless you are bending your suspension parts every 6 to 10k

dealer or no one for me

VE is only open every other Saturday. I was able to get an appointment at westend alignment in Gardena for next week. It's only $100 and he'll let me sit in the car when he aligns it. Found lots of positive reviews on bimmerforums and other sites.

Just had mine done at BMW $137.50

The dealers out here in California charge $250 but with a coupon you can sometimes get it for $150-200.

I went to West End Alignment today in Gardena. Super professional, Sat down and discussed how I use the car and got to work. They let me sit in the drivers seat to make sure the weight was correct. He measured an adjusted everything. Even balanced the camber, something other shops never did. After a test drive I brought it back in and they made a slight adjustment to the steering wheel centering and it was perfect. I'd recommend these guys to anyone. For 100$ it was money well spent. Found my alignment shop from now on.

For $100 that's a good deal. I've been going to Clark's House of Suspension in Lake Forest for a few years now and I've been happy with the results.