alignment problem

[minchman]

I am noticing that the inside tread of my tires (all 4) are wearing out faster than usual. My car is lowered with the Eibach springs for the past 3 years. I recently had a 4-wheel alignment done at the dealer about 4 months ago. Before this, my tires wore evenly. I am going back this weekend to have them double check the alignment. My question is, is the dealer liable for the uneven wear on my tires? And if so, how will they remedy this situation? The tires had about 20,000 miles before the alignment was done.

Also, what kind of alignment terms should I be aware of when I go in this weekend? If the tire is wearing out faster on the inside (strut side), what will they need to do to fix this?

[crispone]

I am noticing that the inside tread of my tires (all 4) are wearing out faster than usual. My car is lowered with the Eibach springs for the past 3 years. I recently had a 4-wheel alignment done at the dealer about 4 months ago. Before this, my tires wore evenly. I am going back this weekend to have them double check the alignment. My question is, is the dealer liable for the uneven wear on my tires? And if so, how will they remedy this situation? The tires had about 20,000 miles before the alignment was done.

Also, what kind of alignment terms should I be aware of when I go in this weekend? If the tire is wearing out faster on the inside (strut side), what will they need to do to fix this?

Some toe/camber/castor issues COULD be the cause.

(Usually, if you lower it, you need to add some "positive" camber, if I'm not mistaken...)

http://www.artsautomotive.com/thealignmentstory.htm

^^^ for your reference...


-crisp

[crispone]

...with respect to dealer/shop liability...


DON'T BET ON IT!


...just get it fixed and be happy...



-crisp

[TadS]

Caster generally won't cause tire wear. Too much negative camber from lowering is often a problem. In my experience you can usually get about .5 degree's of camber play out of a Toyota, but more than that you may need aftermarket cam bolts. Many shops, including where I work, will not warranty alignments on cars with aftermarket suspensions. If the tires are all wearing on the inside faster than the outside, and I saw the lowering springs I would suspect the camber is too far negative. The only way to really tell is to put it up on the rack and check it out though, since the computer is generally better at aligning a vehicle than the eyeball . See if they can get a print out for you. Our racks give a print out showing before and after measurements on the car.

[minchman]

that's GREAT advice.

THANKS! i will have the dealer check out camber. now, i just purchased brand new tires, and my question is should i get the re-alignment with the new tires installed? i'm sure that'll affect the computer readings.