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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Suspension | Brakes | Chassis > Alignment by Firestone - Y or N?



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      11-06-2009, 11:32 AM   #23
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I can't find anything about this in the BMW service manual.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tee-Dub View Post
Specific weights are to be placed in different seats/trunk etc.
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      11-06-2009, 05:27 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chaz58 View Post
+1. Its not brain surgery. You do need someone who knows what they are doing, has good equipment, and most importantly is willing to take the time to get it right.
Bingo. those are the three important items.
-Knows how to do it
-Has good, calibrated equipment
-Willing to take the time

Number 3 frequently suffers whether it's dealer or independent. I know when I had my Porsche aligned at TPC Racing, they took about 2 hours to get it right.
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      11-11-2009, 04:06 PM   #25
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I decided to go with Cunningham. As best as I can tell seat of my pants, they did a good job. It certainly doesn't pull to one side or the other and the steering wheel is perfectly centered. I'm still evaluating whether steering precision feels the same as it did from the factory (I need to take it on a particular stretch of road to really know), but I have no reason to think there's a problem at this point.

Thanks everyone all the advice.

BTW, I'm extremely happy with my new tires (Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sports). I expected them to be quieter and more comfortable than the RFTs that came with the car, but the difference is dramatic. They also stick like glue, track straight, and provide good steering feel. My Continental ContiComfortKit just arrived today, so now I can do emergency repairs if I need to.
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      04-22-2011, 11:48 PM   #26
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Firesone complete auto care alignment

When my car was about a year old, I bought new tires and wanted an alignment. The stealership's price was about $300 or $400. I thought that was the most rediculous thing I had ever heard. It's a simple mechanical adjustment that any trained human can do using Hunter laser equipment. I just don't get why the hundreds of dollars are warrented for this standard procedure. I called around and eventually decided on using a very local Firestone Complete Auto Care and purchased the lifetime alignment deal (for about $140). They get the specs for the car, but the only thing they don't do is place the weights in the 5 locations like BMW specifies. But they can take that into account when they do the alignment, if they have average intelligence. I've gone there for 3 alignments now and have been very satisfied. My steering at speeds of up to and over 100mph is very precise and controlled. I'm very happy that I have spent that $140 instead of potentially $1200 for 3 stealership alignments.
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      04-22-2011, 11:56 PM   #27
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I think BMW uses laser alignment
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      04-23-2011, 12:16 AM   #28
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Firestone has the same equipment but 0 knowledge on how to align bmw's.
As everyone said, you're better of taking it to the bmw dealer
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      04-23-2011, 08:33 AM   #29
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Does anyone have a copy of the bmw service proceedure for alignment? I am wondering what is so special about it?

Last edited by mthomas; 04-23-2011 at 08:35 AM.. Reason: Typo
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      04-23-2011, 09:24 AM   #30
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I've used Firestone a bunch, and they do fine -- BUT... like any chain store, a lot depends on your local one. Their variance across branches will be very large. But if you find someone who knows what they're doing, lifetime alignment is a great deal.

The output specs will tell you if they've done a reasonable job, and on top of that, if you can't feel a good alignment from a bad one, then you don't need to be worrying about alignments.

For the most part, the key with the alignments is getting the thrust angle to be zero (so the car doesn't pull when you accelerate), and getting pretty good symmetry on the numbers. It's really not rocket science. Even Firestone will do a quick run with the car to make sure it's not pulling.

They will even do custom specs, which is what I give them (the BMW specs).

And yes, most of the BMW shops seem to use exactly the same equipment. And I don't think most of them do any weights in the car... I've been to the back to see the alignment, at least in one shop, to confirm this claim.

The point is, those little weights are pretty negligible -- think about it -- you're talking about a 3,600 lbs car. Putting 150 lbs in the driver seat is just not going to be a big deal. Also if you go on drives with anyone, then you don't want the weight anyway.

I've also had a BMW shop do an alignment after Firestone, and they said no changes were needed.

Bottom line: if you have a good Firestone alignment person nearby, use them. The lifetime alignment will save you many hundreds of $ over time, especially if you are actually capable of sensing when alignment is off.

Last edited by Drivaar; 04-23-2011 at 10:42 AM..
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      04-23-2011, 09:40 AM   #31
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Firestone and most popular brand auto shops haven't got an fing clue on how to do an alignment. They higher no nothing kids to perform the work. Pay the extra money and let the dealer do it. I made the mistake of using firestone(d) once years ago and my car was worse after they did it. The can't even get the steering wheel centered properly. Ok I got that off my chest
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      04-23-2011, 09:50 AM   #32
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BTW I've also seen the opposite case, where the dealer's output specs are just crap... and they will say it's "in spec" because each individual number is within the specified tolerance. (A complete misunderstanding of what alignment means, sigh.)

So you will get a lot of stupid dealers too... there's probably a higher % of stupid Firestone shops vs. stupid dealers, but they're both out there.

Hmmm, I guess stupidity/$ is the metric to use here...
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      04-23-2011, 09:57 AM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Drivaar View Post
I've

The point is, those little weights are pretty negligible -- thing about it -- you're talking about a 3,600 lbs car. Putting 150 lbs in the driver seat is just not going to be a big deal. Also if you go on drives with anyone, then you don't want the weight anyway.
you don't understand, BMW considers it very important that you realign your tires every time you take a passenger.lol:
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      04-23-2011, 10:31 AM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quasimodem View Post
you don't understand, BMW considers it very important that you realign your tires every time you take a passenger.lol:


Nice. It really is so funny how they build up the "BMW ecosystem" and mystique so well that people end up spending a lot of $ for nothing... That's what good marketing will do.
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      04-23-2011, 11:05 AM   #35
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Firestone also wanted to charge me TMPS sensors on my '06 330i.

I am never going to them again. They have way too many hidden charges. I filed a complaint against the one on FT Benning. Too pushy and I refused to pay for a item I know is not on my car.
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      04-23-2011, 04:43 PM   #36
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it really depends on shop that you go and technician that actually do the work. the two shops in my place are huge difference from each other in terms of pro and attitude to diagnose problems and do the work.

so you go firestone you gotta bless your luck, and BMW dealer would be more trustworthy.
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      04-24-2011, 10:49 PM   #37
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I've had great experiences with firestone and can't beat the price.
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      08-01-2013, 10:47 PM   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Streak View Post
. My steering at speeds of up to and over 100mph is very precise and controlled.
If you'd gone to the dealer you would have precise and controlled steering up to 161 mph.
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      08-01-2013, 10:52 PM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by font9a
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Streak View Post
. My steering at speeds of up to and over 100mph is very precise and controlled.
If you'd gone to the dealer you would have precise and controlled steering up to 161 mph.
Thanks... Well I live in California and know that the CA vehicle code says I can lose my license and have my vehicle impounded if caught driving over 100 mph. Even on a track, I'd unlikely get much over 10mph. I get my alignment checked twice a year for free now and have enjoyed stable high speed driving for years.
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