Re: help! A4Q alignment nightmare

["Rudy Consolacion" <rconsolacion@kumhotech.com>]

My local independent shop told me that the additional equipment 
required for the Hunter machine to align the new Audis can be 
purchased.   He is putting it off as long as possible since most of 
these cars are still under warranty and will most likely see service 
at the local Audi dealer.  BTW, Audi has specifications for laden and 
un-laden toe.  The tires may be contributing to the pull.  Are these 
the OE tires or do you have replacements?  Try swapping front tires 
from side to side.  If the pull goes the other way, then your 
alignment is okay and the tires are to blame.

Rudy Consolacion
87 5ktq
97 a42.8q
83 928s

> is it really true that only audi dealers have the proprietary
> alignment machine made by hunter to align the A4, A6 and A8?
> 
> i made a big mistake by bringing my wife's A4Q avant to the
> local dealer (where we bought and service the car regularly)
> to have the alignment checked a month ago. it seemed to be
> slightly pulling to the right.
> 
> ever since that visit, the steering has become significantly
> worse. i went back 2 weeks ago to re-align it. true enough,
> apparently the first time they aligned it, the mechanic screwed
> it up big time. or at least that's what i've been told.
> 
> since the 2nd alignment, the car is slightly better. but it's
> still pulls to the right. this past friday, i went back there
> to have it realigned, only to be politely told  that "yes,
> it's pulling slightly to the right, but the numbers are
> within the specs; it's not going to affect your tire wear;
> most people wouldn't notice it; blah blah". what does that
> supposed to mean? tire wear isn't my concern here.
> 
> the people that i trust to do my tire+wheel alignment (ie: direct
> tire) attempted to help me as much as they can, but they don't
> have the machine nor the software.
> 
> so it looks like i have to hunt for an audi dealer that knows
> how to align these cars.
> 
> anybody else has this problem?
> 
> any recommendation on a massachusetts audi dealer (based on
> personal experience with aligning your A4) that i can go to?
> i called Auto Bon in cambridge and they told me that they'd
> "send out" my car for alignment (they didn't elaborate).
> i feel like playing a russian roulette here. it's very
> infuriating to own a high-tech machinery that the local dealers
> can't support.
> 
> thanks in advance.
> 
> ---
> Thai Tjen
> thai@tiac.net
>