Re: 5000 Q alignment experience

[Daniel Jones <captaudi@ma.ultranet.com>]

	I will agree with Phil that a properly aligned quattro is a wonderful
thing,  and that many dealer's when doing an alignment will get it within
spec.  Often this window can be as much as 30 min of a degree (1/2 degree).
 I have personally gotten the New England area Audi rep. involved on
several cars that would not align by "normal" methods.  The two techs at
work (Wagner Motor Sales Boylston Ma.)  including myself,  have a habit of
"losing time" on alignments due to the simple fact that we are
perfectionists regarding this matter.  Often times on an older car it can
take 1+ hours just to free up all the tie rods or sliders for camber.  Then
it goes on the rack and is slowly brought to within spec.  We shoot for +/-
2 minutes on camber and 0 tolerance on toe in.  So there are dealerships
that can do a proper alignment but we are among the few who understand just
how important this simple task is.

Daniel Jones 84 4ksq 109k (Just starting to get broken in)

At 05:02 PM 11/22/98 GMT, you wrote:
>In message <36583999.3AE6C955@vertexmicro.com> Saulius Mykolas writes:
>
>> I went to the dealership because i wanted the aligment
>> done correctly and felt that i would receive better service.
>
>Probably your first mistake.  I think the situation across the USA is
>much the same as it is here - there are _VERY_ few Audi dealerships
>that can do a competent alignment.
>
>Audi's specifications allow a wide tolerance around a quite specific
>setup.  The instructions also state, unequivocally, that all possible
>efforts should be made to achieve the nominal values.  I forget the
>precise German phrase, but it's something like "so genau wie moeglich
>anzustreben".
>
>IME _ALL_ the Audi dealerships I have ever used have checked the setup
>against the specifications and have declared it "within tolerance".
>
>This is NOT enough.  A poorly set up quattro has only 10% of the
>handling that it should have.  If you sit in a quattro, after driving
>something else, and don't think "WOW!" within the first hundred yards -
>find another alignment shop.
>
>> So here is my question to my fellow Audi devotees. 1. Do you think this
>> treatment was fair and should I file a complaint with Audi regarding
>> this incident?
>
>Yeah, you should.  It will do little good, and it will do even less good
>after January 1 when Len Hunt is in charge - he cares _NOTHING_ for cars
>more than 5 years old.
>
>> 2. Can my cars tendency to pull to once be a result of an poor or
>> improper wheel alignment?
>
>Only if it's so bad that it's dangerous.
>
>Someone who's never sat in a properly aligned quattro will be completely
>ignorant of what the feeling should be like.  I suspect that 90+% of the
>quattros on the planet are not aligned to specification.  Certainly I've
>had twenty or so here over the last year, and only three were properly
>set up - two by Martin Parker and one by Paul Beaurain.
>
>--
> Phil Payne
> Phone: 0385 302803   Fax: 01536 723021
> (The contents of this post will _NOT_ appear in the UK Newsletter.)
>
>