80'sAudiguy

I'm up in Albany NY for a couple of weeks taking care of a sick family member, and I have been trying to get a few things fixed on a car I have loaned to my brother while I am up here.

Now, I am used to paying somewhere near $30 for a front end alignment where I currently live (Charleston, SC) and about $10 more for a 4 wheel alignment. I was hard pressed to get a phone quote for less than $60 in the Albany area. The high was $65, and the low was $39.95 (front end). This included chains and independent shops.

I need to get a couple of tires for the car anyway, and one shop offered a free alignment with purchase of 4 tires, and half off with the purchase of two tires. Comes in at $27.49 for the alignment. Not too bad, but I had to work my *** off to get it at this price.

Out of curiosity, how much do the cost of alignments vary in different areas of the country?

-- Tom

Chris in VA

A 4-wheel thrust alignment here near DC is about 75 bux. This is providing your outer tie-rod ends aren't frozen solid like most 4kq's with over 120k miles. I can't align my car anymore until I get those replaced...

80'sAudiguy

I just went through that frozen tie rod hell with my 80q. I needed to repace the tie rod ends anyway, so I really only needed to free up the adjustment bolts within the tie rod sleeves.

For some reason, you can not buy new adjustment bolts. I didn't want to buy new tie rod assemblies, so I hit my local yard and scavenged a couple of adjustment bolts from an '88 80 and a '86 4kq.

It took a hell of a lot of work to get the adjustment bolts out of my car. Plenty of WD-40, PB Blaster, lots and lots of propane and, the coup de gras, a big ol' pipe wrench.

Added nearly two days to the job. But, I put the scavenged bolts in, used plenty of Antisieze and they turned like butter for the alignment tech.

Hopefully they will remain in good condition for the next time as well.

However, if I had to do it all over again, I'd buy the new tie rod assemblies. Total cost for both sides should be well less than $100 ($1,200 or so through Shokan (j/k)).

The rears, however are a different story. Luckily, the tech was able to strong-arm the rears into turning. I don't even want to think of how much those would be to replace!

-- tom

Evilclown

Going rate around here(northern VA) is about $30 two-wheel, $40 4-wheel.

Chris in VA

I tried to replace mine a while ago, but the local import auto store gave me the correct one on the right, but some funky thing on the left that didn't work. They didn't include the nut on these either...just on the whole assembly.

mustang351

Funny you should ask - I just had my 86 4KQ aligned today! I just finished replacing the shocks, brakes, bearings, bushings, etc. so it really needed it. The cost was $40 for the 4 wheel and only $20 for the 2 wheel. This is at a local independent shop that does fantastic work. I know that local chain stores are higher, but not sure how much as I've been going to this shop for years. BTW, this is in Spokane, Washington. :-)