Dealer = WEAK

[AndrewBird]

nga E30s aren't FWD

Uh... This thread is about a Jetta.

[delatlanta1281]

It isn't torque steer, unless he's punching it. However vw in all it's wisdom has decided to keep the front axles different lengths resulting in the worst damn torque steer since the prelude.

Kellie.
I do not trust VW techs. When you use an air ratchet to put my oil pan plug BACK on my aluminum pan, I lose respect. Especially when the next oil change I am told it needs to be replaced due to not only crossthreading but the plug screwing into the bottom of the pan itself. I agree there are bad dealerships and good ones. I have yet to find a great vw dealership. Niello in sacramento is even sistered up with a BMW dealership (which is great), and they still suck. Their techs are fine, but their service "advisors" are a bunch of BS artists.
I think it comes back to a discussion everyone had a month ago. Why won't dealerships work on e30s? In my opinion they lose money because there is no OBDII port to plug a computer in. That is a liability considering some (not all) of their techs have never worked on an obdI car. I've said it before, my best friend is a Jag mechanic. He works on everything from the newest to the oldest. I seriously doubt that techs at the dealership (or service advisors) have the patience or the hours to work on a series 3, or an etype. My friend does and he is appreciated by his customers. He is straight up and can diagnose problems with or without a computer in a timely mannar. He puts the right parts on the right way the first time. If it is wrong he fixes it for free no arguments. I for one appreciate that kind of business. Find me a vw dealership like that and if they don't RAPE me on parts then they can have all my business. That is if they are still working on mkIV's by then.

[delatlanta1281]

God I love that picture!

[T.Dot_E30]

Alignments are a bitch sometimes, if it was that close within spec, im sure a tech wouldn't touch it. Because if he did, he could spend more time fidleing with it and still not get any closer, probably make it worst.

Most mechanics get paid flat rate, per job. It's in their best interest to get shit done fast and as a result quality lacks.

I dont know what your area is like, but around here we have a few places that specializes in alignments, a smaller shop that knows the ins and outs. They are more likely to pay their employees a salary, and spend more time on your car.

my 2 cents.

I hate letting anyone other than myself work on my cars.

Sometimes you can't blame the techs but the industry for all the BS.

[delatlanta1281]

Agreed. i have a bad taste in my mouth due to customer service in this industry.
Kind of like blaming a cashier at BK for no whoppers.

[nando]

camber doesn't make your car pull.... caster and toe do.

[Turf1600]

Watch it be a sticky caliper

[Charlie]

Ok, so I got my new suspension and tires on the jetta. Toss it up on the alignment rack to get her straight. I then find out I need some special VW tool to adjust the front camber. To make a long story short I said fuck it, I will just get it aligned at the dealer. I went there because I didn't want some crap shop to charge me $60 to set the toe and let it go. The other $40 was worth it.

So I get the car back, and ask for the alignment sheet. The rear toe was out about 1 degree on the rear (which I already knew), they pulled the rear toes in and equalized them out, they are still off about .1 deg from spec, but still even.

Then I look at the front camber, they didn't even touch it.... -.36 FL -.52 FR

I assume they know something I don't, because its in spec, but still .16 deg difference... I ask them about it, and he told me the tech drove it and its fine. I'm like whatever and take it. Well the fucking thing pulls left. Not very bad at all, its real damn close, but it consistently will pull left. This was last thursday.

Well I FINALLY get a hold of the head VW guy, tell him I am not happy and it goes left. He tells me "it must be your tires, they are probably bad." Fucking incompetent. I'm like, well thats strange, because I had new tires put on about 12 hours before I brought it to you, thats really weird how they would be totally bad within that time frame (very sarcastically). I proceed to tell them how they didn't even touch the front camber, and how that was 1/2 the reason I went to them. Then he brings up how its in spec, well yeah but... its a huge gap between to two.... Since FL is more positive, and it pulls left, theres a pretty good chance the reason is because they are not close... so fix it. After bickering a lot he agrees to get me in tomorrow.

Wtf honestly, they always try to trick me like I am some idiot. When I was looking over the sheet the first time, I pointed that out, and he told me camber doesn't do anything and it doesn't matter at all, all that matters is the toe....

Why do dealers have to suck so bad. I just paid $100 for an alignment and it doesn't even go straight. Not even that but I have to argue to have them fix my car. Fucking worthless.

Aren't you going to UTI/Wyotech/whatever to be a dealer tech? So far it sounds like you royally fucked up a thermostat install on a run of the mill motor, and you're taking the car to a dealer to do an allignment, something you can do with 70 bucks worth of longacre tools? Dude, seriously, wtf? You've got a rusted out and beat to hell MK3 VW on el-cheapo lowering springs, and you're trying to say you can feel a .2 camber difference on those shitball tires?

-Charlie

[Brew]

camber doesn't make your car pull.... caster and toe do.

Nope. Camber will make a car pull towards the side with more positive camber. You're right about caster- it can cause a pull towards the side with more caster. Toe absolutely cannot cause a pull, as it will always equalize. The steering wheel may be off center, but the car won't pull on a flat road.

[nando]

my car has unequal camber - but the same caster. it doesn't pull anywhere. :roll:

you are right about toe for the most part, but if you have excess toe (in or out) in combination with other alignment problems it will definitely amplify them..

[Brew]

Don't roll your eyes at me, of course it all depends on how big of a difference there is left to right. Depending on the car, it might take 1.5 degree difference in camber to cause a noticeable pull. Obviously if there is 4 degrees of toe out the car will be all over the road. But it won't pull one direction or the other on a flat, even surface.