98 V70 XC self service/DIY alignment- Advice/info/step-by-step needed

[abscate]

That toe spec is so small it essentially means the wheels are parallel for any kind of driveway measurement. Im not sure if that is a wheel spec or total toe spec?

[Richard99]

I'm on a very tight budget

I'm on a very tight budget, too. I bought quality parts when I did my control arms and all four tie rods, but was able to save a little money by shopping around and still maintain quality on the parts. You'll save quite a bit by doing this work yourself. I saved at least $75 that way.

My personal decision (and yours will be a personal decision, as well, based on finances) was that the $75 spent on alignment was money very well spent and that to NOT have the car professionally aligned was false economy. I don't believe these cars can be aligned to spec in anyone's driveway or garage, and the only way you will know for sure if the alignment is INCORRECT is when you ruin your front tires (unless it is way off). Tires cost money, too.

So, we all have to decide what we can handle and what we should pay someone to do. You need to do what's right for you, but I would rather have it aligned by a shop with decent equipment and know if it is right or wrong. Sorry to be a wet blanket, and maybe I am wrong, but it sounds to me like you are buying trouble. I suppose it doesn't hurt to try to do it yourself, but I don't know howyou could tell that it has been done right after you finish.

Very much agree with Eddystone in that there is absolutely a risk in DIY. Good shops can nail this job and usually for a decent price. In my neck of the woods two decent tires can run over $200. If those are ruined you will be down more money than the money saved by the DIY alignment. I would also like to add that unless certain suspension components like control arms, tie rods, and tires, are in decent shape, an alignment doesn't really do anything meaningful.

When I did my alignment with the toe plates I have every reason to believe I did an adequate job, as the measurements were reproducible. But so much care must be taken as to keep the tape straight and keep the plates in the exact same position. But I cannot say for sure because my car got wrecked shortly after doing it so the tires did not have time to develop the wear patterns of out of spec alignment.

The 2.9 mm (don't remember the tolerance) is measured as the difference between the front of the wheel and the back of the wheels, with the tires ON. If for some reason you are doing these measurements with the tires off, you use 2.4 mm as the spec. Toe-in, of course, is the condition of the front of the wheels being closer together than the rear of the wheels.

[erikv11]

I've done DIY front wheel alignment without toe plates and it's not that hard to get it right. I do pay to have it done now but nothing wrong with doing it yourself.

The most frustrating part about paying a shop is that very shops will do it right! These p80 cars need 4 wheel alignment, starting with the rears followed by the fronts, to eliminate any thrust angle. I've had shops tell me "aligning the rear wheels is not possible" and "sorry we won't do the rears, everything is too rusted out" both of which are false. I usually take the factory pdf with me and ask them if they can do it https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/tech/servi ... edures.pdf

[Eddystone]

I usually take the factory pdf with me and ask them if they can do it https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/tech/servi ... edures.pdf

Any difference in spec or procedure between this 95 850 and 98 or 99 S7 V70?

[erikv11]

Nope, no difference for 93-00 FWD cars.

I don't know about the AWD cars.