Off-Center Wheel - Alignment? - 97 854 t-5

Post by **JRL** » 07 May 2007, 05:45

Maxbaby wrote:
JRL wrote:
Maxbaby wrote: In any event, checking the suspension would be a good start of assessing where the alignment problems might be.
Really, the entire suspension needs rebuilding unless you have some new stuff in there.
It will be a brand new car (again)!
Wouldn't that be nice, however I don't think most people can afford the entire suspension, so they look to replace what is needed at a particular time. That's why they come to this forum, for some positive direction and encouragement. Hopefully this dialogue has given a few places for Black850 to have a look to see where to concentrate...

Car has 200,000 miles on it, I rest my case and don't need to justify my statement

damnyankee · Post by **damnyankee** » 07 May 2007, 07:42

I just paid $125.00 to have all 4 wheels aligned and balanced. It took them over 2 hours using the laser alignment because they said it was so bad.
I would counter the 18 year old making $7 bucks and hour behind the wrench slightly hindered it as well.

Nice kid though other than him asking if I knew of anyone hiring!!

Post by **Maxbaby** » 07 May 2007, 09:49

JRL wrote:
Maxbaby wrote:
JRL wrote: Really, the entire suspension needs rebuilding unless you have some new stuff in there.
It will be a brand new car (again)!
Wouldn't that be nice, however I don't think most people can afford the entire suspension, so they look to replace what is needed at a particular time. That's why they come to this forum, for some positive direction and encouragement. Hopefully this dialogue has given a few places for Black850 to have a look to see where to concentrate...
Car has 200,000 miles on it, I rest my case and don't need to justify my statement

If you've rested your case on the above then you haven't convinced me. Having 200,000 miles on it is not the definitive point of replacement. Might be that some parts needed to be done at 100,000, or some might still be good to 300,000. Some parts may already have been replaced, and it hasn't been discussed. I don't believe there is a Volvo-released schedule detailing the mileage of a specific suspension component needing to be released at 200,000 miles. We can all see that at that mileage one should expect to replace a few things, but that's not the same as actually determining that all components must be replaced. And the whole point of this thread was the alignment and what should be checked. Your original argument was that Srnkanator was proposing a silly suggestion by asking about the suspension in relation to the steering. You were wrong. The question was valid and didn't need to be dismissed in the manner that you did it.

KlubMarcus · Post by **KlubMarcus** » 22 Jul 2007, 08:30

JRL wrote:
volvrow wrote:What is a normal price range to get a four wheel alignment in U.S. dollars?
$60 to $120 depends on who rips you off. With no problems, (nothing bent, etc.) it's a 1/2 hour or so job

I just had my front end aligned for that reason. Cost was $58.45 out the door. Now it drives straight and it's so much easier to drive one-handed.

Ronniedasaint · Post by **Ronniedasaint** » 29 Aug 2007, 21:12

I have a similar problem in that my steering wheel needs to be off center slightly (but noticeably) to the left for my car to drive straight. If I let the wheel go while driving the car will pull leftward fairly hard. This is the state my car is currently in. Before this and when I noticed the problem the wheel was off center a bit and the pull left was very slight. I took it in to get an alignment and the manager at the shop said I didn't need an alignment because of this or that. He said instead they'd rotate the tires and that should fix it. When I saw who was working on my car I thought, "You've got to be kidding me!" The kid looked like he'd just learned to wipe his a** and now he was working on my ride. Anyhow they changed the oil and rotated the tires and I drove off. Well the pull got worse and the other day I noticed that the front tire on the passenger side was probably my worst worn tire. Now, I'm not an expert by an stretch of the imagination but wouldn't it have made sense to put a tire with the most tread up front since this is a front wheel drive car? My car has 191K miles and I'm seriously thinking about redoing the whole suspension as well as replacing the tires since they all appear to be at different levels of wear. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

RJ

Ronniedasaint · Post by **Ronniedasaint** » 03 Sep 2007, 18:28

Finally got the car in and what they told me was that I needed new strut mounts. And that the above metioned tire was shot. I'm getting to the point where I think I'm going to have to personally interview every single person who works on my car. Too many Clownshoes' out there who don't know what's up. Anyhow, as far as the strut mounts go I think I am going to replace the whole kit and caboodle. I'm at 191K and I'm thinking it's time. I've put it off long enough. My 850 is a super safe car but in order for it to do it's job I need to maintain it. FCP Groton has great prices on suspension parts and they have even better deals on Ebay. There are also several threads here that talk about which brands are best as well ass what parts are needed for a complete replacement. BTW, I am in no way affiliiated with them I just know they have xcellent customer service skills and good prices.

Post by **JRL** » 03 Sep 2007, 19:06

Do NOT use aftermarket strut mounts from Groton, I repeat, do NOT use aftermarket strut mounts.
Only the OEM ones will last somewhat (80-120K mles), the aftermarkets can separate within a year or less

tdlund · Post by **tdlund** » 03 Sep 2007, 19:47

No one mentioned the extra stress on you barings when the alignment is off. I would get it checked just for this reason.

Ronniedasaint · Post by **Ronniedasaint** » 05 Sep 2007, 16:54

JRL, is it just the aftermarket strut mounts I need to stay away from with FCP Groton?

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 05 Sep 2007, 19:07

Just stay away from all ScanTech suspension parts. They are known to wear out quickly and be bad news. You think you're saving some money but having to go back in there all over again a few months later and replace with genuine OEM parts which cost a bit more ends up costing you a whole lot more (not to mention the anguish) in the long run. Be careful with FCP as they do sell ScanTech....but they usually do have another choice. If you don't see another choice then eeuroparts.com for those specific suspension parts might be a better vendor.