[HugeBob]

Hi All,

Just noticed that my steering wheel shimmies. Does this mean alignment or merely balancing? I had the wheels balanced at NTB and the shimmy persists. What else could it be? And that brings up another question. When getting a quote on alignment from the dealer, he said they also do height adjustment as part of the package. 3rd party shops don't do height adjustment. Is that something that tips the balance in favor of the dealer? :think:

 

[rcmorgan540]

I doubt it is an alignment issue ... not a pro though. I had the same shimmy after adding 22" wheels and tires. I went back and the rebalanced the tires which were only off by 1 ounce on the front right. He also changed the weight position from static to dynamic. I also changed the air pressure from 35 all around to 40 all around. Still a very very slight shimmy. Not so sure that is was not there pre new wheels.

 

[rcmorgan540]

Oh and third party shops are capable of the alignment. Most will not have the diagnostic system that controls the suspension height. My buddy aligned mine on a normal rack and seems to be fine. I am sure it is not 100% perfect ... but it does not cost an obscene amount of cash like the dealer does.

 

[mark511]

i recommend going to the dealer when it comes to balancing and alignments. especially if you have the dreaded odd sized 19" wheels. when i first bought my sport i had the typical steering wheel shake at various speeds. i took it in the first time and they balanced it the way any 3rd party shop would. however, the vibration still existed on my test drive. they then told me that they had to do a 4point balancing that only the dealership can do. it's true because they use a Hunter 9700/9712 wheel balance machine. the job takes like 3 hours by book standards. ref service bulletin LTB00030NASF. they did it for me for free because the truck was new at the time. however, at about 20k when the problem came back (very faint) i was charged because of the natural wear and tear on the tires that would cause them to need re-balancing.

 

[Hoosier]

I don't recommend going to the dealer! Mine got it all messed up messed up some rear tires in the process. I take mine to a high-end tire alignment place that specialized in porsches, mercedes and bmw. My recommendation is find where all the weekend racers take their expensive toys and go there. Most dealers are idiots and don't have the laser equipment or expertise or will to do it correctly.

 

[mark511]

I don't recommend going to the dealer! Mine got it all messed up messed up some rear tires in the process. I take mine to a high-end tire alignment place that specialized in porsches, mercedes and bmw. My recommendation is find where all the weekend racers take their expensive toys and go there. Most dealers are idiots and don't have the laser equipment or expertise or will to do it correctly.

i guess it depends on how much u trust your dealership. but the main point of my post is that you need a special machine that most 3rd party shops don't have. you have to take it to the dealership or Hoosier's correct someone that specializes in LR and has the Hunter balance machine or something comparable.

as an aside, i've gone out of my way to know the techs and master tech at my dealership. they know my face and i've rewarded (bottle of alcohol as a gift) them in the past for their extra care. i recommend doing the same. no matter how much you don't like dealerships, you will always have some sort of link back to them and you will eventually have to go see them. even if you have a high-end 3rd party shop that you go to, i promise you that they often call the dealership not only for parts but for advice on problems they cannot fix. believe me, my cousin owns one of those shops and his exact words "the dealership is expensive and sometimes has inexperienced techs however, they have the entire R&D team of LR behind them that comes out with all those service bulletins to tell that inexperienced tech how to fix your problem." :snooty:

 

[Hoosier]

I know most of the guys at my dealership also (been buying Land Rovers from them for 22 years), but it didn't keep them from toeing out the rear wheels. Hard to know it's been messed up until the tires wear out prematurely four or five months later. There are some things they do well, but when I find an area I don't trust them in - I chalk it up as a lesson learned and don't give them that job again. Fool me once - shame on you, fool me twice - -. Also, if you get them to do an "alignment" get the paper printout from the machine.

As fas as the part about independent shops, the dealership is great for warranty work, where it is basically replacing items. When it comes to diagnosing and fixing rovers, you need to find a shop you can trust - especially if you keep your vehicle until it is out of warrenty. I am part owner of a shop here in Dallas and the dealership sends us customers all the time. Usually, older vehicles that need someone to take the time to find the issue and fix it. We have all the diagnostics that the dealer has, but we charge less and we have the experience to work through the problems and fix them. Dealership wants to get great reviews from you so they look good to Tata or whoever - they want you in and out fast so you are happy. They don't like things that take time and fixing problems aren't always easy or straight forward

 

[Frisco_TX_RRS]

I don't recommend going to the dealer! Mine got it all messed up messed up some rear tires in the process. I take mine to a high-end tire alignment place that specialized in porsches, mercedes and bmw. My recommendation is find where all the weekend racers take their expensive toys and go there. Most dealers are idiots and don't have the laser equipment or expertise or will to do it correctly.

Hoosier - where in DFW do you take yours to - is it Autoscope?

I have a shimmy in mine - they told me it was the tires. Did not belive them and asked them to stick a set of tires from anotehr RRS. They proved me wrong - there was no shimmy anymore. I don't see any cupping etc - so I guess I have 1 bad tire which I can live with.

 

[Alpaca]

Could be tires - but more likely worn suspension bushings somewhere - how many miles and when was last time you replaced shocks , control arms, tie rods etc . ?