reedvalve

Anyone know of a 928 friendly alignment shop in queens or LI?

Does SM motorsports (which was listed in the recent smog test thread) do them?

EThan
82 5spd

Rez

Reed,

Several 928 owners have had luck with Sears. Specifically everyone raves about the Hunter DSP-400, because the car does not have to jacked up, which screws up the alignment. I would call around and request if they have the Hunter and then tell them about the P-car. $90 seems average.

Scott MacDonald

Ethan,
If you want a bona fide 928 guru to do it, try David Lloyd a Musante Motorsports (www.musantemotorsports.com) near Hartford, Ct. Unfortunately it's a two hour drive for you, but not an unpleasant trip up the Merritt Parkway. Gives you a chance to fully experience the car before and after the alignment job!
Scott

Rich9928p

Ken is a 928 owner and specialist. Check with him:

Ken De Gregorio
European Auto Repair
183 Horton Ave.
Lynbrook, NY 11563
(516) 596-9182

SteveG

You can also do a google on "Hunter" After getting to their site, I had to email a rep who will tell you where the nearest shop is. I was looking for one in NE PA, so I can't help you with NYC area, but pls post it here if you find one (and they do a good job). Thanks.

reedvalve

thanks guys. I called a local sears auto and apparently they have the right hunter and charge $90. I may go there just as soon as I can figure out what tires to buy... AVS, 712's, 750's....I'm overloaded with reviews and opinions.

EThan

onebad928s

sm does do them and there pretty good

Lou
83 928 5speed

Mark Stahl

Bringing back this topic from the dead...

I was wondering if anyone had more recent experiences in NYC (Bronx, specifically) and also what if anything was found in NE PA (I visit there quite a bit.) Just for reference...

Thanks.

SteveG

In NE Pa the Sears in Viewmont Mall in Scranton is a no go if the old guy is still there. He will not do Pcars even though they have Hunter equip. I diplomatically told the manager and I then went to Jack Williams Tire in Wilkes Barre. They are the place to go. But if you buy tires there (anywhere), be sure to drive it yourself to lower the car before alignment.

Jim R.

Sears would not touch my car. Mavis discount tire in Massapequa (on LI) did mine a couple of years ago on a Hunter no lift machine for about $70 or so. No wierd wear patterns on my fronts, and the SC takes care of the rears.

Pretty sure any Mavis with a newer type Hunter machine will do it, no affililiation, etc.,.......

Jim

Techno Duck

S&M in New Hyde Park does do alignments. Ive never had any work done by them but i know many people in the MetroNY PCA that have and are happy with them.

danglerb

Where I would draw the line is letting Sears replace anything, just doing the alignment may be more machine than mechanic now days.

Mark Stahl

Thanks, all. I agree about not letting any of these places do any actual mechanical replacement.

I've been to SM in New Hyde Park; Sonny definitely knows 928s but he's usually awfully busy and I didn't want to leave the car overnight just for an alignment. I may if it comes to that.

Quick question: what exactly is a "no-lift" machine? I was under the impression that the car had to be lifted in order to check the runout, and that most machines won't let you proceed unless you do that. Does "no lift" just mean that the car is lifted by the control arms or something (does that work?)? What exactly am I looking/asking the shop for? Is there a specific model of alignment machine I want (I see Hunter DSP 400 above, but am wondering about others. The local Sears has a Hunter DSP 600 (I think) but when I looked at a car they were working on, its suspension was unloaded, so I don't know what to think).

I had forgotten about Mavis; they have locations that are close enough for sure.

I drove the car about 60 miles after replacing the tie rods and a lower ball joint without aligning it at all (partly to settle the suspension, partly because I had to). That was enough to finish off the inner tread on the marginal tires I had on the car. Oh, well.

Jim R.

Mark,

The Hunter DSP 400 does not require the car to be lifted to align, I think the newer models are the same way. Just make sure the tech knows not to lift the car, but instead roll it onto the alignment plates. It will be on a lift (think long ramps like a 4 post lift), but not raised off the suspension. I watched and spoke with the tech (the shop manager actually did it) during the alignment. The machine basically walked him through it. My car tracks pretty well, and no odd front wear patterns over the last 2+ years.

Jim

SteveG

I don't know which Hunter I was on, but there is a tray on either side under your tires, you drive onto this; no lifting from any suspension or body rails; the whole point is to not lift the car off the suspension. On level surface, measure the lowest point of front fender lip on a line through the center cap of wheel, it should be about 27". YMeaMV due to age of shocks, PO lowering, etc. Regardless, that would give you a baseline. Jack the wheel up, down, measure, it will be +/- 1.5 inches higher, and won't settle fully b/c of the bushings, for 10 to 50 miles depending on how rough a road you drive. Same with rear, I think the lip is 24".