destructo_low

I went to my normal shop which aligned my car last time, which I also know jacked it up, because the inside of my tires are wearing. I didn't know the specifics on the alignment of 928s at the time, and the guy is using an older machine with wired sensors. I told him this time that you couldn't jack my car, and he said he couldn't do it, and he told me of another shop I usually have my tires changed at. They have a wireless fcm machine.

I told the owner of the other shop that he couldn't jack my car, and he asked how we would calibrate the sensors. I told him we would have to attach them and drive the car onto the ramp. He refused to drive the car with the sensors attached. I told him he could drive it himself, and he still declined.

I emailed Hunter and FCM for lists of alignment shops in my area.

If ANYTHING could have happened to destroy his sensors, my car more than likely would have had to be wrecked into the equipment or driven off one side of the ramp. Oh well.

SeanR

They should drive the car on the rack, attach sensors and align it. It's a shame what some monkeys do to these cars.

GlenL

Weird. I find a lot of shops with a "Hunter 800" which I think is the old model. On the wireless system they roll the car fore/aft a bit and then does it. They don't have to lift it. There are techs who'll still lift it because it makes adjusting easier. One guy insisted that he pulled it back down and bounced it. Sorry. That just doesn't cut it with these cars.

Tom in Austin

Guys I've talked to say they can push the car forward and backward on the machine with sensors attached to the wheels to calibrate. I wouldn't want anyone driving my car while up there on the rack ...

Ad0911

I understand from a mechanic at my local P-dealer that they use sensors that mount inside the wheelcenters, not on the rim. This type of sensors fit more accurately so they don't need to lift the wheels to rotate the heels in order to chek if the sensors are attached properly (this is the purpose of lifting the wheel). Not many alignmenthops have this type of sensor so that is why you should perform this job at a certified Porsche dealership.

Bill Ball

Well, you CAN jack the car, as long as it is PULLED back down to the original ride height. So, car on lift, measure ride height in front, jack car, calibrate and whatever, put car back down on the slip plates, pull the front suspension down via the swaybar until it settles at the original ride height, align wheels. We did this once and it worked out just fine.

SeanR

Any shop that has a Hunter DSP machine can do a proper alignment, they just have to know how to do it. All of us in the DFW area use a local Sears because someone (Me) took the time walk them though how to do it right.

You can take it to the dealer if you want to spend money you don't mind wasting. I'd not let any dealership around here touch a 928.

Ad0911

Don't get me wrong, I just gave the oppinion of the P-mechanic. I have bought Sun allignment from a garage that went bust. It is an old set but it works just fine, so I do this myself.

SeanR

No problem at all, i'd do it myself but the last time I ruined my wifes 928's tires followed shortly by my own.

Dean_Fuller

What part of Alabama are you in?

PorKen

If you remove the rubber 'S' spoilers from the lower A-arm (two 10mm bolts per side), you can lift the front tires at the (steel) ball joint bracket, while on the rack, to calibrate the sensors w/o changing the spring height.

Same at the rear.


I've done this a few times at my friend's shop, which has older equipment.

Randy V

Yeah, in theory and it's called out this way in the WSM - but I don't trust it to be fully, competely, absolutely pulled ALLL the way down.

Fogey1

The guys at Sears here have a modern machine and a knowledgeable tech. When I mentioned a 928 volunteered that it couldn't be lifted. Same was true in Austin. Might be worth a try. Corporate training and all.

Bill Ball

What? We measured it to the mm. George's Open Road Race sled. With the slip plates, it was not that hard to get it ALLL the way back down.

928Myles

Last two alignments I have had done the shop followed the WSM proceedure (which was replicated in their machine instructions) and have had perfectly even tyre wear since.

Myles