⬇️Scotty’s Top DIY Tools: 1. Bluetooth Scan Tool: amzn.to/2nfvmaD 2. Cheap Scan Tool: amzn.to/2D8Tvae 3. Professional Socket Set: amzn.to/2Bzmccg 4. Wrench Set: amzn.to/2kmBaOU 5. No Charging Required Car Jump Starter: amzn.to/2CthnUU 6. Battery Pack Car Jump Starter: amzn.to/2nrc6qR 🛠Check out my Garage to see what I use every day and highly recommend: www.amazon.com/shop/scottykilmer ► Subscribe and hit the notification bell for all new videos: th-cam.com/users/scottykilmer Scotty on Social: Facebook ► facebook.com/scottymechanic/ Instagram ► instagram.com/scotty_the_mechanic/ Twitter ► twitter.com/Scottymechanic?lang=en
My front right tire is excessively worn on the outside edge. But the car doesn't pull in any direction and I can't feel any vibrations. Do you have any idea what's wrong? It's an old Volvo 940 from 1996.
You know I find it pretty sad Scotty, that anybody could even not like what you're doing.. your taking time out of your life to help people understand about the vehicles thank you very much for your time..
Tom Smales I’m pretty sure he does it too because TH-cam is a business now for most people so you don’t know if that was his motivation. If it was then he’s not taking the time out of his life, he’s doing it for that cash.💰
Mateo12485 Tens of thousands??? How much 10-15k per year??? That horrible asf, when u spend that much time and effort just to see the problems, of course the edit. U know how hard is to when u make a high quality video.
I've done the alignment on my own car using basically just strings and a tape measure and some ingenuity. When checked later at a garage it was almost perfect, well within spec. Mechanics always say that you need insane precision, lasers etc, but in fact on a 17" rim the difference of 1 degree is a whopping 8 mm between front and rear edge of the rim...Meaning it's absolutely doable for a skilled home mechanic.
correct...if you understand the math involved, you can get within spec with a tape measure for the toe... of course its best to shoot for slightly north of the center of the spec on that one.
I love the history segments. It's like sitting in your uncle's lap as a child and listening to Uncle Scotty tell you about how he had to work on cars in the dead of winter during blizzards, year round. LOL Scotty, you are the man! Seriously consider making car history videos just like your segments, but a little more in depth, and maybe with a whiteboard or other visual aids. I really enjoy your story telling style.
If you change major suspension components like the struts, tire rod, or possibly ball joints. You need an alignment, or you'll likely burn through your tires. If you don't stay on top of the wear of your tire you wont even notice it. This literally just happened to me. I bought a car they said they changed the CV axles before giving me the car, I looked and saw new tie rod ends as well. Thought nothing of it. Down the road I check my tires and see they are worn very unevenly and that I need an alignment. Had to buy new front tires too..
The more of your videos I watch Scotty, the more my fear of the unknown diminishes about my vehicle, Scotty thank you for your uploads and I really believe you deserve all your success.
Most people don't need it done perfectly that's why we are on youtube. We just need alignment done well enough that we don't get bad tire wear or steering pull. The main reason the individual needs this done in my experience is because they have replaced some front end parts themselves or bought a vehicle that has had some front end parts replaced. It is totally possible for even a novice to do a decent wheel alignment that accomplishes these goals. In this case performing a home wheel alignment by measuring between the wheels is perfectly acceptable and will fit the purpose. I have done a total of three wheel alignments in my life. I have done all of them with little to no experience and training. All of them have accomplished the goal of reducing bad tire wear and steering pull.
Great content once again! Too often people are scammed into 'needing' an alignment. One time had a NTB location try to fudge the inspection results. Vehicle was perfectly aligned when it went in for tires. Watched the guys try to play around with the steering wheel to make the printout appear the vehicle was severely out of alignment. The problem with their scam was that the toe was out exactly the same amount on both sides (one positive and one negative), with the wheels both pointing left. If that truly was the case, then either the vehicle would have pulled severely to one side with the steering wheel centered or would have driven straight with the steering wheel severely off center. Just a SCAM to try to get me to spend $80 on something that wasn't needed. Put 70,000 miles on those tires and they wore perfectly. Seems to be getting harder to find reputable shops these days. Knowledge is power!
yeah ive had a shop do that to me before lol. they tried to say it was out of alignment but they just didn't have the steering wheel straight lol. one wheel was toed in while the other was toed out, but guess what happens when you straighten the steering wheel! I just said no thanks and left with my free alignment check lol
I talked to the shop clerk at a very good garage that does good work. He told me and another guy in a discussion in the waiting room that he worked for a dealer and they would to loads of unnecessary work on cars and especially women who came in and old people. They did the work and split the profit. The management encouraged this practice. I was surprised he told us. He said they only made minimum wage. but I feel he felt guilty. At least they did the work, some places don't do the work and still charge for it.
Scotty I did a front toe alignment years ago with a measuring tape and got it "good enough" but after seeing this informative video I will be using a pro alignment shop this time. Thank you for making these videos as you are really helping a lot of people with your expertise.
Scotty confuses me He sounds like an enthusiastic use car dealer, but he's helpful as hell and actually saves us money with free advise he doesn't hide facts about. If you're reading this, thanks.
Well, I never, ever, question anything that Scotty says. Scotty is the "Mechanic King" of the entire automotive world! Thank you Scotty for all your simply stated and clear to understand help that you share with everyone! You have a special talent of explaining complex things in a way that a small child can understand! I salute you!!!
"never, Ever". well that speaks volume. Absolute trust and power corrupts absolutely. nobody is perfect, nor doesnt have any vested interest. as you can see, he did advertised the wheel alignment company and showed their number.
I do my toe alignments myself by guessing and honestly, I've never had this method fail me. I can't condone it of course because you have to be super in-tune with what your wheels are doing and how your car is behaving in order to get the adjustment close. For example, My car had steering that was drifting to the left at high speed and at low speed, the steering was very light to the left but harder turning to the right. Also at low parking lot speeds, it would turn light to the left, then you could let go of the steering wheel and it would continue to turn itself harder to the left until it reached full lock turning left. These symptoms led me to believe that the left wheel tie rod needed to be adjusted in a way that turns the left wheel to the right. ( not sure if that's positive or negative toe) Either way, it worked and my car steers great now.
I'm an account but when I was younger (20yrs) ago, i worked on cars too. Things are so sophisticated now. Accounting sucks! Wish I would of stuck with mechanical engineering. Way more satisfying! Thanks for the video Scott.
My Dad has used the tape measure way for decades and has never had an issue. Like Scotty said most adjustment is needed for toe.. and the tape measure way works for that. If you have a camber issue? Then the tape measure won't work. You can usually tell by how your tire is wearing. Now my Dad was in the Body Shop Biz for MANY years and is fairly proficient at doing alignments in this fashion.
@scotty Kilmer when i was still working as a mechanic we used to grind slots in the general motors struts to make a camber adjustment.though we charged 30 bucks a wheel if needed to be done. gms were bad for it. the struts in the old gm j body cars were slotted already for the adjustment. there were also special alignment bolt kits to replace one bolt with a special one that could give you some camber adjustment. they were put out by northstar if memory serves.
So many of your videos helped me, your so clear and concise. Being a female with so many restrictions in my life when it came to cars made a world of a difference to come across his channel.
Great advice on having an alignment after a wreck. I had a minor wreck which hit the R rear wheel and I had to get an adjustable tie rod installed to bring it back into alignment because the factory, unadjustable one was bent.
Good info, those fancy Hunter Alignment machines do require maintenance/re-calibration as well, you would hope your repair shop maintains their equipment. personally if I'm replacing my tires and spending $100's or in many cases with today's large wheel and tire combos well over a $1000.00 on a set of new tires I would get a wheel alignment just to be certain. Once tires start wearing unevenly that wear pattern is permanent for that tire, even if you repair the issue after you notice the uneven wear.
Alignment shops may be recommended, but it's possible to use the tape measure method if you can't afford one. I aligned a family vehicle after installing new tie rod ends. They took it to a shop to verify my accuracy, almost perfect! My advice is patience, a quality tape measure with 1/16 inch (or metric equivalent) markings, factory recommended specs, and a good concept of how the vehicle should feel while test driving (different drive types, suspension, and steering variations WILL create different feedback).
Yes I used strings, and a tape measure and a level for the vertical. The car runs very well and no squealing of the tires and the tires are not wearing unevenly. So If you can do it yourself, you save a lot. These machines are overkill for a result that is always never perfect, because the car cannot be made perfect. My daughters caliber had a narrower wheelbase at the back then front and I think it was supposed to be the same. If the tires are a little different then that is a millimeter or two. So it is not exact. But when you get it close, that is good enough. Even if your tires wear out a little prematurely , it is cheaper to buy new tires than pay for alignments.
I went in for a free oil change at 10k miles they called me and said the alignment was off and I thought I was getting scammed. After watching your video I can now tell its no scam
God Bless you, Scotty!!! It has been a while since I have had a chance to rave about you, but here I am! Bastards on TH-cam have stupid alignment guides, as you mentioned, but for all of you reading... take your vehicle to someone with a Hunter alignment machine, like me, and let the pros (like Scotty) measure the toe, camber, and caster for all 4 tires!!!
its tricky cause you get one adjustment where you want and move on to the next it will change the reading on last one you just set. its more of an art than you would think and doesnt have to be exact just an approximation. you would be surprised at what counts for "inside manufacturers specifications".
I went to a so called pro with a laser alignment machine and when I drove out of there my car was pulling to the right.... I went home and pulled out the ruler and did the string alignment method that my dad taught me, tires have been good for about a year now no shaking no pulling no uneaven wearing.... all I needed was a zero toe .... string method worked like a charm...
Been doing alignments for 2 years on a hunter rack like in this video. We have a saying "Set the toe, collect the dough!". Although I will adjust camber as well if it is adjustable and out of spec.
His channel truly has changed my life. Its because of Scotty I've chosen to keep my old car as a project by which to learn how to repair and maintain my own vehicles, instead of just junking it for a few hundred bucks.
So if a shop is trying to sell you a four wheel alignment and you vehicle has a solid rear axle they are just trying to get more money? Or do those machines need to use the rear as a reference point for a more accurate front alignment? I wondered this for awhile.
great explanation...the other day i was really late and did 180km/h with no shakes at all, im so proud. but alignment is so important, now i know what to check for and not just by letting go of the wheel to see where she goes.. Just wondering how often to rotate the tyres.
I really wish there were more experienced and energetic and honest mechanics in my Area like you. I just bought a car yesterday a 2000 dodge stratus and I have had my truck for 3 years a Dodge Ram 1500. both need work and I have been ripped off many times with my truck and I know I will be with my car as well. I tip my hat to you sir. keep up the wonderful work
Bud's Tire and Wheel where I live fixed a problem no alignment could fix. 1995 Buick Roadmaster wagon still had slight pull. "Radial-pull" it turned out to be. Swapped tires side to side and WALLA...fixed ! Tracked perfectly straight.
I went for an alignment some time ago. The guys couldn’t loosen the tie rods on one side (didn’t try too hard, either). Using that laser machine, they adjusted the alignment by only adjusting one side of the car, leaving the other side as it was. I find that a lot of the guys using this equipment just go by some ‘computer’ training, rather than actually understanding the principles behind this. Maybe I’m wrong, but I thought that only adjusting one side wouldn’t be the proper way to do this.
Doing it on one side is the lazy way ! (didn’t try too hard, either),it puts the steering wheel off centre to,they should clamp the steering wheel at centre and adjust both sides...
I had my truck aligned after I changed out the tie rod ends. It came back with the steering wheel crooked. They said that's the way it has to be. A few turns of the drag link fixed the crooked wheel without messing with the alignment.
Inisfad sounds like a lazy alignment tech. I do this every day. There are many ways to fix the alignment on cars and trucks. There are a lot of aftermarket parts out there to fix them. May cdt a little more than standard alignment bout it can be fixed. And they should have trired harder to adjust the other side or replaced seized parts
Did he even try to use an oxy ace torch to free up the tie rod? If not hes a hack and I would demand a refund or they redo the alignment with someone who's competent. I've done tons of cars and trucks with seized jam nuts and a little heat will always break them loose.
Korrupted No, they didn’t try with heat. I actually went to them twice, to try to get this remedied. Finally, my mechanic used a torch on them afterward. Sadly, there is only one place in my locality that does alignments. I had such a bad experience with them that I didn’t go back. My mechanic did an ‘alignment’, old school. Although it may not be nearly as exact as the laser machine, I trusted him more, and the car tracks and handles well.
Years ago I had replaced the front suspension components on a 91 Mustang, (Struts, bushings, ball joints) adjusted the toe with a tape measure so I could drive it to get an alignment, and actually got it within spec! Surprised the heck out of me! The tech asked why I was so surprised by that so I explained what I had done to it. I still got a precise alignment of course, always a good idea if you replace any alignment affecting components.
I knew a mechanic back in the early 80s who claimed that he could adjust the wheel alignment just buy looking at the vehicle from a distance of 5 meters from the front and rear of the car . Thats the first and last time i went to that bodgy mechanic.
Scotty is Right used to on some of the older cars you had to actually adjust the A-frame and put shims behind it if needed for camber and Castor adjustments
Rev up the static in the intro! Great video, it's nice to have clarification on what you need, don't need, and what unnecessary service might be pushed.
Great explaining, my rear tires were wearing out from the inner part and today one exploded, thank God I had run flat tires and got to a shop. All 4 tires were dead on the inner side. Bought 4 tires and did alignment...car feels much better.. vw gti mk7 is38 autobahn edition.
Wish my Jeep came with adjustable suspension parts like this vehicle. Wouldn't cost them too much more to install adjustable parts on the assembly line. Everything I have stock is fixed. Which sucks.
Paulie Proton Just think Chrysler was trying to save money on parts where they could. It would be great for Jeep especially to have adjustable suspension parts since they are the most modified vehicle on the planet. But I'm a firm believer Jeep has a hand in the aftermarket profits. So this is never going to happen.
Maybe alignment doesn't matter so much when you're driving on tires the size of Mt. Everest with treads as deep as Mariana's Trench. I'm sure all that flex compensates for misalignments. Surgical tools need to be a bit more precise than a wood splitting axe, after all.
Free plugin for Montrose tires and wheels. Just helping out a buddy. Well, I say free but really who knows. Extremely nice setup. Something to keep in mind is when you buy a new vehicle the manufacturer lines up the imperfections of balancing of the tire with any imperfection in the rim so they counter act each other then balance the wheel. As soon as you take the tire off the rim you've changed that combination. Force balancing is supposed to help.
Scotty is genuine "living history." Part of the reason why this series is so special. I smiled when I saw the Conestoga wagon sketches -- having grown up on Little Conestoga Rd in Chester County PA. (My great grand-dad was a wheelwright even.)
Scotty is scared to do an alignment? Did you know the Egyptians made the pyramids lined up to a few millimeters with no lasers? No modern tools? Just string, sand, stone, a little copper, and their brains? Scotty has brains. A very good one for fixing cars. He shouldn’t be afraid of alignments. My brother does his own alignments and he does them better than those over priced and still inaccurate alignment shops.
I live in the pot-hole capital of the US (SW New Mexico) - you don't drive residential roads at night unless you have really, really bright high-beams.
Hey Scotty! What's a good way to ask about getting alignment done correctly without coming off as a jerk (questioning their methods)? I'm new to where I live, so I have to take a risk and check the competition to see which mechanic might be my go-to. Thanks, and keep up the awesome content!
A shimmy at highway speed can sometimes be a thrown weight. My pickup tossed a 5 ounce lead weight during a little off roading, re-balancing the tire fixed the shimmy.
I totalled my truck and a junk yard put it back together at a great price, when they were done the told me to get a alignment after they fixed the frame and a bunch of other busted suspension parts when I got in to drive it I needed to hold the steering wheel about 1 whole turn to the left to drive straight! The steering wasn't tight either and an alignment actually corrected the problem and I drove the vehicle about another 100,000 miles before I sold it to what I thought was a friend at the time....
got my moneys worth last time I got an alignment, had replaced control arms, ball joints, tie rods & struts. Dont think the tech was too happy, took him like an hour
I agree buddy. Used the tape measure myself many times. Definatly works if you know how to read a tape measure... It would be interesting to see someone do it with a tape measure as good as they can get it then bring it to the shop and see how accurate it was/wasnt
Got alignment done on my van recently. Steering wheel was way off centre after and they didn't give any before and after printouts. I adjusted each sides equally to get it centred but I think theres so many bad mechanics who just don't do basics like locking the steering wheel that I'd trust my own string alignment to be more accurate.
It’s still never a bad idea to get an alignment check after getting new tires though tires aren’t cheap so why not get an alignment check to protect them?
Hi Scotty. I like everything about you, the way you look, talk & explain things. I watch all your video and have learned so much. Thank You for the education!
I drove my car out of alignment for a while to avoid paying the alignment cost, but I got a lot of expensive suspension repairs to do now, I think it might have been caused by driving out of alignment so probably a good idea to keep suspension and alignment well maintained in the long run.
I drove my car misaligned for a few months once because of other repairs I needed to do that would require an alignment afterwards, but I could tell the toll it took on brand new tires by waiting. If you don't have a choice but to wait to have an alignment done then be willing to pay the price of removing, mounting, balancing and having new tires installed very prematurely.
When you adjust or replace anything in the suspension or steering you get an alignment done. Also normal driving will put the toe out over about 15k miles.
When I bought my tires at Firestone I also got an alignment. When braking the car would pull to the right, the steering wheel would flop to the right, pull to the right driving. I took it back a second time, same thing, they told me something needed to be tightened down. I took it to my mechanic, he told me the right strut was blown, so we replaced the front struts, assembly, and rear shocks. Like scotty said in one of his videos, the car is riding higher and doesn't ride all that smooth with the quick struts. My problem is that it finally wasn't pulling to the right when braking, my mechanic suggested getting an alignment after the work,, but after getting alignment at Firestone (i had a 12 month warranty on an alignment, the guy tried to tell me the warranty only covered if they did something wrong, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me), but the car is now pulling to the right braking, steering wheel flopping to the right. These guys at Firestone don't know what they are doing. On top of that I noticed the left fog light was out and left headlight, looked under the car and the fog light was was just dangling there by its wire, screwed that back in, but will have to fix the left head light. What are they doing messing with my light on an alignment, trying to get more money out of me, I have to assume. You get some real scumbags out there when all you want is a reliable car to get to work, support yourself. These guys who cause more headaches and stress on purpose . Man....I can never do that to people.
I only go to tire stores for tires, never mechanical work. Similarly, I don't buy tires from mechanics. I figure that each type of place specializes in their own normal service type, and won't be very good at the "crossover" stuff they tack onto their lists of offerings as upsells. So far, I've had good luck this way.
My dad has always been stubborn about take his truck to an alignment shop. He has always did it himself. And of course, his alignments are never perfect. But they are pretty close.
It is also hard to find an honest alignment shop in my area. I wouldn't trust anyone without a computer printout unless it was a proven family/friend mechanic that I had used for years and built a trust with. The one time I had ball joints replaced they charged me for an alignment as well which was not an issue, but when I picked the car up the guy just said he put it on the rack and it "wasn't that bad" and nothing needed to be adjusted but guess what I was still charged the full $150 for the 4 wheel alignment. I probably should have negotiated but I was really young at the time and didn't know any better.
In my day I preferred Bee-Line equipment. We're talking in the 70's, 80's and 90's and even today that same equipment can and will do just as good a job as so called "computer" equipment. But you must have a real professional, not some kid who was trained by the kid before him. Scotty is mostly correct. However not all cars have full adjustments BUT EVEN SO many cars & trucks have kits one can have a pro install to get a perfect alignment. Minor alignment adjustments are rarely needed UNLESS an alignment part (tie rod, ball joint, etc.) is replaced....OR there is major damage to the suspension. Then it is absolutely necessary. If your tires are not evenly worn across the tire, you likely don't need anything....just as Scotty said.....and believe me....I'm not a Scotty fan, but when the man is right, the man is right.
Hi had my car alignment done had to take it back 4 times because it still wasn’t right and it keeps putting itself out any ideas what it could be theirs no play in anything thanks
⬇️Scotty’s Top DIY Tools:
1. Bluetooth Scan Tool: amzn.to/2nfvmaD
2. Cheap Scan Tool: amzn.to/2D8Tvae
3. Professional Socket Set: amzn.to/2Bzmccg
4. Wrench Set: amzn.to/2kmBaOU
5. No Charging Required Car Jump Starter: amzn.to/2CthnUU
6. Battery Pack Car Jump Starter: amzn.to/2nrc6qR
🛠Check out my Garage to see what I use every day and highly recommend:
www.amazon.com/shop/scottykilmer
► Subscribe and hit the notification bell for all new videos: th-cam.com/users/scottykilmer
Scotty on Social:
Facebook ► facebook.com/scottymechanic/
Instagram ► instagram.com/scotty_the_mechanic/
Twitter ► twitter.com/Scottymechanic?lang=en
Scotty Kilmer yes master!!:)
AWSOME Scotty 👍🏻
My front right tire is excessively worn on the outside edge. But the car doesn't pull in any direction and I can't feel any vibrations. Do you have any idea what's wrong? It's an old Volvo 940 from 1996.
Scotty Kilmer ☺
don't forget Scotty those damn speed bumps can ruin alignments as well my city seems to favor them over pot holes lol
I don't know anything about cars. But this channel made me a man.
Syke Throne lmao what were you before?
daviesakiller
Probably a kid
Aquiring knowlege is a part of growing up
same
daviesakiller 🤣 right
Were you bruce jenner?
You know I find it pretty sad Scotty, that anybody could even not like what you're doing.. your taking time out of your life to help people understand about the vehicles thank you very much for your time..
Tom Smales I know :/ he only makes tens of thousands of dollars a year from doing this ://///
That maybe true BUT he still does a good job.. and he's helping a lot of people out.. he wasn't making tens of thousands when he first started..
Tom Smales I’m pretty sure he does it too because TH-cam is a business now for most people so you don’t know if that was his motivation. If it was then he’s not taking the time out of his life, he’s doing it for that cash.💰
Mateo12485 Tens of thousands??? How much 10-15k per year??? That horrible asf, when u spend that much time and effort just to see the problems, of course the edit. U know how hard is to when u make a high quality video.
ALL DAY TH-cam pays bank, he probably makes that much in a month
I've done the alignment on my own car using basically just strings and a tape measure and some ingenuity. When checked later at a garage it was almost perfect, well within spec. Mechanics always say that you need insane precision, lasers etc, but in fact on a 17" rim the difference of 1 degree is a whopping 8 mm between front and rear edge of the rim...Meaning it's absolutely doable for a skilled home mechanic.
correct...if you understand the math involved, you can get within spec with a tape measure for the toe... of course its best to shoot for slightly north of the center of the spec on that one.
I only came here to learn more about alignments and now I'm subbed because Scotty's such a fun guy to watch 🤣
I love the history segments. It's like sitting in your uncle's lap as a child and listening to Uncle Scotty tell you about how he had to work on cars in the dead of winter during blizzards, year round. LOL
Scotty, you are the man! Seriously consider making car history videos just like your segments, but a little more in depth, and maybe with a whiteboard or other visual aids. I really enjoy your story telling style.
No rust anywhere. Must be nice to live down south.
It is!
The advantages of living in the South go way beyond car rust.
J Babb like cheaper houses etc?
it has its pros and cons lol
opl500 ahh that’s like the only good thing in my option but that part is nice for sure.
I can't stop watching Scotty!
Agozie Ani SAME FOR MYSELF!!!!
Just no staring!
Hes been on a streak lately
Agozie Ani ...sure you can...just go to sleep
Agozie Ani but normally it is nothing you not already know
If you change major suspension components like the struts, tire rod, or possibly ball joints. You need an alignment, or you'll likely burn through your tires. If you don't stay on top of the wear of your tire you wont even notice it. This literally just happened to me. I bought a car they said they changed the CV axles before giving me the car, I looked and saw new tie rod ends as well. Thought nothing of it. Down the road I check my tires and see they are worn very unevenly and that I need an alignment. Had to buy new front tires too..
The more of your videos I watch Scotty, the more my fear of the unknown diminishes about my vehicle, Scotty thank you for your uploads and I really believe you deserve all your success.
Most people don't need it done perfectly that's why we are on youtube. We just need alignment done well enough that we don't get bad tire wear or steering pull. The main reason the individual needs this done in my experience is because they have replaced some front end parts themselves or bought a vehicle that has had some front end parts replaced. It is totally possible for even a novice to do a decent wheel alignment that accomplishes these goals.
In this case performing a home wheel alignment by measuring between the wheels is perfectly acceptable and will fit the purpose. I have done a total of three wheel alignments in my life. I have done all of them with little to no experience and training. All of them have accomplished the goal of reducing bad tire wear and steering pull.
Great content once again! Too often people are scammed into 'needing' an alignment. One time had a NTB location try to fudge the inspection results. Vehicle was perfectly aligned when it went in for tires. Watched the guys try to play around with the steering wheel to make the printout appear the vehicle was severely out of alignment. The problem with their scam was that the toe was out exactly the same amount on both sides (one positive and one negative), with the wheels both pointing left. If that truly was the case, then either the vehicle would have pulled severely to one side with the steering wheel centered or would have driven straight with the steering wheel severely off center. Just a SCAM to try to get me to spend $80 on something that wasn't needed. Put 70,000 miles on those tires and they wore perfectly. Seems to be getting harder to find reputable shops these days. Knowledge is power!
yeah ive had a shop do that to me before lol. they tried to say it was out of alignment but they just didn't have the steering wheel straight lol. one wheel was toed in while the other was toed out, but guess what happens when you straighten the steering wheel! I just said no thanks and left with my free alignment check lol
I talked to the shop clerk at a very good garage that does good work. He told me and another guy in a discussion in the waiting room that he worked for a dealer and they would to loads of unnecessary work on cars and especially women who came in and old people. They did the work and split the profit. The management encouraged this practice. I was surprised he told us. He said they only made minimum wage. but I feel he felt guilty. At least they did the work, some places don't do the work and still charge for it.
Scotty I did a front toe alignment years ago with a measuring tape and got it "good enough" but after seeing this informative video I will be using a pro alignment shop this time. Thank you for making these videos as you are really helping a lot of people with your expertise.
Now I can confidently go to a garage and request if my van needs an alignment. I hate not understanding car mechanic terminology. You rock Scotty!!
Scotty confuses me
He sounds like an enthusiastic use car dealer, but he's helpful as hell and actually saves us money with free advise he doesn't hide facts about.
If you're reading this, thanks.
Well, I never, ever, question anything that Scotty says. Scotty is the "Mechanic King" of the entire automotive world! Thank you Scotty for all your simply stated and clear to understand help that you share with everyone! You have a special talent of explaining complex things in a way that a small child can understand! I salute you!!!
"never, Ever". well that speaks volume.
Absolute trust and power corrupts absolutely.
nobody is perfect, nor doesnt have any vested interest.
as you can see, he did advertised the wheel alignment company and showed their number.
If you get an alignment check, most places are going to find a "problem" with the alignment... whether you have one or not.
I do my toe alignments myself by guessing and honestly, I've never had this method fail me. I can't condone it of course because you have to be super in-tune with what your wheels are doing and how your car is behaving in order to get the adjustment close. For example, My car had steering that was drifting to the left at high speed and at low speed, the steering was very light to the left but harder turning to the right. Also at low parking lot speeds, it would turn light to the left, then you could let go of the steering wheel and it would continue to turn itself harder to the left until it reached full lock turning left. These symptoms led me to believe that the left wheel tie rod needed to be adjusted in a way that turns the left wheel to the right. ( not sure if that's positive or negative toe) Either way, it worked and my car steers great now.
I'm an account but when I was younger (20yrs) ago, i worked on cars too. Things are so sophisticated now. Accounting sucks! Wish I would of stuck with mechanical engineering. Way more satisfying! Thanks for the video Scott.
My Dad has used the tape measure way for decades and has never had an issue. Like Scotty said most adjustment is needed for toe.. and the tape measure way works for that. If you have a camber issue? Then the tape measure won't work. You can usually tell by how your tire is wearing. Now my Dad was in the Body Shop Biz for MANY years and is fairly proficient at doing alignments in this fashion.
Love when i find a good youtube channel. No fluff, just rapid fire info and good edits. I went through about 10 channels of guys just yapping on.
@scotty Kilmer when i was still working as a mechanic we used to grind slots in the general motors struts to make a camber adjustment.though we charged 30 bucks a wheel if needed to be done. gms were bad for it. the struts in the old gm j body cars were slotted already for the adjustment. there were also special alignment bolt kits to replace one bolt with a special one that could give you some camber adjustment. they were put out by northstar if memory serves.
So many of your videos helped me, your so clear and concise. Being a female with so many restrictions in my life when it came to cars made a world of a difference to come across his channel.
I've been at some shops recently that still use the ruler and string treatment.
Vehicle Virals lmao tell em its 2018 and they stuck in 1940!
get out of here...i worked at town fair tire in 1986 and they had laser alignment back then...i wouldn't trust that shop to put a plug in a tire
maybe they can't afford an alignment machine, they're still expensive used.
Vehicle Virals race teams use string and ruler
FatherBootyHands no it’s not “just as” accurate. So you’re gonna sit there and say we humans have perfect accuracy as a computer? Please
I TRY do do work on my car first. Because I have had experience where the people at the shops didn't do any better.
I LOVE YOU SCOTTY! Me and my dad stay watching your videos and always get good advice from them. God bless you bro!
i been working on my cars for a long time ,i still take time too listen to scotty , he is very helpful
Great advice on having an alignment after a wreck. I had a minor wreck which hit the R rear wheel and I had to get an adjustable tie rod installed to bring it back into alignment because the factory, unadjustable one was bent.
Good info, those fancy Hunter Alignment machines do require maintenance/re-calibration as well, you would hope your repair shop maintains their equipment. personally if I'm replacing my tires and spending $100's or in many cases with today's large wheel and tire combos well over a $1000.00 on a set of new tires I would get a wheel alignment just to be certain. Once tires start wearing unevenly that wear pattern is permanent for that tire, even if you repair the issue after you notice the uneven wear.
Alignment shops may be recommended, but it's possible to use the tape measure method if you can't afford one. I aligned a family vehicle after installing new tie rod ends. They took it to a shop to verify my accuracy, almost perfect! My advice is patience, a quality tape measure with 1/16 inch (or metric equivalent) markings, factory recommended specs, and a good concept of how the vehicle should feel while test driving (different drive types, suspension, and steering variations WILL create different feedback).
Yes I used strings, and a tape measure and a level for the vertical. The car runs very well and no squealing of the tires and the tires are not wearing unevenly. So If you can do it yourself, you save a lot. These machines are overkill for a result that is always never perfect, because the car cannot be made perfect. My daughters caliber had a narrower wheelbase at the back then front and I think it was supposed to be the same. If the tires are a little different then that is a millimeter or two. So it is not exact. But when you get it close, that is good enough. Even if your tires wear out a little prematurely , it is cheaper to buy new tires than pay for alignments.
I went in for a free oil change at 10k miles they called me and said the alignment was off and I thought I was getting scammed. After watching your video I can now tell its no scam
You can do this at home. did they have fancy lasers in the eighties? No. Did they need alignments? YES! How did they do it? Manually.
God Bless you, Scotty!!! It has been a while since I have had a chance to rave about you, but here I am! Bastards on TH-cam have stupid alignment guides, as you mentioned, but for all of you reading... take your vehicle to someone with a Hunter alignment machine, like me, and let the pros (like Scotty) measure the toe, camber, and caster for all 4 tires!!!
The pros always say " this was the best we can do" and its not perfect but they charge you 100%.lol
chuck e
Its all about tolerances
Know them and work within
Everithing else is a waste of time (and money)
Capitalism tho
I got an idea, how about YOU learn how to do an alignment then YOU can see why "this is the best we can do" is what we most commonly say.
Six months later , need new tire.haha
When its time to pay, you can say "this is the best we can do" and only offer 80% of what they wanted
its tricky cause you get one adjustment where you want and move on to the next it will change the reading on last one you just set. its more of an art than you would think and doesnt have to be exact just an approximation. you would be surprised at what counts for "inside manufacturers specifications".
I went to a so called pro with a laser alignment machine and when I drove out of there my car was pulling to the right.... I went home and pulled out the ruler and did the string alignment method that my dad taught me, tires have been good for about a year now no shaking no pulling no uneaven wearing.... all I needed was a zero toe .... string method worked like a charm...
Been doing alignments for 2 years on a hunter rack like in this video. We have a saying "Set the toe, collect the dough!". Although I will adjust camber as well if it is adjustable and out of spec.
My dad has been aligning with a ruler and string for years and all his customers always left the shop happy with their cars perfectly aligned
Scotty Kilmer. You are the angel we don't deserve
His channel truly has changed my life. Its because of Scotty I've chosen to keep my old car as a project by which to learn how to repair and maintain my own vehicles, instead of just junking it for a few hundred bucks.
Wow. I needed to know all of this. Best video I’ve seen on alignment. Now I need to find this expert equipment in Fort Worth Texas.
Thanks Scotty after watching this got my daughters car booked in next week for a front end alignment due to minor damage on the front.
So if a shop is trying to sell you a four wheel alignment and you vehicle has a solid rear axle they are just trying to get more money? Or do those machines need to use the rear as a reference point for a more accurate front alignment? I wondered this for awhile.
When ever I need a fix I watch a Scotty video. Puts my mind at ease. Was wondering about camber adjustment when replacing struts.
I love being yelled at by Scotty. It reminds me of my father who could fix anything also.👏🏻😁
great explanation...the other day i was really late and did 180km/h with no shakes at all, im so proud. but alignment is so important, now i know what to check for and not just by letting go of the wheel to see where she goes.. Just wondering how often to rotate the tyres.
BEST mechanic on TH-cam! Love your vids Scotty!
I really wish there were more experienced and energetic and honest mechanics in my Area like you. I just bought a car yesterday a 2000 dodge stratus and I have had my truck for 3 years a Dodge Ram 1500. both need work and I have been ripped off many times with my truck and I know I will be with my car as well. I tip my hat to you sir. keep up the wonderful work
Nice simple instructions another great video Scotty
bodgit and leggit garage ii
Bud's Tire and Wheel where I live fixed a problem no alignment could fix. 1995 Buick Roadmaster wagon still had slight pull.
"Radial-pull" it turned out to be.
Swapped tires side to side and WALLA...fixed ! Tracked perfectly straight.
It is just a tire that isn't quite straight internally.
I went for an alignment some time ago. The guys couldn’t loosen the tie rods on one side (didn’t try too hard, either). Using that laser machine, they adjusted the alignment by only adjusting one side of the car, leaving the other side as it was. I find that a lot of the guys using this equipment just go by some ‘computer’ training, rather than actually understanding the principles behind this. Maybe I’m wrong, but I thought that only adjusting one side wouldn’t be the proper way to do this.
Doing it on one side is the lazy way ! (didn’t try too hard, either),it puts the steering wheel off centre to,they should clamp the steering wheel at centre and adjust both sides...
I had my truck aligned after I changed out the tie rod ends. It came back with the steering wheel crooked. They said that's the way it has to be. A few turns of the drag link fixed the crooked wheel without messing with the alignment.
Inisfad sounds like a lazy alignment tech. I do this every day. There are many ways to fix the alignment on cars and trucks. There are a lot of aftermarket parts out there to fix them. May cdt a little more than standard alignment bout it can be fixed. And they should have trired harder to adjust the other side or replaced seized parts
Did he even try to use an oxy ace torch to free up the tie rod? If not hes a hack and I would demand a refund or they redo the alignment with someone who's competent. I've done tons of cars and trucks with seized jam nuts and a little heat will always break them loose.
Korrupted No, they didn’t try with heat. I actually went to them twice, to try to get this remedied. Finally, my mechanic used a torch on them afterward. Sadly, there is only one place in my locality that does alignments. I had such a bad experience with them that I didn’t go back. My mechanic did an ‘alignment’, old school. Although it may not be nearly as exact as the laser machine, I trusted him more, and the car tracks and handles well.
Years ago I had replaced the front suspension components on a 91 Mustang, (Struts, bushings, ball joints) adjusted the toe with a tape measure so I could drive it to get an alignment, and actually got it within spec! Surprised the heck out of me! The tech asked why I was so surprised by that so I explained what I had done to it. I still got a precise alignment of course, always a good idea if you replace any alignment affecting components.
I knew a mechanic back in the early 80s who claimed that he could adjust the wheel alignment just buy looking at the vehicle from a distance of 5 meters from the front and rear of the car . Thats the first and last time i went to that bodgy mechanic.
Lmfao 😂
Lol wtf
There was once a time when it mattered less
Scotty is Right used to on some of the older cars you had to actually adjust the A-frame and put shims behind it if needed for camber and Castor adjustments
Rev up the static in the intro!
Great video, it's nice to have clarification on what you need, don't need, and what unnecessary service might be pushed.
Scotty kilmer is like the MacGyver of cars
Love the thumbnail
I know I clicked just for that LOL
Shane Tobin that’s why I clicked it I loved seeing that
I saw a car like that once. I haven't seen it for probably over 2 years.
Matthew Andrews 😂
It made me cry a little on the inside because I own an RX8
Great explaining, my rear tires were wearing out from the inner part and today one exploded, thank God I had run flat tires and got to a shop. All 4 tires were dead on the inner side. Bought 4 tires and did alignment...car feels much better.. vw gti mk7 is38 autobahn edition.
Wish my Jeep came with adjustable suspension parts like this vehicle. Wouldn't cost them too much more to install adjustable parts on the assembly line. Everything I have stock is fixed. Which sucks.
Paulie Proton Just think Chrysler was trying to save money on parts where they could. It would be great for Jeep especially to have adjustable suspension parts since they are the most modified vehicle on the planet. But I'm a firm believer Jeep has a hand in the aftermarket profits. So this is never going to happen.
FatherBootyHands There's a reason for that, moolah.
you still have front total toe adj and steering wheel adj
Maybe alignment doesn't matter so much when you're driving on tires the size of Mt. Everest with treads as deep as Mariana's Trench. I'm sure all that flex compensates for misalignments.
Surgical tools need to be a bit more precise than a wood splitting axe, after all.
There should be atleast eccentric bolts to align it
Free plugin for Montrose tires and wheels. Just helping out a buddy. Well, I say free but really who knows. Extremely nice setup.
Something to keep in mind is when you buy a new vehicle the manufacturer lines up the imperfections of balancing of the tire with any imperfection in the rim so they counter act each other then balance the wheel. As soon as you take the tire off the rim you've changed that combination. Force balancing is supposed to help.
Scotty thanks for making simple and easy to understand. Keeps me on my toes when dealing with a mechanic.
the positions Scotty gets into to get his videos...lol you really dedicated bro. Hats off
I love Scotty's history lessons X-)
"When I was a young mechanic"
Scotty is genuine "living history." Part of the reason why this series is so special.
I smiled when I saw the Conestoga wagon sketches -- having grown up on Little Conestoga Rd in Chester County PA. (My great grand-dad was a wheelwright even.)
Scotty is scared to do an alignment? Did you know the Egyptians made the pyramids lined up to a few millimeters with no lasers? No modern tools? Just string, sand, stone, a little copper, and their brains? Scotty has brains. A very good one for fixing cars. He shouldn’t be afraid of alignments. My brother does his own alignments and he does them better than those over priced and still inaccurate alignment shops.
I wonder what Scotty thinks about people who drive slammed cars here in Houston
OG Krillin He probably thinks their wheels are out of alignment!
Lmao shout out to Htown catch me around in a lowered 17 black accord
OG Krillin all the Mexicans and there dropped trucks
Sittin side ways...
Just commenting cause I’m from the H too 🤷🏻♀️
I live in the pot-hole capital of the US (SW New Mexico) - you don't drive residential roads at night unless you have really, really bright high-beams.
Hey Scotty! What's a good way to ask about getting alignment done correctly without coming off as a jerk (questioning their methods)? I'm new to where I live, so I have to take a risk and check the competition to see which mechanic might be my go-to. Thanks, and keep up the awesome content!
I love this channel. Just enough detail to not insult my intelligence but not so much it's boring.
A shimmy at highway speed can sometimes be a thrown weight.
My pickup tossed a 5 ounce lead weight during a little off roading, re-balancing the tire fixed the shimmy.
Yup, a shake when not under braking, is rarely an alignment issue and usually a balance issue.
I totalled my truck and a junk yard put it back together at a great price, when they were done the told me to get a alignment after they fixed the frame and a bunch of other busted suspension parts when I got in to drive it I needed to hold the steering wheel about 1 whole turn to the left to drive straight! The steering wasn't tight either and an alignment actually corrected the problem and I drove the vehicle about another 100,000 miles before I sold it to what I thought was a friend at the time....
Scotty takes a topic and actually makes it interesting. Great video and the things we should know. Thanks.
got my moneys worth last time I got an alignment, had replaced control arms, ball joints, tie rods & struts. Dont think the tech was too happy, took him like an hour
Tape measure alignment is all my Jeep has ever known. It drives great, steers great and my tire wear is phenomenal.
I agree buddy. Used the tape measure myself many times. Definatly works if you know how to read a tape measure... It would be interesting to see someone do it with a tape measure as good as they can get it then bring it to the shop and see how accurate it was/wasnt
Got alignment done on my van recently. Steering wheel was way off centre after and they didn't give any before and after printouts. I adjusted each sides equally to get it centred but I think theres so many bad mechanics who just don't do basics like locking the steering wheel that I'd trust my own string alignment to be more accurate.
Wow, this is the first Scotty video I've seen where he does not instill the confidence to fix a problem yourself.
scotty does it matter if i get cheap tires or expensive ones? thats one area on a car i just dont know
It’s still never a bad idea to get an alignment check after getting new tires though tires aren’t cheap so why not get an alignment check to protect them?
hunter alignment (and adjustment) (Which I did get) cost about 5 quid more than the tire I bought....
Hi Scotty. I like everything about you, the way you look, talk & explain things. I watch all your video and have learned so much. Thank You for the education!
Thank you Scotty friend ♥️👌☺️ You’ve educated me about so many things 😢 Thank you
I drove my car out of alignment for a while to avoid paying the alignment cost, but I got a lot of expensive suspension repairs to do now, I think it might have been caused by driving out of alignment so probably a good idea to keep suspension and alignment well maintained in the long run.
I think it's that you drive on bad roads
I drove my car misaligned for a few months once because of other repairs I needed to do that would require an alignment afterwards, but I could tell the toll it took on brand new tires by waiting. If you don't have a choice but to wait to have an alignment done then be willing to pay the price of removing, mounting, balancing and having new tires installed very prematurely.
Scotty is the best 😊
Scotty reminds me of
John Lennon for some reason
Hair and glasses lol
Scotty will be here forever to stay 😋👌
Makes talking about cars easy and actually interesting. Just being honest.
Any other times an alignment is recommended? Say when changing suspension or lowering the car?
Burako Shimazaki yes for both of those.
Ilikeboost Thanks, does that include cars without adjustable strut plates?
Burako Shimazaki yes it does.
When you adjust or replace anything in the suspension or steering you get an alignment done.
Also normal driving will put the toe out over about 15k miles.
I used to do my '83 Camaro myself, in a parking lot.
When I bought my tires at Firestone I also got an alignment. When braking the car would pull to the right, the steering wheel would flop to the right, pull to the right driving. I took it back a second time, same thing, they told me something needed to be tightened down. I took it to my mechanic, he told me the right strut was blown, so we replaced the front struts, assembly, and rear shocks. Like scotty said in one of his videos, the car is riding higher and doesn't ride all that smooth with the quick struts. My problem is that it finally wasn't pulling to the right when braking, my mechanic suggested getting an alignment after the work,, but after getting alignment at Firestone (i had a 12 month warranty on an alignment, the guy tried to tell me the warranty only covered if they did something wrong, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me), but the car is now pulling to the right braking, steering wheel flopping to the right. These guys at Firestone don't know what they are doing. On top of that I noticed the left fog light was out and left headlight, looked under the car and the fog light was was just dangling there by its wire, screwed that back in, but will have to fix the left head light. What are they doing messing with my light on an alignment, trying to get more money out of me, I have to assume. You get some real scumbags out there when all you want is a reliable car to get to work, support yourself. These guys who cause more headaches and stress on purpose . Man....I can never do that to people.
Same 4 me
They do that honestly
I only go to tire stores for tires, never mechanical work. Similarly, I don't buy tires from mechanics. I figure that each type of place specializes in their own normal service type, and won't be very good at the "crossover" stuff they tack onto their lists of offerings as upsells. So far, I've had good luck this way.
My dad has always been stubborn about take his truck to an alignment shop. He has always did it himself. And of course, his alignments are never perfect. But they are pretty close.
Scotty Kilmer is the best
Kimberly D yeah he is
I am convinced working outside having the sun hit the skin, and eyes without glasses is keeping this man young
Scotty your videos (besides being very informative) are the perfect length to watch....keeping videos @ 6 minutes or less is perfect! thank you.
these are the kinds of videos i wanna see scotty post more often
"When I was a young mechanic in the 60s" wait how old are you bruh😂😂😂
He's been a mechanic for 51 years, so...old
It is also hard to find an honest alignment shop in my area. I wouldn't trust anyone without a computer printout unless it was a proven family/friend mechanic that I had used for years and built a trust with. The one time I had ball joints replaced they charged me for an alignment as well which was not an issue, but when I picked the car up the guy just said he put it on the rack and it "wasn't that bad" and nothing needed to be adjusted but guess what I was still charged the full $150 for the 4 wheel alignment. I probably should have negotiated but I was really young at the time and didn't know any better.
3:28 imagine if an employee came out and was like “who let this guy back here”
In my day I preferred Bee-Line equipment. We're talking in the 70's, 80's and 90's and even today that same equipment can and will do just as good a job as so called "computer" equipment. But you must have a real professional, not some kid who was trained by the kid before him. Scotty is mostly correct. However not all cars have full adjustments BUT EVEN SO many cars & trucks have kits one can have a pro install to get a perfect alignment. Minor alignment adjustments are rarely needed UNLESS an alignment part (tie rod, ball joint, etc.) is replaced....OR there is major damage to the suspension. Then it is absolutely necessary. If your tires are not evenly worn across the tire, you likely don't need anything....just as Scotty said.....and believe me....I'm not a Scotty fan, but when the man is right, the man is right.
Scotty don't sweat to much buddy, have a nice day.
By far one of the weirdest people I’ve seen make videos about car fixing but I just can’t help but love the hell out of it
Scotty has all these genius video ideas one after another! Keep it up!
I can’t stop watching his videos! 🙃
I’m a woman, I’d like to be educated a bout cars. All the videos are informative n it’s not boring lol so 😇😂 A++
I’m considering moving to Houston just to have you as my mechanic.
I’m new to the channel where in Houston is he?
@@deeemanuel4576 he is in TN now.
Hi had my car alignment done had to take it back 4 times because it still wasn’t right and it keeps putting itself out any ideas what it could be theirs no play in anything thanks