alignment under warranty

[psywzrd]

I took my H3 to the dealership this morning for an oil change and tire rotation was told that I needed an alignment as well. My H3 has never been off-road (no comments from the peanut gallery please ) and it has just over 15k miles on it. Does this seem right to you guys? I don't doubt that it needs the alignment (the front tires are clearly more worn on the outside) but shouldn't something like this be covered under warranty? Or is this considered more of a "wear and tear" type thing? I don't recall ever having an alignment done on any other vehicle I've owned, let alone at 15,000 miles. Any help is appreciated as I am going to pick the vehicle up shortly. Thanks!

[H3.007]

It is quite possible. Mine was out of alignment at 5,000 miles. The only way i realized it was after a garage, specializing in alignments, adjusted my torsion bars. The did a pre-adjustment measurement and told me the factory alignment was terrible. I wonder if the alignment gets pulled out out during shipping (i.e. chaines down to trucks, trains, etc...).

Regardless, yes, it is possible. I do not know if it would be covered by warranty but I would make the argument that it should be...

[djaqualight]

I had mine alligned (under warranty) a few weeks after I bought my H3. It pulled to the right pretty bad. No problems since then and no visible abnormal wear on the tires. I'm at 18K miles.

[The Green Lantern]

The alignment warranty is under 7k miles, otherwise you pay around $80-90 to get it done.

[Hummer Guy]

15k sounds about right...but your call..

[f5fstop]

I wouldn't approve it, but I have no say in your dealership. Alignment can be set off by driving on so-called paved roads. Depends on the roads in your area. Why should GM pay for something that is considered normal wear and tear.

If the vehicle was delivered with a bad alignment, something that would be noted in the first 1-2K miles, then yes, that should be under warranty, but with 15K!

[psywzrd]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

I wouldn't approve it, but I have no say in your dealership. Alignment can be set off by driving on so-called paved roads. Depends on the roads in your area. Why should GM pay for something that is considered normal wear and tear.

If the vehicle was delivered with a bad alignment, something that would be noted in the first 1-2K miles, then yes, that should be under warranty, but with 15K!

I totally understand what you're saying but at what point does it become ridiculous? For example, I had the alignment done today (I don't have the invoice in front of me right now but I'll post what I paid later). Who's to say that I won't need to have it done again in a week? Shouldn't the vehicle be able to stand up to a certain amount of wear and tear without getting out of alignment? I'm not saying that having to do the alignment at 15k was unacceptable but I would be pretty pissed if I had to do it again at 16,000 miles. Is there a "warranty" attached to getting the alignment done? Based on what I'm hearing, the answer would be no since they have no way of knowing what kind of driving you're doing (off-road, etc.). Again, this concerns me because I've driven the same roads in several different vehicles I've owned and I've never needed to have my alignment fixed. I know the road conditions could have worsened, I might drive this vehicle harder, etc., but it seems to me that this is one of those things that could be a constant problem.

[f5fstop]

I have 18K on a vehicle primarily driven in MI, which is noted to have the worse roads in the US. I bounce into pot holes big enough to hide a Prius in, and my alignment seems ok. I have also off-roaded in Utah. My tires are wearing great.
When living in TN, which is rated to have the best roads, I had my Vette aligned at least every 10K miles, or at least checked. My jeep needed alignment whenever I went off road.
I took it as part of owning a vehicle, and would never have considered going to the dealer saying it was a problem with the car.
It is hard to say when a vehicle would need an alignment. Just hitting a pot hole at the right angle and speed could set the alignment on one tire.

Very few cars or trucks are ever delivered with a bad alignment, but it can happen. At the end of the line, the vehicle goes over an alignment rack and there the adjustments are made. Sure, if the person in the pit is not doing his job correctly, the alignment on a delivered vehicle could be off, that is supposed to be corrected during the pre-delivery inspection. Yes, a dealer can adjust alignment on a vehicle before 500 miles is accumulated on the vehicle. The dealer just has to get permission from the warranty group.

[psywzrd]

I have the invoice right in front of me now. Just to update my post above, the alignment cost me $149.95. Does that seem excessive? They charged me $129.95 to rotate and balance my tires too. I had coupons for 15% off the labor for both charges so that was a credit of $47.23. How does that measure up to what you guys have paid?

[The Green Lantern]

Originally Posted by psywzrd

I have the invoice right in front of me now. Just to update my post above, the alignment cost me $149.95. Does that seem excessive? They charged me $129.95 to rotate and balance my tires too. I had coupons for 15% off the labor for both charges so that was a credit of $47.23. How does that measure up to what you guys have paid?

That's too much!....allignment is around $90, unless the price went up.

[RubHer Yellow Ducky]

WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT !!!!!!

Originally Posted by psywzrd

I have the invoice right in front of me now. Just to update my post above, the alignment cost me $149.95. Does that seem excessive? They charged me $129.95 to rotate and balance my tires too. I had coupons for 15% off the labor for both charges so that was a credit of $47.23. How does that measure up to what you guys have paid?

Am I reading you correctly ???

$129.95 to rotate and balance 4 tires !!!

I don't know where your located ( you don't say) A HUMMER dealer did this???

I went to a HUMMER dealer yesterday with the DUCK. They had it for, say 4 hours:

oil change
filter
rotate & balance 4 tires
adjust & clean brakes (warrenty) {sanded pads & front rotors}

TOTAL $ in U.S. DOLLARS

$84.12 (includes tax) PLUS $1.00 for the car jockey

AND

I did not buy the H-3 from this dealer

OH yeah, the LOANER was a Chevy Suburban (6 gal to the mile) It was BIG & CLEAN Like a giant white whale

I THINK YOU NEED TO TALK TO THEM, SOMETHING SEEMS excessive !!!

RYD (pops)

ps: PLEASE FOLLOW THROUGH ON THIS AND LET ME (us) KNOW>>>

[psywzrd]

You guys are reading correctly. I'm in central NJ and that's what I was charged. I know dealers can charge what they want for labor, so I'm not sure what I can do other than take the car somewhere else the next time I need my tires rotated. They kind of had me by the ball$ today because they already had the car for the oil change and there was no way I was going to take it somewhere at that point. That was probably stupid on my part but I really had no clue how much this should have cost. Do you guys think I should call the service manager and complain?

[RubHer Yellow Ducky]

[quote=psywzrd]You guys are reading correctly. I'm in central NJ and that's what I was charged. I know dealers can charge what they want for labor, so I'm not sure what I can do other than take the car somewhere else the next time I need my tires rotated. They kind of had me by the ball$ today because they already had the car for the oil change and there was no way I was going to take it somewhere at that point. That was probably stupid on my part but I really had no clue how much this should have cost. Do you guys think I should call the service manager and complain?[/quote]

YES !!!
& the general manager

[aggiehummer...er]

Honestly, you're the one who paid it, I don't know where complaining would get you. In my shop, both the alignment and rotate/balance are less than you paid by a pretty good margin. Granted, I'm in Texas.

[fourfourto]

Originally Posted by RubHer Yellow Ducky

WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT !!!!!!



Am I reading you correctly ???

$129.95 to rotate and balance 4 tires !!!

I don't know where your located ( you don't say) A HUMMER dealer did this???

I went to a HUMMER dealer yesterday with the DUCK. They had it for, say 4 hours:

oil change
filter
rotate & balance 4 tires
adjust & clean brakes (warrenty) {sanded pads & front rotors}

TOTAL $ in U.S. DOLLARS

$84.12 (includes tax) PLUS $1.00 for the car jockey

AND

I did not buy the H-3 from this dealer

OH yeah, the LOANER was a Chevy Suburban (6 gal to the mile) It was BIG & CLEAN Like a giant white whale

I THINK YOU NEED TO TALK TO THEM, SOMETHING SEEMS excessive !!!

RYD (pops)

ps: PLEASE FOLLOW THROUGH ON THIS AND LET ME (us) KNOW>>>

RYD why did they sand ? your pads and rotors
Also I beleve only adjustment would be the eBrake ?

[marin8703]

I had mine realigned under warranty right at 500 miles. I wanted to do it earlier but they said the truck has to have at least 500 miles on it.

I started a post on my issue a couple of weeks ago. The truck was drifting and i tought it was the allignment and the dealer agreed. Unfortunately it didnt help. Then after 500 more miles they realigned it again (warranty), no change. So the drifting was not the allignments fault. Solved the problem with some t-bar adjustment.

but in your case, they will not realign under warranty at 15000 miles. On my other truck, i hadnt realigned until i changed tires at 45000 miles, and it didnt even have any alignment problems at that point.

[Demo]

I had over 100,000 miles on my Land Rover Discovery, I beat the ever living crap out of it. It NEVER EVER needed an alinement. No junk. Therefore I believe it does have something to do with how a vehicle is built. My 2006 Subaru Outback Turbo was always pulling hard to the right and the dealer could never fix it. They declared it "normal" . I sold that car in less than six months and will never buy one again. Fortunately I have had no problems with my H3 and I love it! P.S. My Jeep was always out of alinement, but I still almost cried when I sold it. Just my two cents.

[Idaho-Hummer]

Originally Posted by DemoDaddy79

My Jeep was always out of alinement, but I still almost cried when I sold it.

Yeah..........its a HEEP.

[RubHer Yellow Ducky]

Originally Posted by fourfourto

RYD why did they sand ? your pads and rotors
Also I beleve only adjustment would be the eBrake ?

I complained about a grinding sound ( thought it was coming from the back, not the front) picked it up and drove to my Moms to get her gray H-3 for the HOPPING problem (another post) so I hopefully will GET MY Yellow Duck back from HER later today (wednesday).

Only got to put 30 miles on it from the dealer to her house...

RYD

[H3PAC]

Rotation and spin balance - 4 wheels - $30. Paid $129.95 for lifetime alignment. I can have it aligned every 6K miles if I want to, free of charge. Of course if any parts require replacement, this is not free. Sound like they made you squeal like a pig. I would insist on a partial refund for the roation and balance. You were completely ripped off.