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      04-06-2012, 01:37 PM   #1
HaiDef
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Denied alignment?

I inquired places about doing a 4 wheel alignment and I was told by the shops not even to waste my time with them and that only the dealer could do it. Is this true?? $230 at the dealer is a little harsh.
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      04-06-2012, 01:40 PM   #2
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curious why they sent you away. I always have indy shops align my car...
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      04-06-2012, 01:47 PM   #3
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For whatever reason they don't want to do it and who knows why? Even Sears will do a four wheel alignment on a Hunter machine for $80 (not a bad way to go IF you get a good tech and you know what you want). Your indies can run (locally) around $125 to $180 depending on the shop, equipment, and experience level. Look around, talk to some of the local club and autoX people for a good referral.
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Last edited by Incompatible; 04-06-2012 at 01:54 PM..
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      04-06-2012, 01:51 PM   #4
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BMW's are somewhat known for being difficult to align properly and they probably just don't want to take the time. A correct alignment from a good independent (i.e. race shop) should be in the $100 range. Obviously a corner balance would be more.

The last agressive alignment I had done on my car (by an alignment only shop) was $80 bucks.
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      04-06-2012, 01:55 PM   #5
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Four-wheel alignment is indeed do-able, necessary for a sportscar, and pretty straightforward.

Also: "Only the dealer can do it" is just plain wrong. Any shop with a decent machine can do a four-wheel alignment. Call around or post on your regional forum on this board for recommendations. Or, just call a decent indy tire shop and ask them who they use....easy.

In fact, a dealer will only align to factory specs, which are extremely conservative (read: abiding understeer.) There are many good threads on this board for better alignment setups on Z4s.
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      04-06-2012, 02:11 PM   #6
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I would not do mine at BMW unless it was under warr. I had one done few weeks ago front and rear cost me $200.
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      04-06-2012, 05:05 PM   #7
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My indy shop charges 150 for alignment, 200 for corner balance
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      04-06-2012, 05:51 PM   #8
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It's not that they physically can't do the alignment, it's most likely they don't have the extra machine/computer to reset/rezero the steering angle sensor.
Even with a Hunter series alignment machine, when you input the cars parameters into the Hunter system, a warning will come up stating that you must reset the steering angle sensor.
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      04-06-2012, 06:45 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shipkiller View Post
It's not that they physically can't do the alignment, it's most likely they don't have the extra machine/computer to reset/rezero the steering angle sensor.
Even with a Hunter series alignment machine, when you input the cars parameters into the Hunter system, a warning will come up stating that you must reset the steering angle sensor.
First I've heard of this.
I've been in the shop many times while they were doing the alignment and have never seen that come up

Is it in the T1S?
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      04-06-2012, 06:52 PM   #10
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reset steering angle sensor??
what does this do exactly? a guess: ensure on-center steering once the alignment is done
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      04-06-2012, 06:59 PM   #11
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Apparently the sensor is for dsc, there is a thread on it on m3f here: http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showt...55#post3584555

The sensor is just that, a sensor. It should have no impact on steering wheel angle vs wheel angle. It is there so dsc knows how far ahead of you the rear tires are...

What it actually does is correlate yaw rate with the steering wheel angle. If the yaw rate is too high given a steering angle, it reports that you are in a spin.
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      04-06-2012, 07:10 PM   #12
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Take it to a compitant indy shop. That's craziness.
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      04-06-2012, 09:02 PM   #13
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cliffhopper is correct.

Several years ago, I had an alignment done on the Roadster. They (the shop) forgot this step and the car was really weird. The DSC would kick in at the wrong times.

Yes, this is in the TIS.

It is not crazyness. The shop does not have the very expensive computer (BMW's INPA, an Autologic, etc.) to do the reset. Don't blame the shop because they don't want to work on this type of system. Just say thanks and go somewhere else. At least they were smart enough not to perform the alignment and then screw it up....
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      04-06-2012, 09:31 PM   #14
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      04-06-2012, 09:35 PM   #15
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Good info on this, thanks!
Doing a quick search here I'm surprised that there hasn't been more discussion on it.

Did a little digging elsewhere, I see that it's an optical disc sensor.
I found one discussion where BMW wanted to replace it ($1,300) because of problems the guy was having.
He removed the airbag and cleaned the dust off the sensor and optical disc..... Cured the problem.
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      04-07-2012, 01:24 AM   #16
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My local dealer does mine for $125, and to whatever settings I want. Try another dealership?
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      04-07-2012, 06:42 AM   #17
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I have talked specifically about this topic on several occasions. Several on this board have told me I am, to quote: Full of s***

In RealOEM it is number five (5).
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...84&hg=32&fg=30
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      04-07-2012, 07:49 AM   #18
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Just called my local tire place I trust a lot. They charge $125 for a 4 corner, I specifically asked for a BMW.
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      04-07-2012, 08:55 AM   #19
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Call Hans at Texas German Autohaus. (713) 850-8282 I had mine aligned for $160, IIRC. They work only on BMW, Porsche and MB. Good guys.
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      04-07-2012, 10:09 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gtMc View Post
Just called my local tire place I trust a lot. They charge $125 for a 4 corner, I specifically asked for a BMW.
Was just informed by a friend here on the forum here that the place I refer to above - sucks. Soooo, $150 for the performance place he goes to is where its at. cost is in-line with the German Autohaus place mentioned in Houston area above.
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      04-07-2012, 12:46 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shipkiller
I have talked specifically about this topic on several occasions. Several on this board have told me I am, to quote: Full of s***

In RealOEM it is number five (5).
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...g=32&fg=30
Like Intgr8r said, this is really good discussion. The facts you provide are solidly researched, and I've learned a lot from your posts and threads, including this thread. I'm sure a lot of others have as well; you're a great asset to the community here. (BTW I can attest my coding tool allows a reset of this sensor.)
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      04-08-2012, 08:37 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shipkiller View Post
I have talked specifically about this topic on several occasions. Several on this board have told me I am, to quote: Full s***
I will refer to your sig, common sense is not so common.
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