Alignment

[danmartinic]

My car does have a very slight nose down stance, has had it since new. I have had it for 40 years now...
Will do a ride height check and report back.

North American spec alignment calls for higher rear ride hieght; try the European spec

[soxnail]

Update, picked up the car and crawled under it, found out that the lock nuts on the caster eccentric were reused...One had backed out. Same for camber, one had loosened up. Looks like the 600 bucks alignment was a waste
Sox

[spacecad3t]

Update, picked up the car and crawled under it, found out that the lock nuts on the caster eccentric were reused...One had backed out. Same for camber, one had loosened up. Looks like the 600 bucks alignment was a waste
Sox

Hmm that's strange, Porsche used beveled washers, so my guess is that these were not installed in the correct orientation or torqued to spec. Likely the later, because they shouldn't have to completely remove the washer during an adjustment. 944online also sells a hardware kid that includes oval lock nuts as extra security... but in either case, torquing the hardware at ride height should prevent them from backing out. Always worth marking suspension hardware as well...

[soxnail]

Here are the nuts in question, they are lock nuts according to the PET.
Sox

[spacecad3t]

Here are the nuts in question, they are lock nuts according to the PET.
Sox

Yeah, I couldnt remember since I replaced mine when I overhauled the suspension. I dont believe they were nylon, I think they were also oval nuts. Either way, I suspect they were not torqued down fully...

[soxnail]

Yah they are "all metal" or stover nuts.
Sox

[spacecad3t]

Yah they are "all metal" or stover nuts.
Sox

Yeah! Thanks, I always forget what those are called. Are yours original? I know you can reuse those several times, so I doubt they lost their shape... did you contact the dealership about your situation? Im curious to hear the outcome here.

[soxnail]

No mine have been changed many times, I always replace them if I do any work on the suspension that requires them to be loosened. I assumed (yah I know what assuming gets you) that the dealership would follow the service manual.
I have written to the dealership service manager, no response so far.
Sox

[soxnail]

So moving on....
Did write to the general manager of the dealership, Porsche of San Antonio following the no reply from the service manager, same result no response.
Anyway since then I have not found anyone locally willing or able to do the alignment. As I would have to make a 800 mile round trip, a night at a hotel and 500 to 600 $ for the job itself, I am planing to just buy some type of diy alignment kit.
If any one has a recommendation and or experience with them I would really appreciate it.
TIA Sox

[dr bob]

Sometimes a visit, and a request for them to redo the work correctly, is a little tougher for them to ignore. Porsche is usually pretty good with warranty on dealer work. That should include alignment.

In my limited experience, the idea of replacing certain adjustment nuts with every removal seems odd. If I'm loosening one to make an adjustment, like on the caster or camber cam locknuts, I shouldn't need to put a new nut on before I tighten it again. Different for torque-to-yield bolts. But this style locknuts with the thread distorted in the cap are pretty obvious when they no longer hold the thread sufficiently. I can speculate that this is more a careless failed-to-torque-correctly issue rather than a problem with the part itself.

----

Your basic leverage is to initiate a chargeback on your $600 alignment cost with your CC company if Porsche fails to remedy the mistake.

In most states these days, there's some consumer protection available at the state level. I know the Cali system well, and the process starts with a call to the state department of consumer affairs and their bureau of automotive repair. Every repair shop who deals with anything cars is subject to their jurisdiction, and displays a sign with their toll-free number and the steps you take to initiate a claim. In almost every case, just mentioning that you will be starting that process immediately stops the BS and gets things serious. For the repair shop, the paperwork and documentation load needed to respond to a claim can be pretty burdensome, so there's a very basic incentive to cure. Their name gets added to the online incident history database, a ding that never sits pretty with their business ratings. You do have to offer the dealer the opportunity to fix their mistake first, so this process only starts when they refuse. Take a witness, have them record the interaction if possible, have all your paperwork and evidence lined up, and be professional about everything. Once the process starts with the BAR in Cali, it rolls relentlessly to conclusion unless you notify them of a happy ending/ settlement.

Possible downsides:
This would likely poison your relationship with that dealer if it runs its full course. If you rely on them for your car care, this is a serious consideration especially if there are no other local options. But more typically things start to straighten out quickly with just the mention of initiating a case.


Full disclosure: I'm not an attorney, don't play one here or on TV, etc. Your own due diligence will guide you. In Cali anyway, the BAR will guide you with what you need to have, via their website. Consult your own counsel if there are still open concerns.


More: I went through a crazy issue on alignments, and that drove me to make my own wheel fixtures to do all of this stuff myself. The warranty is worse than weak, but at least I get to make sure everything is perfect. Or take the blame when it isn't. The work itself can be therapeutic, a bit of a plus anyway. Way cheaper than the offsetting therapy for sure.