B6 A4 "not able to be aligned"?

[mcanedo92588]

I got my car back in January where it had worn control arms and the tires were pretty bald. I had an alignment after I got my new tires, but the guy said the control arms were bad and they weren't able to correctly align my vehicle due to this. He then gave me an estimate stating it would be about $2000 to get new control arms installed but never really explained anything. I ended up ordering the parts myself online to save money (OEM parts based on MPN), and had them installed from a mechanic I found locally. Today I brought my car back in to be aligned after just installing new lowering springs and previously having the control arms replaced, and the guy says "we still can't align your car." Supposedly the original standard control arms for our Audi's are "not able to be aligned" unless you pay $2000 to upgrade to some weird adjustable control arms that are pretty much only offered by one company? He said they did the best they could, but couldn't do a complete alignment because they weren't the "right" ones. Is this some BS, or can our cars seriously not be aligned unless you spend thousands for special upgrade parts?

[blacka4]

Go to the another shop

[87supraman]

The only thing that cannot be adjusted is the front camber, but it can be evened out side to side by adjusting the front subframe. Unless you are lowered the lack of adjustability isn't a big deal. Or spend $500 on adjustable upper control arms. The front and rear toe need to be close to nominal zero for optimal tire wear.
Best advise is take it to the dealer or a shop that has an Audi guy that knows what needs to be done. Or follow old guys DIY thread.

[mcanedo92588]

So why then would the car not come with adjustable control arms off the lot if they are needed for a "full" alignment? Seems a bit strange I guess, but hopefully they were able to align it enough to make it worth paying for.

[blacka4]

i know when I put my suspension on i went right to the dealer, they had experience doing lowered Porsche/BMW track cars. They didn't have a problem aligning my car. i didn't go crazy low either

[mcanedo92588]

I was thinking about it, but I mean they over charge for EVERYTHING so I figured why not just go to a normal place that was supposedly good at what they do... How much does the dealership charge for an alignment?

[87supraman]

I've paid $125 and $150 at the dealer. Tried Firestone but they failed, three times.

[mcanedo92588]

The place I take it to only charges $69 and they are a pretty reputable business, I guess just not an expert with our German cars or something?

[cccp907]

Take it to a shop that knows what they are doing!
I work for Firestone in Washington, we do alignments. And we offer lifetime Alignments. Just need to find one that has some experience with Euros.

[mcanedo92588]

Take it to a shop that knows what they are doing!
I work for Firestone in Washington, we do alignments. And we offer lifetime Alignments. Just need to find one that has some experience with Euros.

Yeah, I didn't read about people with lifetime alignments until I had this issue with the place telling me they couldn't align my car properly unless I spend like $1200 to get their special parts... I wish I would have known that sooner, I have already had 3 alignments this first year since I have had the car!