West End Alignment...Hoax?

marrawi · 11-07-2018, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by littlejuanito

That's right, they never give you a print out. I went there about three times to get an alignment, corner balance and a few suspensions parts installed and the wheels were not removed either.

By the way, there's a well known performance alignment shop in Temple City called, JC Auto House. I went there after going to West End and I felt they did a better job. I definitively recommend it.

JC Auto House
9237 Lower Asuza Rd, UNIT O
Temple City, CA 91780
626-287-7781
Ask for Cyrus

https://www.yelp.com/biz/jc-auto-hou...t_by=date_desc

Thank you! This shop is 10 minutes away from work!

OptionZero · 11-07-2018, 04:42 PM

No alignment printout upon request seems pretty questionable actually

Hotrodz · 11-07-2018, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OptionZero

No alignment printout upon request seems pretty questionable actually

I always request...demand a print out...because racecar!

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Rusty · 11-07-2018, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OptionZero

No alignment printout upon request seems pretty questionable actually

No print out. Then they can tell you anything.

marrawi · 11-08-2018, 12:43 AM

Went to JC Auto (Thanks for the recommendation littlejuanito) and got numbers print out. First JC Auto guy (Cyris?) was extremely thorough in the process and his alignment computer is pretty sophisticated. The numbers are symmetrical! Little bit off from what West End gave me but it's pretty damn symmetrical. Conclusion WEST END IS GOOD. Check print out attached. Thank you all for the support.http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/5be3da7a...eck%202018.pdf

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nis350 · 11-08-2018, 01:21 AM

did you have it re-aligned at JC?

the measurements between pepboys' and JC's are different, but not by too much... the condition of your car (tire pressure, amount of gas etc) may have caused some variations.

I'm curious if you wanted that much negative camber on the front and the front toe setting is off quite a bit (-20/+4, L&R).

How does your car drive?

Quote:

Originally Posted by marrawi

Went to JC Auto (Thanks for the recommendation littlejuanito) and got numbers print out. First JC Auto guy (Cyris?) was extremely thorough in the process and his alignment computer is pretty sophisticated. The numbers are symmetrical! Little bit off from what West End gave me but it's pretty damn symmetrical. Conclusion WEST END IS GOOD. Check print out attached. Thank you all for the support.http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/5be3da7a...eck%202018.pdf

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marrawi · 11-08-2018, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nis350

did you have it re-aligned at JC?

the measurements between pepboys' and JC ]sare different, but not by too much... the condition of your car (tire pressure, amount of gas etc) may have caused some variations.

I'm curious if you wanted that much negative camber on the front and the front toe setting is off quite a bit (-20/+4, L&R).

why does your car drive?

No, he didn't do any alignment. He just got the numbers for me.

The reason why I have a lot of negative camber is because now I'm doing only autocross and I needed the car to be more nimble. As for toe, not sure why West End did it this way. But it handles fine.

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Eagle · 11-08-2018, 08:47 PM

I want to clarify the no printout situation with West End. I got my car aligned there after me and my friends installed a set of SPL FUCA's, rear control arms and a set of Mines Ohlins ESTA coilovers.

After Chris finished aligning and corner balancing my car, he showed me a slip with the alignment numbers written down. Advised me to take a photo so I have a record of my baseline when it comes time to get the car aligned again. I believe Chris does his alignments mostly manually and therefore does not have access to a machine that records the numbers to be printed out. He did not need to remove my wheels to do the alignment.

After several track days I felt like it might be time to get realigned, so I took it to Corner 3 Garage since they are super close to where i live. I showed them the photo of the alignment slip and before they realigned the car, everything was very close to the original numbers provided by Chris. Only thing that needed some tweaking was my rear toe, we are talking between 1/16 and 2/32 of an inch difference. If I find my Corner 3 alignment sheet, i'd be happy to upload that here as well.

Anyway, not sure what happened in your case but I'm confident his numbers were spot on when he aligned my car and I had a VERY reputable second opinion to back that up. Chris and Darren are known for being very OCD and work on track cars that demand precise specifications all the time, I'd be very surprised if the numbers were indeed that far off

Whatever the case may be I hope it gets resolved properly.

Rusty · 11-08-2018, 09:02 PM

I was taught alignments on a Hunter A111 machine in 1983. That machine had prints outs. If West Ends machine doesn't have print outs. It's either a low cost machine or a relic.

Eagle · 11-09-2018, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty

I was taught alignments on a Hunter A111 machine in 1983. That machine had prints outs. If West Ends machine doesn't have print outs. It's either a low cost machine or a relic.

It may not even be a machine, I have a distinct feeling it's all manual.

Rusty · 11-09-2018, 03:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eagle

It may not even be a machine, I have a distinct feeling it's all manual.

That's what I'm thinking too. He's using turn plates with caster, camber gauges.

Something like this.

Hotrodz · 11-09-2018, 08:08 AM

A lot of shops that setup track or racecars use the string method to set the alignment. Many feel they get a better adjustment that way over the alignment machine.

OptionZero · 11-09-2018, 11:58 AM

As a retail establishment, however . . . seems like a printout is better for both the customer and the shop. *** coverage

Spooler · 11-09-2018, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hotrodz

A lot of shops that setup track or racecars use the string method to set the alignment. Many feel they get a better adjustment that way over the alignment machine.

Yeap, no calibration error to account for.

k67p67 · 11-09-2018, 12:22 PM

I've gotten my Z aligned and corner-balanced a couple of times at West End. Darren and Chris and very meticulous and the shop has a solid reputation across several forums. It's not your average alignment shop. Although, I have seen an elderly couple bring in their Hyundai Elantra for an alignment.

They are often prepping cars before or after track events. I have not received a specs print out on either of my visits. I do believe their calculations are all manual except for the digital weight scales. They also do something with a white spray on the outer edges of the tires. Not sure what that is used for.

I trust that these guys are qualified professionals.

11-07-2018, 04:42 PM	#17 (permalink)
OptionZero A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Sacramento Posts: 3,160 Drives: 15 370Z Nismo 6MT Rep Power: 203226	No alignment printout upon request seems pretty questionable actually Rusty, littlejuanito, Memphis370Z and 1 others like this. __________________ OptionZero Build Thread

11-08-2018, 12:43 AM	#20 (permalink)
marrawi Base Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: California Posts: 74 Drives: 2015 370z A/T Rep Power: 9	Went to JC Auto (Thanks for the recommendation littlejuanito) and got numbers print out. First JC Auto guy (Cyris?) was extremely thorough in the process and his alignment computer is pretty sophisticated. The numbers are symmetrical! Little bit off from what West End gave me but it's pretty damn symmetrical. Conclusion WEST END IS GOOD. Check print out attached. Thank you all for the support.http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/5be3da7a...eck%202018.pdf Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk Hotrodz and littlejuanito like this.

11-08-2018, 09:02 PM	#24 (permalink)
Rusty Ronin Samurai - Assassin Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Fayettenam,Pennsyltucky Age: 68 Posts: 34,859 Drives: 2011 Nismo GM 6M Rep Power: 2684436	I was taught alignments on a Hunter A111 machine in 1983. That machine had prints outs. If West Ends machine doesn't have print outs. It's either a low cost machine or a relic. __________________ 浪人 - 殺し屋 "The Difficult Anytime, The Impossible By Appointment Only" http://www.the370z.com/members-370z-...o-journal.html

11-09-2018, 08:08 AM	#27 (permalink)
Hotrodz Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: NW, AZ Posts: 9,330 Drives: 10 Nissan 370z Nismo Rep Power: 2684384	A lot of shops that setup track or racecars use the string method to set the alignment. Many feel they get a better adjustment that way over the alignment machine. Eagle, Spooler and redondoaveb like this. __________________ *Fast Intentions TT Installed and Tuned by Seb at SpecialtyZ 610whp 560tq:\|Fast Intentions 3" TT-TDX*\|SpecialtyZ/Fast Intentions 72 Row Oil Cooler\|SZ 6 Puck Clutch & Flywheel\|3GsCustoms\|Z1\|Wavetrac\|Hotchkis\|Whiteline \|Blitz\|Fortune Auto 500\|Fujimura\|SPL\|H&R\|TK\|TWM\|RPM Rollbar\|Sparco\|Next Level Performance\|TrackSpec\|AeroFlow Dynamics\|Pioneer\|

11-09-2018, 11:58 AM	#28 (permalink)
OptionZero A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Sacramento Posts: 3,160 Drives: 15 370Z Nismo 6MT Rep Power: 203226	As a retail establishment, however . . . seems like a printout is better for both the customer and the shop. *** coverage __________________ OptionZero Build Thread

11-09-2018, 12:22 PM	#30 (permalink)
k67p67 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Rancho Cucamonga, CA Posts: 290 Drives: 2017 Nismo Tech 6MT Rep Power: 3936	I've gotten my Z aligned and corner-balanced a couple of times at West End. Darren and Chris and very meticulous and the shop has a solid reputation across several forums. It's not your average alignment shop. Although, I have seen an elderly couple bring in their Hyundai Elantra for an alignment. They are often prepping cars before or after track events. I have not received a specs print out on either of my visits. I do believe their calculations are all manual except for the digital weight scales. They also do something with a white spray on the outer edges of the tires. Not sure what that is used for. I trust that these guys are qualified professionals. Eagle, Hotrodz and Spooler like this. __________________ 2017 370Z Nismo Tech 6MT Work \| Motordyne \| Powertrix \| Swift \| Michelin \| Takeda \| Hotchkis \| RJM \| Voodoo13 \| SPL \| SPC \| Z1 Motorsports \| ZSpeed \| Morimoto \| Craft Square \| Hawk Performance \| Kanjo Spec.D \| Raceseng

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