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Old 09-03-2020, 04:16 PM   #1
Need4Camaro

 
Drives: '17 Camaro 2SS & '99 Camaro Z28
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Mechanic trying to Upsell or might I have a real problem?

I just put my third set of tires on my 2017 2SS. My second set had some pretty bad uneven wear on the insides due to bad alignment issues. When I had my new tires installed, they performed an alignment check for me (photo at bottom) showing me it was off. I have a life time alignment at Don Hewlett Chevrolet so I told them I would have it aligned elsewhere. Well, I came to find my lifetime alignment could only be redeemed once a year or every 15k miles and since it hasn't been quite that long (I'm 1k miles off, FML) I would be responsible for paying for another alignment. I went to another shop rather than the stealership.

At the new shop, they do the alignment and tell me my front brakes are at 5% and rear brakes are at 15%. My brakes are certainly not brand new but I havent triggered any warning bars and I don't have issues stopping. They also tell me my driveside wheel bearing is bad. Now, I've had a bad wheel bearing in a different vehicle before and it sounded pretty down right awful, as in... unmistakable. I haven't really heard anything that sounded abnormal in my car other than rotating mass and tires while moving. I guess it does make a 'whooshwhoosh' sound while coasting, esp at low speeds but I've always chalked that up to tire noise. They wanted $800 for a wheel bearing...honestly I can install a wheel bearing assembly myself..and they only cost $80 on rockauto... however my extended warranty technically 'would' cover the install (I checked with them and they said it would be covered)... I can't tell if they're trying to upsell me or if they are being legitimate. I feel they are attempting to upsell however. Another problem is, I am feeling they didn't do a good job on my alignment after I compared it to my previous alignment...

Car is just shy of 65k miles.

I have a video of what the car sounds like while cruising around - sound like a bad bearing to you?
https://youtu.be/wD2cuwg-b9k

Alignment Before:


Alignment After:


Edit: screw the video - for whatever reason it didnt record audio.

Last edited by Need4Camaro; 09-03-2020 at 04:26 PM.
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Old 09-03-2020, 05:30 PM   #2
Mark114

 
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Brake wear depends on your driving habits and conditions. Obviously stop-and-go city driving will wear the brakes faster than highway driving. I would take the car to another reputable shop and ask them to check the bearings and brakes and give you their estimate for repair. My dealership will check alignment free so maybe that’s an option too.
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Old 09-03-2020, 06:19 PM   #3
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I've had mine aligned at Rush Automotive in Round Rock. Seems to be good and no up sell. YMMV.
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Old 09-03-2020, 08:32 PM   #4
Need4Camaro

 
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Originally Posted by GroundhogSS View Post
I've had mine aligned at Rush Automotive in Round Rock. Seems to be good and no up sell. YMMV.
Thanks for the reco. I will definitely reconfirm with them.
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Old 09-04-2020, 12:18 AM   #5
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Please be careful with aftermarket wheel hubs. Every one I've ever installed lasted between weeks and months. I may have had one last a year and a half tops. The 2 parts I only purchase OEM are fuel pumps and wheel hubs. You can still install an OEM unit yourself and save a bunch of money.
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Old 09-04-2020, 12:41 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frankie18SS View Post
Please be careful with aftermarket wheel hubs. Every one I've ever installed lasted between weeks and months. I may have had one last a year and a half tops. The 2 parts I only purchase OEM are fuel pumps and wheel hubs. You can still install an OEM unit yourself and save a bunch of money.

+1 on advise not to use aftermarket wheel hubs. I've tried numerous times with similar experience. One time the goddamn hub broke while tightening the lug nuts by hand. Now I only use genuine parts.
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Old 09-04-2020, 06:56 AM   #7
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Third set of tires on a three year old car? How many miles are on it? What kind of driving? Based on how quickly you're ripping up the sneakers, the brakes could be toast as well.

With regard to your "annual" alignment, was the prior alignment done this calendar year? If not, then that should trump the mileage argument.
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Old 09-04-2020, 07:57 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ember1205 View Post
Third set of tires on a three year old car? How many miles are on it? What kind of driving? Based on how quickly you're ripping up the sneakers, the brakes could be toast as well.

With regard to your "annual" alignment, was the prior alignment done this calendar year? If not, then that should trump the mileage argument.
Mileage is in the original post.
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Old 09-04-2020, 08:15 AM   #9
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First of all, am I reading correctly that Lamb's sent you home with the alignment shown in the first picture, including 0.43-deg total front toe, and more than all of that was on the left side with the steering wheel straight?! If so, then they are clueless or just don't give a damn. That box is red because that's out of spec.

Second, did the Midas place send you out with 0.2-deg of front toe? If so, then they aren't much better but at least it's in spec. But really, you need as close to zero as you can get.

Also, neither shop seems to give a damn about the fact that you have significant cross camber in the front (one side is way different than the other). That should be causing a bit of a pull, plus it's just plain shoddy work. That's fully adjustable, but they either don't care or don't know how.

Lastly, how can they tell you in one breath that they just aligned your car and in the next breath tell you that a wheel bearing is bad?! If a bearing is really shot, then the car can't be accurately aligned until it's replaced.

I'd say you are wasting your money going to trained-monkey shops that have no clue what they're doing, or that assume you don't.
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Old 09-04-2020, 08:18 AM   #10
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Do a search in your area and find another reputable shop that has good reviews to get a second opinion/estimate to do the work on your Camaro or go back to the stealership and get it done. Definitely don’t use the place you used this last time. They don’t seem to know how to do a correct alignment.
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Old 09-04-2020, 08:33 AM   #11
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I agree with the others regarding the alignment. That really sucks sorry.

As for the bearing, I've had a couple bearings go out in my life, and one made little "thunk" sounds when initiating a turn at low speeds, but the other did make a "whoosh whoosh" sound - kinda like if your brakes are a bit rusty after a car wash and lightly grinding before they are used.

Good luck, and I hope someone can take care of it!
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Old 09-04-2020, 08:41 AM   #12
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Driving habits, stop and go traffic, track use all contribute to wear and tear on a car. We all have different commutes, drive and brake differently, etc. Best thing is to find a good and reasonable shop that you can trust to do the work yourself. Basic work- brakes, etc. is not that hard to do if you have a little experience and the proper tools. Alignment is fussy and you need a really good shop with a really good alignment technician.
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Old 09-04-2020, 09:03 AM   #13
ember1205
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Msquared View Post
First of all, am I reading correctly that Lamb's sent you home with the alignment shown in the first picture, including 0.43-deg total front toe, and more than all of that was on the left side with the steering wheel straight?! If so, then they are clueless or just don't give a damn. That box is red because that's out of spec.

Second, did the Midas place send you out with 0.2-deg of front toe? If so, then they aren't much better but at least it's in spec. But really, you need as close to zero as you can get.

Also, neither shop seems to give a damn about the fact that you have significant cross camber in the front (one side is way different than the other). That should be causing a bit of a pull, plus it's just plain shoddy work. That's fully adjustable, but they either don't care or don't know how.

Lastly, how can they tell you in one breath that they just aligned your car and in the next breath tell you that a wheel bearing is bad?! If a bearing is really shot, then the car can't be accurately aligned until it's replaced.

I'd say you are wasting your money going to trained-monkey shops that have no clue what they're doing, or that assume you don't.
A long time ago, I had a generic auto place (a "muffler shop", if I recall) tell me I had a bad front wheel bearing when I asked them to check my brakes for squealing. I went out into the bay for him to "show me the problem" and I saw that the nut had been loosened (based on the paint mark from the factory). I told him to torque it back to spec and put it back on the ground.

What the tech hadn't any awareness of was that I literally had the wheels aligned the day before and it would have been impossible to do had there been an issue with the bearing.
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Old 09-04-2020, 11:58 AM   #14
ctrlz


 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Need4Camaro View Post
At the new shop, they do the alignment and tell me my front brakes are at 5% and rear brakes are at 15%

They also tell me my driveside wheel bearing is bad.
Maybe on the brakes. I never know where they get these % figures from. Do they have some kind of index of original pad thickness? personally I think they eyeball it and make it up. I always refuse the service and do the brakes myself. I can typically do pads AND rotors for less than what they charge for pads alone. if I am trading the car in a year or two, I just throw on pads and be done. Never has my estimate of brake wear matched what a mechanic told me. They always exaggerate.

The wheel bearing business sounds like BS to me. 65k miles on a car that has not been abused. You said "drive side," which I assume is driver's side. Front or rear? I would ask them to lift the car and show you the free play at the wheel. if there is no noise then they must be detecting wear by free play. I noticed their fancy printout shows no mention of the bearing. I call BS on this.

I think bearings are very reliable now. Maybe off-road vehicles go through bearings, but I have not replaced a wheel bearing on a road car since my 69 road runner. That car had drum brakes at all 4 wheels. Times have changed.

I should add that I think your risk of future wheel bearing trouble increases exponentially if you let these guys replace a bearing they can't prove is bad.
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