[Stocktastic]

First off, the Dealer will remain nameless at this point - I'm going to be speaking with them about a refund of the service price in the morning.

SO....

I have a 2017 SS 1LE. I wanted a track alignment. The dealer seemed to have ZERO clue about what that was. Got a call from them saying they found the info and order the required "kit".

Kit came in and they performed the track alignment. I had my dad take the car to them as I was at work. 7 hours later... the alignment was finished (he waited the entire 7 hours in the dealership). Until I got a call from the dealer saying they had mistakenly done a standard alignment and would need the car back to perform the track alignment. Ok cool, mistakes happen, whatever.

Dropped the car off this morning for the second attempt. They also replaced my steering wheel due to a peeling issue on the Fifty badge. Got a call around 4:30 that the car was ready and I could drop off the loaner. I got there and picked up the car, everything looked good.

On the drive home I took an onramp and it felt pretty good. As I turned onto the main road leading to my house, I felt a slight pull to the left. The pull got worse.

Got home and hopped out to find the top of the left front tire sitting proud of the fender by about an inch. Uhhhh...

Then, to my horror, this is what I found...



So I jacked it up and removed the wheel...

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2a6KCdv]

I don't even have words. The adjustment bolt is Loctited in, the cam bolt is still there, everything was hand tight. They did, however, give me the stock upper bolts back...

[booyaa56]

Sorry to see this dude, I had the same happen to me before a National SCCA event, totally ruined my chances for winning anything that weekend. I was able to move the tire as you did and was sooooo pissed. I had positive camber and couldn’t make any turns like I wanted at all..... if you don’t know how to align a car, keep your hands off lol

[Ryephile]

Classic.

Bummer you and your dad had to waste two days on their incompetence. When the dealership gives you a hard time on refunding you, please post their name so we can avoid them.

I hate to say it, but the first warning sign was the dealer didn't know what you were talking about when you said "track alignment". If they don't know their own product, there's little chance they're competent. Live and learn for sure. Best of luck getting refunded and finding another dealership that isn't stupid.

[BigShow1960]

hold my beer...

My dealership didn't torque down the right front camber bolts. I took it back a week later because I herd a noise in the right front, they said it was normal for a track alignment. I went to the track with the car in this condition. In two days on the track I totally wore out the right front tire, it started to delam. I took it to Firestone to have new front tires mounted, the Fire stone tech showed me the loose camber bolts.

[Try2paz]

Chevy dealers / Ford / GMC / Dodge dealers are the worst in terms of service and support.

I took the Zl1 to Chevy to have my final oil change and when I request 15w50 they said they have never heard of such an oil and that he is a Toyota guy... Then why are you working at a Chevy dealership.

The stories are endless!

Go to Lexus or Mercedes, Audi, BMW and it's a entirely different experience.

[zr1chris]

It's really a shame how bad allot of dealers service departments are. It makes me nervous every time I bring my car there even for a simple oil change. You would think Chevy would want Chevy experts in their service departments so things don't get screwed up like this and make them look bad. I just don't understand it.

[Roostie]

Originally Posted by Try2paz

Chevy dealers / Ford / GMC / Dodge dealers are the worst in terms of service and support.

I took the Zl1 to Chevy to have my final oil change and when I request 15w50 they said they have never heard of such an oil and that he is a Toyota guy... Then why are you working at a Chevy dealership.

The stories are endless!

Go to Lexus or Mercedes, Audi, BMW and it's a entirely different experience.

Puh-leeze! Any dealership, of any brand, can do incompetent work or be a "stealership." My worst experience with a dealer, was a Lexus dealer. I bought a used Lexus from a PP and took it to a dealership for the first oil change I needed. The service writer reported that my car needed new brake pads and rotors for about $1200. I declined and picked up the car. I ordered the brake parts from rockauto.com. When the parts arrived and I started to work on the car, I discovered that the rotors and pads on the car were nearly new!
On the other hand, I went to a local Chevy dealership (Bob Stahl Chevy in La Mesa) for a track alignment last week. Work commenced on my car right away, and the technician came out to talk to me twice about the alignment values he got and the clearance between the front struts and my aftermarket 18" wheels. Fantastic service, with attention to detail and my specific requests and concerns. I have been to the local BMW and Mercedes dealers and did not get that level of service (except one time a Mercedes technician came up with a cheaper solution that was a big relief).
Your experiences will vary from one dealer to another, and from one service writer or auto technician to another. As with anything else, the consumer had better beware and be his/her own advocate. When it comes to auto repair, I think your chance of getting bad service or defrauded is pretty high compared to a lot of other industries.

[FlashBang23]

Sorry to hear about this, hope they resolve the situation in an acceptable manner. While calling around for track alignments myself I was amazed by the lack of knowledge at the dealers locally. Half said they "couldn't do that" even tho I pointed out in comes in the track manual and almost everyone else said they could do it but don't do them often and would need the car for at least a day. Luckily I found a local dealer with a performance manager that tracks his personal ZL1 1LE and they got me all sorted out.

[Pollock]

I am lucky to have a good tech at my dealer.

[M.A.K.]

So track alignment is not just a set up change but requires specific hardware?

[zx9rmal]

How about this.......went to my dealer for the track alignment. The SHOP MANAGER ( who says he's raced cars) tells me they can't do it because....wait for it..................THE CAR WOULD BE UNDRIVEABLE ON THE STREET!

[Roostie]

Originally Posted by M.A.K.

So track alignment is not just a set up change but requires specific hardware?

No, I think that statement to the OP was false. The track settings involve the same basic procedures as a standard 4-wheel alignment, except for the ZL1 1LE which requires extra work to flip a part in the struts. I doubt even that requires specific tools to perform.

[Stocktastic]

Yeah, the track alignment only sorta requires the small bolt that’s in the knuckle. Its used to push the top of the knuckle away from the strut, but as you can see in the video, you can do that by hand if the lower strut bolts are loose. It’s supposed to be removed when finished aligning but this tech decided to loctite it in.

Refund issued btw. Service manager owned up and gladly refunded me.

[Ryephile]

Originally Posted by Stocktastic

Yeah, the track alignment only sorta requires the small bolt that’s in the knuckle. Its used to push the top of the knuckle away from the strut, but as you can see in the video, you can do that by hand if the lower strut bolts are loose. It’s supposed to be removed when finished aligning but this tech decided to loctite it in.

Refund issued btw. Service manager owned up and gladly refunded me.

No, it doesn't require the small knuckle bolt whatsoever. The easiest way to set the camber is to have the strut bolts just barely snug, that way the camber holds while you torque it down.

Glad to hear you got a refund!