Tracking

[Simon325i]

Rang my local kwik fit re the above only to be told this has to be done by BMW main dealer, something about weights in passenger footwell!??

Does anyone know if this is right or are they havin' me on?

Thanks.

[maxfield]

He probably didn't want the work...

[12345kevin]

Had mine done at the local tyre fitters, 2 wheel laser alignment, £15. Nothing special about the E30, any garage / tyre fitters with tracking equipment should be able to do it.

[eko]

Only weights ive heard about are fitted in the rear of cabs?
I strongly reccomend getting it laser aligned though rather thajn the old gauge type.
Had mine done last week and the way the car drove was transformed!

[Simon325i]

Cheers guys, guess they were either too busy or too bloody lazy!

[Brianmoooore]

Any car should be weighted to simulate a driver in the seat when suspension angles are measured, but, in the real world, it makes very little difference.
Personally, I wouldn't let any semi trained Kwikfit simian any where near any of my cars!

[SK360]

I don't know why, but a guy i know who works for kwik fit said the same thing about BMW having to do it, i'll have to ask him abit more about it to get the specifics and the facts.

S.K.

[siddiqi1]

When i got my tyres aligned, they put weights in the back of the car behind the drivers and passengers seats.

Why i dont know, but cost £35 so god knows, but it was al the fancy laser alignement shinanigans

Saboor

[bigmattpowell]

My kwik fit told me (after leaving it with them for 45 mins) that the track rod ends were too rusted on and it couldn't be done but that they could replace them for me if i liked. I said no thankyou very much and went to a specialist allignment place who did it in 15 minutes.
All together now; "You can't get sh.itter....."

[chu346]

"You can't get sh.itter....."

....than a kwik fit fitter!!!

[fozzymandeus]

I've read that any BMW with the z-axle rear end can't be properly aligned by a bog standard type place and that BMW can do a much better job... but I think kwik fir were fobbing you off, esp with the simple setup of an E30.

Just as well, really. I'd get someone like that to check alignment (principally because they do it free) but not actually change anything!!

[gazza]

"YOU CANT GET SHAFTED QUICKER THAN A QUICK FIT FITTER"...THERE THE ONES TO WATCH....

[Martinaston]

I think its supposed to be 75kg on each of the front two seats and 75 on the back seat and another load in the boot.
If they've read the book they normaly refuse to do it because they don't have the weights, although the other useless meatbags standing around are good for nothing else they could come in handy by just sitting in the car while its done.
And then its up to you if you want to let gimpy out the boot once its done

[votivequagmire]

Also heard of the weights method.
Sometimes used when setting control arm bushes too.

Have a proper BMW manual (not haynes0 and it quotes it as the normal ride position

[stickupkid11]

sounds like kwick fit alright. just take it to another tyre shop, it can be done and kwick fit will only rip you off!

[Templ8e30]

The only reason they won't do it is because their reference book doesn't list the correct settings and they're too thick to work it out. Kwik shit shitters aren't real mechanics anyway.

There's a garage near me (proper qualified to the hilt mechanics with 30+ years experience) with a 4 wheel alignment bay can do it very easily.

The KDS 4 wheel alignment system at the dealers requires weights on the seats to get it deadly accurate.

Cheers,

Iain T

[fuzzy]

ive never heard of the weights thing before but surely if it was nessesary then it would be for all cars and they would be suitably equipped to do the job. 4 wheel allignment wouldnt be nessesary for the e30 would it as the rears arent adjustable? i had mine done by the all singing all dancing latest computer allignment equipment at the cost of a whopping £50 but it turned out mine was massively out due to a bent track arm and the difference was noticable from go so it was worth it in the end.

[Simon325i]

Only wanted kwik fit to do it cos they are just across the road from work.

Never come across it before on any other car though.

Cheers for the input.

[Brianmoooore]

ive never heard of the weights thing before but surely if it was nessesary then it would be for all cars and they would be suitably equipped to do the job. 4 wheel allignment wouldnt be nessesary for the e30 would it as the rears arent adjustable?.

In theory all cars should be weighted before alignment to ensure the suspension is all at normal ride height. An empty car never goes on the road!
Rear wheel alignment is indeed adjustable on E30s, in the same way that shimmed valve clearances are adjustable - by replacing parts, rather than by a screw adjustment.
That's what BMW make offset trailing arm bushes for.

[dann-p]

Does anybody know what the correct alignment settings are for an '88 320i? Took mine to a local ATS, lad was spot on and spent time freeing up the seized track rod ends. He couldn't find the settings on his chart so worked something out. The steering is now transformed, I didn't know it could be so precise so I presume he's got something right but I wouldn't mind checking. He said something about +1 whatever that means!

[Brianmoooore]

2mm +/- 0.6mm toe in, is what works for me.

[StuBeeDoo]

I've heard that the front of the car should be weighted, but I never bother.
I've used a Gunson Trakrite for 25 years or more. It must have paid for itself 50 times over by now, judging by the prices I see quoted on the forums and elsewhere for getting it done at garages/tyre depots. I've never had any tyre wear problems after using the Trakrite.

[patrick85]

although the other useless meatbags standing around are good for nothing else they could come in handy by just sitting in the car while its done.
And then its up to you if you want to let gimpy out the boot once its done

LOL Mate of mine got charged 120 euro to align an Evo4 and they didn't even do it. I checked it afterwards and both tie rods were fooked and none of the nuts or bolts had been opened, a lot of cowboys out there.


I work in a multi franchise dealership, BMW being one of them, and no one ever really bothers using the weights unless it's a warranty job. We didn't even have weights up until 3 yrs ago because we had an older wheel alignment set up. And a lot of the time we bring the garage cars up to the nearby tyre centre.

[votivequagmire]

I've taken mine to my local tyre replacement centre and they used the laser alignment to the specification in the manual..... but it just doesn't feel right.

I've replaced the rear shock absorbers and top mounts but I have noticed a little too much bounce on the front struts.

I can't see any fluid leakage so I assume the springs may have weakened.

Btw It's a 320i on an F '88. I've yet to inspect the struts to evaluate whether it's economically viable to replace the shock absorbers or find a tidy pair from a local breakers yard from a G plate.

I do remember way back when I had the 318i, after a laser alignment was first installed in the garage, I had the tracking adjusted and it was a great inprovement. Sadly I've yet to experience that with my 320i.