I just had new tires put on my Clubman and need to get the alignment checked. MINI wants $80 more to do it than the local tire place, but the SA said that MINI only releases the specs to MINI service and they do a 12 point check where the local tire place would only be able to do the 2 points, one being the toe in.


Is this true or just a line they spew to justify the jacked up price?

 

There are only 2 adjustable angles on your car, camber and toe, and both of which are adjustable front/rear. So yes, what you were told is a sales pitch.

Anyone with a quality alignment machine will have the MINI specs in the system. Not to mention all of the dealer alignments I've seen come into our shop have been done improperly. There is a lock pin in the strut mount to keep everything on point during assembly that needs to be removed to properly adjust front camber, and 100% of the cars I see still have the pin in.

Feel free to take a nice roadtrip up to Michigan and see us and we'll make sure you're "12 points" are taken care of to the utmost of quality. Lol

Nick
Detroit Tuned

 

Lol...
Only mini...
Some shops can't or won't have the weights to simulate the drivers weight, and will refuse...but MOST places can...no issue.
The dealer is using scare tactics....maybe write a letter to miniusa....and post the dealers and the SA name...make a example of the dishonesty...
I would no longer trust them....if they said something like we have done more mini's, we do it better, etc...then it is simply trying to sell you something...but to say "nobody can do it but us" is blatantly wrong, false and a scare tactic...
Did he say you will void you warrenty, your engine will fail, and your dog will get sick if you go else where? Lol...think he wants bigger average bills to get a bigger monthly bonus....

 

would definitely take these guys to the cleaners on social media. What a bunch of BS. Research for a good alignment shop in your area and go to them.....

 

Nothing special about an R56... any modern (611 or better) Hunter machine can do it with ease..

 

Pfft! I had a friend that works at a local Dodge dealership do my last one. He even had the weights. He was surprised to see that his Hunter machine had all of the variations listed for MINIs.

Alternatively, Sears wouldn't do it because they didn't have the weights but would had they had them.

Go somewhere else.

 

What is the deal with the "weights"

 

The weights are not to simulate driver weight. They are to get the car to a specific height for the alignment specs to be correct. BMW is notorious for this.

 

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho....php?p=5919964

 

I love the argument "it's the passenger weight". No, no it's the "car generates downforce at speed".

Know what? It's both! You must check ride height before setting any alignment. Always follow what the manufacturer says with a stock setup.

The weights can be anything from lead bags to old gym weights.. I've seen shops use both.

Teaching this for a living, I can tell you it makes a huuuuuuge difference. Without the weights almost all the camber/caster angles will show up out of spec. Same with fuel load.

 

I'm not saying all this isn't correct but in reality it applies to every car you have ever had. Not just BMW/MINI. If you want a correct alignment for when the car is driving down the road you either need to be sitting in the car or have weights in it. Granted fuel level even comes into play!!! Most people/places don't fool with it for just a DD type car. Sure if your doing a track type set up you want to do it but most people never did it with their others cars so you will survive now if you don't do it to the MINI.. The difference from not doing the weights to doing the weights will depend on how much you weigh. If you only weigh 100 lbs. there really won't be much of a difference but if you weigh 350 lbs. well......................

 

One time.. After several pull complaints and warranty alignments.. We had to have the customer sit in the car.. Let's just say he was of "large carriage". He also broke two seat backs... While he owned the car... We estimated his weight to be 500+ lbs.

 

I was going to ask should I fill the tank up before alignment, and should I tell them how much we weigh? But it sounds like get aligned with it setup how it will be driven normally (which is with the wife at the wheel and the tank almost empty lol)

 

I wonder how it is set up from the factory??? The tank is never full while it's being built and do they put weight in the drivers seat at the factory. I bet not...but if they do how much do they think is average weight of person?? and that is assuming only the driver, yada yada yada...

 

The criteria is 150 lbs per front seat and I think it is 30 lbs in the boot AND a full tank of fuel.

Now at the factory, I suppose they may add more weight to compensate for the lower fuel level.

 

Shenanigans.

Get the car aligned wherever you want, just pick a place you trust.

 

Down force? With a MINI? Lol

Ok, let's be clear. In front, unless you have camber/caster plates, only the toe is adjustable.
In the rear, camber and toe, are adjustable.

My local Mr. Tire shop, let's me sit in the car while its being aligned.

There is nothing magic or mysterious about aligning a Mini.

 

I took my MINI to the small local chain that was recommended by my neighbor. I had heard good things about them from different sources and they really went way above the call on my neighbors car. They offered a lifetime alignment package that was cheaper than one job at the MINI dealer. The sales guy was gushing over their $70K alignment machine (which I think was labeled "hawkeye"), so I thought is was worth giving them a try.

The tech that did the alignment was oohing and ahhing over my MINI, which is always endearing He took me underneath the car on the lift and gave me a quick visual inspection of the undercarriage. The $70K machine did spit out a nice graphic of the before and after specs, which is very helpful in understanding what is going on. He wasn't able to get the right rear into spec for toe (.33 on range of .13 to .27) because they didn't have a special took needed for the back wheels on the MINI.

Anyone familiar with this special tool required? Are they cheap enough to justify buying one so they can get all wheels in spec?

As to the dealer, that is the last time that I will have any dealings with them. The car is now out of warranty, so there is no reason to go back. In a little over a year that I've had the car, this is the 4th SA that I've had to deal with there. Obviously, there are issues there and I'll leave them to figure them out. This episode definitely trashed any trust I had in them.

I greatly appreciate all the information posted here. This is an excellent place to broaden my knowledge

 

What special tool? It's a socket. (I think it's a metric 12 point 18mm IIRC) You loosen the nut, while holding the bolt head, and then turn the eccentric. (for CAMBER) For toe, you loosen 3 bolts that hold the rear trailing arm (and bushing), then more the control arm to set toe, tighten 3 bolts...


It seriously isn't that hard...

 

You can also set the rear toe without the special eccentric socket, it's just a little more
trial and error to get it right. The tool just makes it a lot easier and quicker.
Too bad the 70K machine doesn't include a tiny spark of common sense and ingenuity
and real-world experience on the part of its operator.

As for the BMW special tool # 32 4 200,
here it is for under $100
http://www.denlorstools.com/home/dt1...nt_tool_3.html