Last Saturday I took my car to get aligned at a chain auto shop. I got a lifetime alignment package so that I could get it aligned as much as I want for as long as I own the car. I checked it in and went across the street to the coffee shop. About 2 or 3 hours later I came back to see how much longer it was going to be and they told me they had to take the car and have the tie-rods heated because they were stuck. Not knowing exactly how an alignment is perform or what may or may not be out of the ordinary I sat down and wait for them to finish. Once I got the car back I immediately noticed that the steering was way different that before. I don't know how to explain it but it was difficult to drive for a few minutes till I got used to it. The car still pulled to the right but not as bad as before. Today I figured I'd take the car to have it aligned again since it wouldn't cost me anything and hopefully they stop the car from pulling to the right. Because I live about 3 hours away from where I had it aligned originally (which was near where my family is from) I drove to a different shop that was part of the same chain of shops. Being a bit concerned about the tie-rods having been heated I asked them to take a look and see if they had been damaged by someone heating them (I didn't tell them that someone from one of their stores had done it). After about 2 hours of waiting they told me that the tie-rods were in fact damaged and that the chain of shops didn't even have the equipment to align Minis and BMWs.

So, since this chain damaged my car and can't even align it even though I paid for a lifetime alignment, should they have to pay to have the car fixed. I called the manager of the shop that did the damage and told him that I was going to get a quote from Mini for the damage. He told me to get it and call him back and we would go from there. Has anyone had any problems getting their cars aligned at chain shops? I'll mention the name if it's ok to do that. I didn't know if a post could get deleted for possibly slandering a business. Also, is there anyone out there who has done alignments and knows if heating the tie-rods is common and if it can damage them or any components around them. I am a mechanical engineer and I know that if you heat steel and allow it to re-crystalize without treating it then you will change the characteristics and can compromise the integrity of the material, but I don't know what steel is used, what temperature it was heated to, and so on.

 

1) It's not slander if it's true.

2) Make sure you explain to the dealer EXACTLY what you believe was done and ask them to look for anything that could possibly have been damaged in the process and include it in the quote.

3) Don't settle until the shop that screwed it up pays for all of the damage, and refunds your "lifetime alignment" money as well.

 

It's not slander if it's true.............

Probably what happened is they ruined the rubber joints or the inserts in the ball joints, that's why you need new tie rods (actually, you probably only need the tie rod ends)

I would most assuredly take the car to MINI and have them repair it properly, then take the bill to the first shop and get them to cover it, and refund your lifetime alignment money too - since they can't align BMWs or MINIs....

Lastly, try one thing, often times when a car is pulling one way, a good way to test if it's actually the front end or something else, is to simply swap the tires, left side to right. If the pull moves to the other side, the problem is in the tire - like a separated tread.

Edit: MLPearson beat me to it!

 

Well, for the sake of saving other Mini owner the trouble of going there, the shop was a Firestone Complete Auto Care Center.

I was planning on running at an Autocross even next weekend and driving about 1800 miles to Tampa and back the next weekend so hopefully I can get it fixed before then.

The tie-rod ends would explain why the car was driving funny and they'd probably pay for that more easily than a new set of tie-rods so hopefully that's all it is. Do you know if there's anything else (wires, etc) that are around there that they could have melted?

 

After about 2 hours of waiting they told me that the tie-rods were in fact damaged and that the chain of shops didn't even have the equipment to align Minis and BMWs.

I too purchased the "lifetime alignment" from a Firestone Complete Auto Center. If the person who told you the "chain of shops didn't even have the equipment to align Minis and BMWs", well I guess they'll have to refund my purchase of this service also. Please keep us informed. If you get something in writing from them please PM me and I'll give you my email address so that you can send it to me so that I can ask for the refund.

Thanks

 

The only special tool I can think of would be the ball joint separator and that would not even be used in an alignment. Any shop that can align any car should be able to do this job just fine. There is nothing super complicated about the Mini that can be handled.

 

Not sure how well this will work.

If you have any sort of mileage on the tires...the natural wear in the blocks of the tread pattern will make you think you installed JEEP tires on your car. It will drive and steer like crap anyways.

Also, if you have directional tires mounted a swap from left to right side is not possible....

 

Yes, tie rods are part of the alignment process. However, I have never heard of heating them as part of the process (unless that is required to get them apart for replacement). Because of the level of precision required to align a MINI, it is usually recommended you take it to a MINI dealer, BMW dealer, or a European specialist shop. A friend of mine used to work at Meineke and at a local dealership, and each time he actually turned down the alignment because he said their machine was not capable of performing the fine-tuning my MINI would need.

Now, having said that, I bought new tires for my old '02 MCS a couple of years ago at the Pep Boys up the street. In order to get the Buy 3 get one Free, you have to do a full alignment. I went ahead and said yes knowing it was possible they would not do it right and I would have to go to the European shop up the street (it's closer than the dealership). Well, let me say, I've been quite impressed at the results. I purchased my 3rd set of tires there back at the end of February, and they have done a great job each time.

I usually rotate my own tires, but I've been really busy lately. This is included in their package, so I went up to Pep Boys last week. Again, I was impressed. The tech used a torque wrench to tighten the lug bolts.

If it is a reputable chain, they should stand by their work. It does suck they don't have the right machine at all the shops. I cannot find the post, but there is a thread in the forum somewhere that mentions a spec standard the alignment machine must meet to be capable of aligning a MINI.

 

If the tie rods were rusty then yes one might use some heat to break them loose. BY using too much heat they surely damaged the rubber parts of the tie rod & possibly even the seals in the steering rack although that is unlikely.

Take your MINI to the dealer & have it fixed. The shop that screwed your MINI has insurance & will use it to cover your repair.

I hope you & others have learned not to take your MINIs to shops who do not know our cars.

Good luck on a speedy solution.

 

Side bar

Finding a really really good alignment shop is right up there with finding a good dentist. A great alignment shop is almost always a careful shop when it comes to mounting and balancing too.

I had a GREAT guy in the Norfolk VA area - Mike at Sports and Imports of Norfolk. Beemers were his mainstream but he did plenty of other stuff and MINI was well within their skills. Heck, I even let him work on my 79.

If you have a GREAT tire place - let us know:

 

I called the "local" Mini dealership and setup an appointment for tomorrow morning. I then took it to a shop that the-guy-who-will-be-my-mechanic recommended. They said that it looked like it was aligned properly and that there wasn't any significant damage to the tie rods, just a little rust that came from the heating (not sure how that works). They said the pulling to the right could be caused by improper tire pressures so they adjusted the pressure in all the tires. Best of all, they did all of this for free! Props to Ashley's Wheel and Brake in Lexington, KY. I was going to cancel my appointment at the Mini dealership but I think that I am going to go ahead and take it down there just to be on the safe side. I've sent Firestone a message to verify wether or not they can align a Mini. I'll let you know what I find out. If they can't then I've definitely found my new alignment/tire/wheel shop at Ashley's Wheel and Tire, which is apparently a Napa owned shop.

 

Any shop can align the Mini. There is nothing special required to do it correctly despite what the SW wants to sell you. I too have a lifetime alignment w/ Firestone, but i have gotten to know one tech in particular who takes good care of me. I went to the same chain 50miles away, and the SW/lead mechanic tried telling me they could not align my car b/c it required special tools. I walked out shaking my head, right after informing them they were both morons and i would not recommend a single person to them.

Point is; regardless of the shop or chain, it allllll comes down to the people actually turning the wrenches.

To do a "proper" alignment in a mini, there needs to be weight added to the drivers seat to mimic the weight of the driver....or if you are fortunate enough, you can sit in the car yourself. This is what i have always done with mine, and always have had great results.

As far as the tie-rods, i would suggest getting the whole assembly, as getting just the tie-rod end does not replace you problem area: the threaded/adjustment portion. Using heat on corroded parts is common and not something i would be terribly concerned about in general, BUT it is easy for someone to make a mistake. IMO If the tie-rods need replacing, i dont think it is b/c of the heat; the heat was used as a work-around of an already existing problem.


What i truly dont understand; how off were your tire pressures ? Checking pressure and tire life are steps #2and#3, right after getting the car on the lift.

 

The main issue that I have seen with alignments is that some shops do not have the proper adapters to fit the MINIs many different types of wheels.

Placing weights in the seats to mimic the majority of interior seating is a GREAT way to get an alignment!!

As usual ....GREAT results are dependent on the quality of the mechanic doing the service!! Find someone with a good reputation within the MINI community.

THIS is exactly why local Clubs/Groups are so important to getting the most out of your MINI.

Bob