QuestionI have a montero sport 2004 AWD, I have had alignment done three time at Fireston (different locations, and still the steering wheelsShakes. i was told by the dealer that it would cost $200.00 for AWD and it would take four to five hours. Why does it take so long and cost so such? Is there another alignment shop that can align the Montero Sport right?
I live in Sugar Land near Houston, Texas. So far any repair or maintenance has been $200.00 and up.
Please advise. Thanks
AnswerCarolyn,
Under normal driving conditions, are car should not come out of alignment, or else the folks at Firestone do not know what they're doing. Poor alignment usually means your car will veer to the right or left, or that your tires are showing premature wear. A shaking steering wheel typically means that your front tires are not balanced. It's a good idea to have your tires balanced during your alignment. But for the sake of this question, I'll assume your problem is the alignment.
AWD vehicles are more expensive to do alignments on because all four wheels need to be aligned. I have never run into a scenario where it takes 4-5 hours, but I don't know too much about the newer Monteros.
The car may come out of alignment after years of regular use, and that's normal. But to come out of alignment 3-4 times with just a couple years either indicates a problem with your suspension or with the way Firestone attempted to align it. Problems such as broken tie-rods or ball joints are common causes for misalignment. And if Firestone set the alignment with a bad ball joint still on the car, your aligment will be lost after only a short drive. For my old AWD car, an alignment costs me between $80-$100. Yours may be more expensive do to labor charges and perhaps there are more components that need to be set in order to get the alignment correct.
I would recommend calling around to other mechanic shops, and ask if they can perform an alignment on your car. Ask for the price and time it will take. Also ask for them to thoroughly inspect your tie-rods and ball joints. They should know to do that anyway. If you cannot find a shop that is any cheaper than the dealership, just take it back to the dealership. If the alignment is failing due a faulty part, you may be able to get the part replaced and your wheels aligned for free per your existing warranty. But don't go back to Firestone. They obvious don't know what's going on with your car.
Good luck!
