[archerz]

Need a little advice, went for wheel alignment this morning and they said that they coulnd't do the NSR bacause it was seized. He mentioned that probably need to replace the bush and arms???
I'm not very mechanically minded but what does that mean and what do i need to fix it!

TIA

Pic of alignment

[bishbosh]

It should just need the eccentric bolts replacing. Sometimes they can be a bit of work to get out if they're seized.

[Chris335dF31]

Had this before when previous F31 was in for alignment at Kwikfit and it just needed a bit of heat on the adjuster to free it up. Fairly common I think.

[archerz]

Thanks guys. I'll take it to my mechanic first to get them loosend off then back to get alignment done again.

[BBri89]

Loads of penetrant spray, like Plusgas.

Blowtorch on the bolts to heat them up, then let them cool. That often does the trick. Or an induction coil tool. (I have never in 14 years had a bolt that couldn't be freed by heating it right up and letting it cool down. Get it properly hot, but don't burn anything else near it)


The rear bolts are notorious for seizing, but they should be able to be freed without anything needing to be replaced.

[Jeff123]

I had something similar when ATS did my tracking a few years ago. It was a front track rod end and the problem was, the guy put so much heat into the bolt that he melted the bush. I only discovered this a couple of weeks later when the car kept making a clunking note over small bumps at slow speeds. That cost me £200+ to get fixed. BMW's are quite notorious for tight bolts I am told.

[ushafiq]

I booked my car for an alignment and wheel balancing at my local BMW dealership - they quoted £99 for alignment and quoted £60 for 4 wheels balancing- later, got a call that the front track end bold is sized and would require loosening through heating etc. and that at a cost of additional £100!!. - I spoke to the service adviser and asked why there is an extra charge as surely the alignment is not possible without undoing these adjustment bolts (front or rear) and the alignment charges should have taken that into account on a 6 year old car! - thankfully, the service manager agreed and completed the work for £160 as initially quoted- after the work the car is very smooth and goes straight! - money well spent and a great gesture by the dealership!! - I later wrote back to the service manager and thanks him for a great customer experience.

[Armaan]

Originally Posted by ushafiq

I booked my car for an alignment and wheel balancing at my local BMW dealership - they quoted £99 for alignment and quoted £60 for 4 wheels balancing- later, got a call that the front track end bold is sized and would require loosening through heating etc. and that at a cost of additional £100!!. - I spoke to the service adviser and asked why there is an extra charge as surely the alignment is not possible without undoing these adjustment bolts (front or rear) and the alignment charges should have taken that into account on a 6 year old car! - thankfully, the service manager agreed and completed the work for £160 as initially quoted- after the work the car is very smooth and goes straight! - money well spent and a great gesture by the dealership!! - I later wrote back to the service manager and thanks him for a great customer experience.

I wonder why you'd need your wheels rebalanced? Surely that should have been done when a tyre change happens and shouldn't need doing again?

Either way, £60 to balance 4 tyres is extortion!

I'm sure a hunters alignment would be about £80-100, not sure what equipment BMW use on that front.

Armaan

[BBri89]

Originally Posted by Armaan

I wonder why you'd need your wheels rebalanced? Surely that should have been done when a tyre change happens and shouldn't need doing again?

Either way, £60 to balance 4 tyres is extortion!

I'm sure a hunters alignment would be about £80-100, not sure what equipment BMW use on that front.

Armaan

I guess if your tyres wear unevenly due to camber or tracking then maybe that causes an imbalance maybe.

But £15 per wheel I'd expect to pay for tyre change & rebalance & disposal... not for just a balance, which may not even require any weights, just 30 seconds on a machine.



Agree with the alignment cost though, if they say £100 and don't mention that significant difficulty with bolts will increase the cost, then they shouldn't try and charge more.

[Junebug85]

Originally Posted by Armaan

I wonder why you'd need your wheels rebalanced? Surely that should have been done when a tyre change happens and shouldn't need doing again?

Either way, £60 to balance 4 tyres is extortion!

I'm sure a hunters alignment would be about £80-100, not sure what equipment BMW use on that front.

Armaan

Just had my alignment done today after allowing the new springs to settle in after a few weeks. £49 all in on a Hunter System.