Sagnac Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 Hello All I was recommended this forum via pistonheads where I'd asked for some advice on the following issue: I had the front tyres on my Legacy Spec B replaced last week after it was pointed out during the routine service that they were feathering badly on the inside edges (almost down to the braid on the drivers side and nearly as bad on the other!). My local Subaru dealer wanted a ridiculous amount of money for new tyres so I had them replaced elsewhere (with like for like Bridgestones). The tyre fitter pointed out that the suspension bushes seemed worn and advised to have them replaced at the next service. Since I'd just had it serviced, I decided to take it back to Subaru specially and, to their credit, they replaced the bushes (the rear set on the front axle) under warranty. What wasn't covered under warranty was an alignment and so I decided to have that done at the dealer (at my cost but on their recommendation). Some smallish corrections were made to the front toe and camber. Looking over the alignment report last night I noted two things. One was that the vehicle is identified as an Impreza WRX rather than a Legacy in the vehicle type (presumably the vehicle type brings up the appropriate settings in the system). The dealer tells me that the specifications are the same, but I'm not sure whether to believe him. Should I be concerned, or should I just get over it and worry about more important things (like why the worn tyres and bushes weren't spotted during the "extensive checks" which were done before the vehicle was delivered to me as part of the "Subaru Proven" program ~3K miles ago)? The second issue refers to the camber settings on the rear axle. The left hand camber measurement is miles away from the specified value (about a degree and a half) and actually outside of the (wide) tolerance. I'm told that a. it's not that far out of tolerance (it's actually about 40 minutes outside of the allowed range and, as noted above, a degree and a half away from the actual spec) and b. the rear camber can't be adjusted anyway. What sort of effects does the rear camber have? Is it true that it can't be adjusted on my Legacy? And if it can't, what's the point of measuring it? Ta muchly -- S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 Hello Sagnac welcome to wim. The Legacy and the WRX have completely different data so the Dealer is talking pants. Depending on the exact model/year the average rear camber position is -55' +- 45'. This range is huge so if your car exceeds this then there is problems. On a lighter note there are "forced adjusters" available for your car that will correct the camber problem. These replace the top pinch bolt on the strut. Cheap and easy to install. Failure to address the problem will compromise the handling, wear the tyres and wear the wheel bearings. So the quick fix with the EZ cam is wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagnac Posted July 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 Hello Tony, Thanks for the welcome and the quick reply. The spec for the rear camber on the print out I have is -1deg 30 mins, with an allowable range of -2deg 15 mins to - 0deg 45 mins. The measured value on the LHS is -0deg 6 mins and -1deg 22 mins on the RHS. So, RHS looks OK, but the LHS is miles out. Where do I get the adjustable bolts you mention, and if I do have them fitted, can you recommend anyone local to me (Shropshire) that would do a better job of the alignment? Cheers -- Sagnac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 Hello Tony, Thanks for the welcome and the quick reply. The spec for the rear camber on the print out I have is -1deg 30 mins, with an allowable range of -2deg 15 mins to - 0deg 45 mins. The measured value on the LHS is -0deg 6 mins and -1deg 22 mins on the RHS. So, RHS looks OK, but the LHS is miles out. Where do I get the adjustable bolts you mention, and if I do have them fitted, can you recommend anyone local to me (Shropshire) that would do a better job of the alignment? Cheers -- Sagnac I can sell the adjusters for £35+ p+p this is a box of two allowing camber correction for both rears if needed. As for an authorized centre... The only one i have North is TDi-North 21 & 22 Aston Court, Kingsland Grange, Warrington, WA1 4SG Tel: 0800 0196055 Email: info@TDi-North.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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