Firestone lifetime alignment

Hi, anybody experienced Firestone lifetime alignment? does it worth it for 200bucks, I just install 5100 in the front.

 

I have it, had mine done about 4 times now, if you plan on keeping your truck and if you wheel with it or anything else that could knock it out it’s worth it. If your just did the lift and don’t have any other plans perhaps not. I happen to be near a shop with a tech that is familiar with lifts and performance vehicles. If he ever leaves I’m not sure the service will be quite as good.



I have JBA high Castor UCA’s fwiw

 

There are a few Firestone service centers in my area and I’ve heard nothing good about them ever.

For example, years ago I took Mrs. Blockhead’s Nissan Murano to one of them to get a tire repaired. They gave the usual song and dance about needing to replace the tire for their inflated price blah blah... I took it down the road to a small independent shop (that’s what I should’ve done in the first place), he charged me $15 to fix.

I guess I’m getting old but once the trust is broken I never go back to any service provider. For the record, I rarely get my vehicles aligned, only when replacing tires. If I altered the stock suspension I suppose I would feel differently.

 

I once did. If any work is done by someone other than them that requires a new alignment, they wouldn’t honor it. I had to replace an axle in a FWD Nissan because the CV failed. They denied the alignment. I have never stepped foot in a Firestone since.

 

I had it on my Ram before I came to the Tacoma. My wife is a school teacher and also drove a Ram . Every summer when she was off she would take both in for alignment. Also when I bought new tires and had a drag link recall installed. My Ram I had about 8-9 alignments. So 8x $80=$640 compared to $200 then hell yeah it’s worth it. Also there was NEVER a time that it did not need an alignment. Always needed an adjustment. Got 65,000 miles on a set of Toyo open country AT. My Ram was a 2500 crew cab 6.4 hemi 4x4. She was a heavy pig. The Firestone we went to never gave use any problems. Took us in every time no questions asked.

 

How the hell would they know? if you bought a lifetime alignment then you better get the damn alignment. no questions asked

I have Firestone lifetime alignment and i do it at least once a year because i can. It pays itself off if you put hard miles on your truck.

 

They saw the new part.

 

That FS is on drugs lol

 

Depends on the FS location/management. I've heard many anecdotes about them not doing good work, not aligning outside of factory spec, not honoring the lifetime alignment terms because of aftermarket parts, etc, which I think they have the right to do, but I have had lifetime alignments on 3 vehicles (2 Tacomas and a Subaru) at two FS locations. Both locations I asked if the trucks could be aligned after I did work, lift, etc and they said no problem. Only caveat was 3 alignments/year and 90 days between alignments (which they don't seem to care about in my experience). I just installed front coilovers and rear shocks/springs with camburg UCAs had it aligned, ended up lowering the front a touch and had it aligned again 5 weeks later, no problems. They happily aligned to my requested specs, 0T 0Cam 4+Cas even though the caster is outside the Toyota spec. So do your homework on the location that you intend to use, FS or otherwise.

 

I bought it after I lifted my truck and have been twice. Second time was yesterday to get it done after new UCAs. They were not able to get the numbers I wanted but I’m going to drive and see how it is. They did say “the lift time isn’t intended for lifted trucks” so I had to say it’s in my account notes that I got it specifically because I lifted my truck. This was after and they spend an hour or so trying to get the numbers I asked for. If they give too much push back I’ll ask for a refund. I’ll slowly get the stuff together so I can do the alignment myself. There is a great post around here using basic stuff for a home alignment.

 

Hit or miss in my area. I am constantly screwing around with my suspension. 3x trips and the last two have been a disaster. I finally gave in and took my truck to the local shop that all the 4x4 shops use.....and got a proper alignment.

 

That’s nice.
I look up online, they will change 100bucks for one time or 200 for lifetime.
Firestone only 5min from my house, I guess it’s worth it, when I’m install rear shocks later

 

I remember old cars YEARS ago that it was obvious and often when they needed an alignment done as they'd stop driving in a straight line, steering wheel vibrated or was off center, noticeable uneven tire wear, etc. Modern cars, including properly setup 4x4s, I just don't find as noticeable of having alignments issues.

My wife has a 2018 4Runner. At 5,000 miles she took it in for the first "free" service. The dealer promptly told her that she had uneven tire wear and wanted $95 for an alignment, which she paid it. She got home and I went around and checked all of the tires and I couldn't find any tire wear on any of the nearly new tires. I called them and they gave me BS and refunded the money. I guess paying $200 is better than $XXX every time you take a vehicle in if you think it's got alignment issues? Funny thing was, at 10,000 miles, I took the the 4Runner in and they said the same thing about having uneven tire wear which again I got home and I couldn't find it.

Maybe it is an issue with some cars, but maybe it's like the old days of shop telling everyone to change the oil ever 3 months or 3,000 miles?!

 

I believe it really depends on the Firestone shop. I have the lifetime warranty that I got only because the manager is an off road enthusiast and works with me whenever I make a suspension change. Now that I am pretty much dialed in, I get it checked every time I rotate my tires. I am very happy with the work and feel that it has been a great deal.

 

You'll get what you pay for,,, they're not in it to loose money.
Several times, I've watched my tech buddies align my vehicles,,, it takes a few minutes to do it right.
I understand they're essentially insurance policies, and most don't bring vehicle back more than once or twice,, but still, at a $120 an hour think about it.

 

You're absolutely right, and just as Discount Tire offers lifetime balances and rotations to keep you coming back to their store and hopefully sell you more tires down the road, the wheel alignment is used to keep you coming back to their shop and hopefully sell you new tires and/or other services down the road as well. It's a common practice in all forms of retail. It doesn't necessarily mean they are going to do a crap job just because it is a contract customer, in fact, in my experience, it has been the exact opposite, they want you to be a happy customer to keep you coming back to their store. I bring my truck in every 5000 miles at the minimum, more if I do something to knock the alignment out. The tech knows my truck well and has worked with me through a number of suspension changes. I am dialed in well now and usually there is only minor adjustments required, if any. I know people that have had the same horrible experience others have had at Firestone with 4 Wheel Parts, a supposed 4WD specialty shop that charges a premium price for it's "4WD expertise". The quality of the work is always dependent on the skill of the tech, which can vary greatly from place to place at any alignment shop.

 

I've heard mixed reviews about Firestone. Some places only do "per spec" alignments while other stores may do custom jobs that involve lifts, aftermarket UCA's and what not. I would call and ask first.

I almost went to them, but since I'm in Albuquerque, I take my truck to the same place that Tactical Application Vehicles (TAV) takes all their builds.

 

Long time ago my Nissan's timing belt shit the bed, Firestone fixed it. A lot of mysterious collateral damage happened while the truck was in their possession, to the point where regional managers and multiple shops got involved before it was made right. The begrudging attitude from everyone involved killed all trust I had in their competence and their honesty.

That was 15 years ago. I haven't stepped foot in a Firestone since, nor will I ever in the future.

 

Most of the chain shops are hit or miss. I had Firestone mount some BBS wheels I bought online for a 2012 Tundra I had. The first drive out I had never felt tires out of balance that bad...truck literally shaking going anything over 30MPH. Took it back and found they had a young kid, maybe 19 or 20, do the work and I actually felt bad for him because he simply wasn't trained. Once an experienced tech did the balance, it rode just fine. I tell my wife, almost every day, that competence is an unrealistic expectation these days.....sadly.