# Alignment? Wheel Balance? What's wrong?



## sodakdave (Aug 2, 2016)

Hello all!

I have a 2015 LT1 RS that has just passed 16k miles. I've had it into the dealer for every scheduled service on time. After this last tire rotation, I noticed that it had developed a pull to the right at speed. Well, it seems a bit early for an alignment issue but I figured I'd have it checked. Scheduled the service and kept checking it as I was driving. I noticed that it's not just pulling to the right. I was on a section of highway where there are a lot of little bridges. The car would pull to the right, and then I'd hit the seam to a bridge which had a bump, not bad but enough to feel, and then the car would pull to the left really hard. Hit another bump and back to the right.

That doesn't sound like alignment anymore, that sounds like something.... more.

The dealer appointment was this morning and they said all it needed was a wheel balance and alignment, so we'll see. It's still in there, but I wanted to hear all of your thoughts about the issue. I don't drive on rough roads, in fact my main commuting road just got completely rebuilt the year before I bought the Cruze, so I don't think road condition is causing the issue.... Is 16k too soon to need an alignment / balance? Does it switching directions after bumps indicate alignment? or something more?

Just confused at this point.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

sodakdave said:


> Hello all!
> 
> I have a 2015 LT1 RS that has just passed 16k miles. I've had it into the dealer for every scheduled service on time. After this last tire rotation, I noticed that it had developed a pull to the right at speed. Well, it seems a bit early for an alignment issue but I figured I'd have it checked. Scheduled the service and kept checking it as I was driving. I noticed that it's not just pulling to the right. I was on a section of highway where there are a lot of little bridges. The car would pull to the right, and then I'd hit the seam to a bridge which had a bump, not bad but enough to feel, and then the car would pull to the left really hard. Hit another bump and back to the right.
> 
> ...


Hi there sodakdave,

We're sorry to hear that you've been experiencing alignment and wheel balance concerns with your Cruze, however, we're glad to see that your dealership is working to resolve this for you. Please keep us updated on the repair and let us know if you'd like us to provide an additional layer of assistance as you work with your dealership.

Sincerely,

Chelsea D.
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## sodakdave (Aug 2, 2016)

Well, got the car back and they called it a maintenance issue. Said the alignment issues were caused by tire wear, and that tire wear was caused by alignment issues......

They didn't record the "before" values on the alignment, but there are a couple of "after" values that concern me.

Rear Right Toe: Actual = 0.38, Specified Range -0.23 to 0.38... Right at the absolute spec limit
Rear Cross Camber: Actual 1.2, Specified range -0.6 to 0.6... Double the specified limit

Can someone explain why this isn't as bad as it seems on paper?


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## Christopher_2 (Jul 31, 2012)

Did the dealer tell you why they gave the car back with the rear cross camber out of specification? I would tell them to correct it, I had a shop tell me it doesn't matter to which I replied why does it have a specification and is high lighted in red if it doesn't matter?

Is the rear camber per side listed? 



sodakdave said:


> Well, got the car back and they called it a maintenance issue. Said the alignment issues were caused by tire wear, and that tire wear was caused by alignment issues......
> 
> They didn't record the "before" values on the alignment, but there are a couple of "after" values that concern me.
> 
> ...


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## Philb (Jun 18, 2016)

sodakdave said:


> Well, got the car back and they called it a maintenance issue. Said the alignment issues were caused by tire wear, and that tire wear was caused by alignment issues......
> 
> They didn't record the "before" values on the alignment, but there are a couple of "after" values that concern me.
> 
> ...


I found this on tirerack.com:
Negative camber leans both tires on the axle towards the center of the vehicle. Each tire develops an equal and offsetting "camber thrust" force (the same principle that causes a motorcycle to turn when it leans) even when the vehicle is driven straight ahead. If the vehicle encounters a bump that only causes one tire to lose some of its grip, the other tire's negative camber will push the vehicle in the direction of the tire that lost grip. The vehicle may feel more "nervous" and become more susceptible to tramlining.
Tire Tech Information - Alignment


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## Christopher_2 (Jul 31, 2012)

2014 CHEVROLET CRUZE 1.4L L4 Turbocharged Alignment Shim | RockAuto

I was looking out of curiosity and rear camber shims are available for a Cruze. I would be curious to know why it was not corrected.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

sodakdave said:


> Well, got the car back and they called it a maintenance issue. Said the alignment issues were caused by tire wear, and that tire wear was caused by alignment issues......
> 
> They didn't record the "before" values on the alignment, but there are a couple of "after" values that concern me.
> 
> ...


They need to fix this. If the rear cross camber is that far out of spec you will experience exactly what you're describing. This has nothing to do with the tires as the Cruze shouldn't be able to get this far out of spec - it's beyond the physical limits of the system.


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## sodakdave (Aug 2, 2016)

Christopher_2 said:


> Did the dealer tell you why they gave the car back with the rear cross camber out of specification? I would tell them to correct it, I had a shop tell me it doesn't matter to which I replied why does it have a specification and is high lighted in red if it doesn't matter?
> 
> Is the rear camber per side listed?


Yes, Left is -0.9m Right is -2.1, spec is -2.2 to -.7


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

The dealer didn't want to deal with a possible warranty claim - alignment shouldn't get that far out of whack this quickly unless you routinely drive at high speeds on cobblestone roads.


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## sodakdave (Aug 2, 2016)

obermd said:


> The dealer didn't want to deal with a possible warranty claim - alignment shouldn't get that far out of whack this quickly unless you routinely drive at high speeds on cobblestone roads.



50 miles a day fresh pavement at around 65. No rough roads for me.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

sodakdave said:


> 50 miles a day fresh pavement at around 65. No rough roads for me.


Ever loan your car to your wife - or brother-in-law?


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## sodakdave (Aug 2, 2016)

Nope. Wife loves her Yukon... Hates to drive my car.


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## sodakdave (Aug 2, 2016)

obermd said:


> They need to fix this. If the rear cross camber is that far out of spec you will experience exactly what you're describing. This has nothing to do with the tires as the Cruze shouldn't be able to get this far out of spec - it's beyond the physical limits of the system.



The dealership has just stated that that is the way they returned it. There is no way to adjust it, that's the way it came from the factory, that's the way it is. There's nothing they can or will do for me.


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## Christopher_2 (Jul 31, 2012)

The right rear is on the edge of toe and camber. Positive toe means it is toed out and the negative camber means the top is tilted toward the center of the car. If you had hit a curb accidentally with the bottom the tire and wheel, I would think it would push the top out and the camber would be positive or pointed away from the chassis center line. Again I would make them fix it, if they say it is your fault ask them for a scenario that would cause the issue.


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## larlar75 (Apr 30, 2015)

PM the corporate person that commented on here because this is out of your dealers hands. They'll need to have a specialist look at this since its so out of spec from the factory.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

larlar75 said:


> PM the corporate person that commented on here because this is out of your dealers hands. They'll need to have a specialist look at this since its so out of spec from the factory.


@"Chevy Customer Care"


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## Christopher_2 (Jul 31, 2012)

https://my.chevrolet.com/home

I would do two things, create an account at the above link and put in a written complaint about that service center. Dealers don't like getting negative feedback, they count on consumers being to stupid to turn them in and put in a complaint. Then look for a new service center and dealer, they don't care about you or they would be fixing it and not hanging you out to dry. Where do you live maybe there is someone around you that knows of a better dealer or service center.


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## sodakdave (Aug 2, 2016)

Christopher_2 said:


> https://my.chevrolet.com/home
> 
> I would do two things, create an account at the above link and put in a written complaint about that service center. Dealers don't like getting negative feedback, they count on consumers being to stupid to turn them in and put in a complaint. Then look for a new service center and dealer, they don't care about you or they would be fixing it and not hanging you out to dry. Where do you live maybe there is someone around you that knows of a better dealer or service center.


I'm pretty out of luck as far as dealers go, there's only 2 brands of Chevy dealer within 50 miles, and the other one is even worse.

I got on the phone with Chevy Customer Care, and they conferenced in the dealer, and basically the explanation was that 1.2 deg is ok for the rear cross camber, and that the machine just puts the 0.6 spec on the paper because it needs some number there, and there's not actually a spec. It's "just fine" but they'll check it for me on my next oil change if I remind them. Customer care decided it was an acceptable solution so I think I'm just out of luck unless I can find some documented specs to prove it's way out.


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## Christopher_2 (Jul 31, 2012)

This is where I usually get myself in hot water, open mouth and insert foot. Also has something to do with my being anal retentive working on medical equipment. I have 4 guys working for me right now and they have just learned to accept it. On something like this I would have adjusted closer to nominal. Unless there is a reason it can't be done. I would do my best to politely ask the dealer to use the available shims and bring it back into specification.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

sodakdave said:


> I'm pretty out of luck as far as dealers go, there's only 2 brands of Chevy dealer within 50 miles, and the other one is even worse.
> 
> I got on the phone with Chevy Customer Care, and they conferenced in the dealer, and basically the explanation was that 1.2 deg is ok for the rear cross camber, and that the machine just puts the 0.6 spec on the paper because it needs some number there, and there's not actually a spec. It's "just fine" but they'll check it for me on my next oil change if I remind them. Customer care decided it was an acceptable solution so I think I'm just out of luck unless I can find some documented specs to prove it's way out.


Bullshit - alignment machines can be programmed to put anything out on that paper. There's a reason that machine is spitting out this number and sure as **** isn't because it has to spit out a number. I would file a grievance with your state AG Consumer Fraud department at this point. You have the paperwork from a GM dealership showing your car is out of alignment and are receiving zero help from GM or their authorized dealerships to get this fixed. File the complaint specifically against the dealership.


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## Philb (Jun 18, 2016)

"Said the alignment issues were caused by tire wear, and that tire wear was caused by alignment issues......"


So the dealer performed an alignment and found it out of spec. then made adjustments? Is that correct? If adjustments were made does the car still exhibit the same driving conditions as before the alignment? I'm just curious......has the problem been corrected or does the condition still exist regardless of what the "numbers" indicate.


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## Christopher_2 (Jul 31, 2012)

I would even go as far as buying the service manual from here and seeing what it says.

2013 Chevrolet Cruze Service Manual Set - Helm Incorporated


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