Speed shop vs. Midas?

[OutbackGT]

Okay, so my set of JDM Bilstein struts + springs is on it's way. My question is: is it worth it to get them installed and get the car aligned at a reputable tuner shop (Crawford Performance), or should I save a bit of money and just take 'em to the local Midas for installation + alignment?

[Perdue]

I personally hate going to those chain shops for any work on my car. I've heard major horror stories, and a couple of good friends have had bad experiences even with getting work done at the Subaru dealerships. In my case, I'd install them myself, then go down to have the alignment done. It'll save you an hour or so on labor costs, and an alignment is expensive no matter where you go.

[Plays_with_Toys]

Firestone does life time alignments for like $140. Get two alignments and its already paid for itself. It's where I plan to take my car after I do my struts/springs.

[OutbackGT]

Well, one thing I didn't mention is that the struts already have a set of B4 RSK sedan springs on them that I need to swap out for the GT-B wagon springs. I don't have a spring compressor. I don't even have a torque wrench!

[deadlydave]

are the struts going to be the right length?

[OutbackGT]

are the struts going to be the right length?

Of course not. :grin:

They'll drop me about an inch probably.

[Plays_with_Toys]

You can rent spring compressors from any auto parts store. Torque wrenches are abot $30 and aren't rented out because people abuse them.

[Wiscon_Mark]

I hate midas.

[OutbackGT]

I hate midas.

I'm mixed. They screwed me on my Magnaflow ($300), but did an okay job on my alignment and wheel balancing.


Does anyone know the torque specs for the suspension bits in case I do this myself? I'm thinking those nuts and bolts are gonna be an absolout bitch to get off without an impact wrench, though.

[Reason]

[quote="Wiscon_Mark":3m9f2paq]I hate midas.

I'm mixed. They screwed me on my Magnaflow ($300), but did an okay job on my alignment and wheel balancing.


Does anyone know the torque specs for the suspension bits in case I do this myself? I'm thinking those nuts and bolts are gonna be an absolout bitch to get off without an impact wrench, though.[/quote:3m9f2paq]

You just answered your own question. The screwed you on one thing and did an ok job on a alignment. A Subaru dealer did too man "ok" jobs on my car and screwed me once. My car never seen them again, and it never will. Well maybe some of my parts may on somebody else's Legacy.lol

[ivwarrior]

Honestly, without knowing the shops AND techs working, it's impossible to tell. In a "crappy" shop, you might have one great tech. Get him/her, and you'll be fine. A great shop may have a poor tech, or a tech having a lousy day. Get that person, and you could end up screwed. (Although, as we all make mistakes, the true measure of a great shop is how they handle their mistakes and take care of you if/when they make one.)

My advice is always find that great tech, then STICK WITH THAT TECH. Ask for the tech by name when scheduling your appointment. Be willing to wait an extra day or three to get that person, if need be.

[OutbackGT]

Right now I'm leaning toward having Crawford do it. They're pretty much Subaru-only and they built the car that won SCC's Ultimate Street Car Challenge.

[Sarra]

$140 for an alignment?! Whoa, I was quoted $50 getting an alignment done at a local tire shop. That's an all wheel alignment, too, not just the front. I was goign to do that on the BE since it pulled to the right. The BK doesn't pull at all, and infact, I think it had an alignment done right before I bought it.

[Perdue]

A front wheel alignment runs about $80 in this area. Around $120 for 4 wheel alignment. PWT said that they give LIFETIME alignments for $140. That could quickly pay for itself if you change suspensions for winter. I tried to have my car aligned once a year, as things will go out of spec over time even if you don't mess with them.

[AussieDan]

In general if I can't do something myself I try to go somewhere that I either know a tech or have been recommended to by someone I trust.

If you just go down to Midas without knowing anyone there, you're playing the lottery, the question is whether the difference in price is worth the risk of them screwing up.

If I was in your situation I'd go to Crawford, or ask around to see if there are any other local shops that people recommend.

[blackgtbeauty]

$140 for an alignment?! Whoa, I was quoted $50 getting an alignment done at a local tire shop. That's an all wheel alignment, too, not just the front. I was goign to do that on the BE since it pulled to the right. The BK doesn't pull at all, and infact, I think it had an alignment done right before I bought it.

I think he meant $140 for lifetime alignments, not once, hence "after two it pays for itself..."

[rougeben83]

Don't you know a small mom-n-pop type garage near your place? They'll charge lower than either the performance shop or midas and they tend to be better than the chain-stores.

It's a spring and strut - it's not a coilover, so it's a fairly routine job. Off the top of my head, there's 6 bolts for each front that you'll need to loosen, and 3 for each rear. Add 1 bolt for each side when you're changing out the springs as well.

The only big thing is accessing the rear struts, which isn't that hard on yours since it's a wagon (a little harder in sedans because of the more confined space).

As for alignment though...you may want to take it to a place that does a lot of work for SCCA cars (like autocrossers).

[Huffer]

Springs and struts are going to be easy for the shop to get off.
Word to the wise though, until the parts arrive, spend 5mins under each wheel and spray each visible bolt with PB Blaster. It'll make the tech's job that much faster and easier, and they're less likely to break stuff.

Techs love to use impact wrenches.

Seriously though, you should just rent a spring compressor, buy a torque wrench (and some sockets) and just assemble the whole lot yourself, then install it (marking the camber settings) and then drive to your nearest "tuner-friendly" alignment shop.

Ask around your area, there's usually one, even one that caters to muscle cars.

NEVER skimp on the alignment, and always use a trusted, or locally recommended shop. If possible - talk to them prior to the appointment, visit etc. Become known. They're less likely to be careless if they know you hang around.

[OutbackGT]

This brings me to another questinon. How exactly is camber set? Crawford made it a point to tell me that they can set the camber to my specifications after they install the parts.

[ivwarrior]

There are several ways.

The most common involves the bolts that mount the strut to the spindle. The hole in the strut is oval instead of round. The bolt that goes through one of the holes is sorta egg-shaped where it passes through the strut/spindle. Turning the bolt causes the strut to move in relation to the spindle, changing the camber angle.

Another way is with adjustable top-hats for the struts. They allow the top of the strut to be moved inward/outward in relation to the centerline of the car.

[deadlydave]

Midas probably will NOT put on 'aftermarket' parts. All of the chains by me refused to touch my wrx struts and springs on the BD, including midas. look for a mom and pop place, if they won't do it either, then you'll have to go to the speed shop.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Yeah, that's why I hate midas. They were bitching about my stromung cat and telling me I'd get a 50k dollar fine for it :roll:

[rougeben83]

Mark, at least you didn't get completely blown off by Midas when you brought your exhaust parts to them...

"You really think that dem 2.25 in exhaust will really make your car faster? I think the one on it right now is perfectly fine" :roll:

Oh boy...[/i]

[OutbackGT]

Well, parts have come, and I've decided against Midas, seeing as how my car is pulling to the right slightly since they aligned it. I'm gonna call Crawford tomorrow.

[Sarra]

At least they didn't do an alignment with the wheel turned 12 degrees to the left...

[OutbackGT]

At least they didn't do an alignment with the wheel turned 12 degrees to the left...

Actually, it's turned about 5 degrees to the left. :|

[Sarra]

Time to go to a sporting shop and buy an aluminum baseball bat, and some lead...

[OutbackGT]

Well. The parts are sitting in my room and the suspense is killing me. Crawford isn't open tommorrow. I really should have gone in today. I think I'm gonna try to find either an independent shop or a PepBoys or something to do the install. If that fails, I'm gonna see if my neighbor happens to have a spring compressor and a breaker bar. I really don't want to wait 'till next week to get this installed.

[Wiscon_Mark]

quite being so impatient and wait. Don't have pep boys do it. You really don't want some underpaid idiot who doesn't really have a clue doing the work on your car. It's worth the wait, trust me.

[OutbackGT]

GRRR!! :smt086

[Wiscon_Mark]

GRRR!! :smt086

Sorry dude. But do you want something going wrong? Then you'll wait even longer and possibly have to spend more money to fix/replace something that could've been improperly installed.

[OutbackGT]

... I guess. I might check out some independent shops tomorrow, if any are open. I think there are a couple speed shops the next town over.