Alignment
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AudiWorld Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2017
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Alignment
Hello,
I have a 2017 A4 quattro. It's a premium not the premium plus with the adaptive cruise control. Do all A4's require a $600 alignment with new tires or just some? He quoted me under $200 but then when I picked it up he billed me $600. WTF? I'm really ticked off with the Audi dealer out of Colorado Springs. If you have any information why one would need a $600 alignment I would like to know. Thank you in advance
I have a 2017 A4 quattro. It's a premium not the premium plus with the adaptive cruise control. Do all A4's require a $600 alignment with new tires or just some? He quoted me under $200 but then when I picked it up he billed me $600. WTF? I'm really ticked off with the Audi dealer out of Colorado Springs. If you have any information why one would need a $600 alignment I would like to know. Thank you in advance
AudiWorld Super User
Joined: Mar 2000
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From: Western Massachusetts
Hello, I have a 2017 A4 quattro. It's a premium not the premium plus with the adaptive cruise control. Do all A4's require a $600 alignment with new tires or just some? He quoted me under $200 but then when I picked it up he billed me $600. WTF? I'm really ticked off with the Audi dealer out of Colorado Springs. If you have any information why one would need a $600 alignment I would like to know. Thank you in advance
BTW, when I went to pick up my car, the technician said I barely needed an alignment; only one wheel was slightly off. This surprised me, because a couple of years earlier I hit a humongous pothole while doing about 45 mph. I thought surely my suspension was wrecked. But the car road fine, tracked straight and the tire wore evenly. So I didn't bother to get an alignment until after I bought a new set of tires.
I guess these Audis are sturdier than you think.
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AudiWorld Super User
Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Georgia
There's the physical alignment action, which $200 at a dealership is typical.
Then there's all the recalibrations that are required if certain adjustments to the alignment are done (such as toe, and when is toe not adjusted in pretty much any alignment?).
What recalibrations are required will depend on the systems present on your vehicle.
I'd tell them you paid them to do an alignment and an alignment is what you'll pay them for. That they went out of their way to spend extra time on extra tasks they didn't quote you and you didn't authorize is their problem.
Then there's all the recalibrations that are required if certain adjustments to the alignment are done (such as toe, and when is toe not adjusted in pretty much any alignment?).
What recalibrations are required will depend on the systems present on your vehicle.
I'd tell them you paid them to do an alignment and an alignment is what you'll pay them for. That they went out of their way to spend extra time on extra tasks they didn't quote you and you didn't authorize is their problem.
AudiWorld Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 42
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From: Chicago, IL
My wife has a VW Tiguan and we having issues with cupping/feathering tires at 20k miles and the dealership quoted her almost $550 for an alignment because of the adaptive and lane departure. We we're like 'hell no..'
Took it to another dealership and it was $250ish because I didn't have all the technology. I used the adaptive cruise all the time, so IDK?
Took it to another dealership and it was $250ish because I didn't have all the technology. I used the adaptive cruise all the time, so IDK?
AudiWorld Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2021
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From: Saskatchewan Canada
If you received a written quote then they pretty much have to live with that unless there were exceptions written into the quote. If something comes up such as the identification of a damaged piece a dealership will generally call seeking authorization to depart from the quote. Even if you didn't have a prior written quote, when you took the car in for the work you would have executed a service order / authorization which would set out the basic work to be done. If the authorization included a basic alignment and you had a verbal understanding that the basic alignment was going to be $200 I think they are pretty much committed to that although check to make sure that the authorization does not give them some kind of blanket authority to do 'additional work if required'. If you want to pursue this, I would take it up with the Service Manager as to why the costs deviated from the value they previously indicated.
It has been a while since I had a 4 wheel alignment done with new tires (not on my allroad) and that basic alignment cost $130 Cdn.
I can see that a change in the alignment might present an issue if you have a lane keep assistance function (as opposed to simple departure warning). I am not sure why adaptive cruise control would be affected by alignment changes.
It has been a while since I had a 4 wheel alignment done with new tires (not on my allroad) and that basic alignment cost $130 Cdn.
I can see that a change in the alignment might present an issue if you have a lane keep assistance function (as opposed to simple departure warning). I am not sure why adaptive cruise control would be affected by alignment changes.
AudiWorld Super User
Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Georgia
If you have dynamic steering and the front or rear toe was adjusted, then that system will require "complete alignment" calibration.
If you have adaptive cruise control and the rear toe was adjusted, then that system will require "complete alignment" calibration.
If you have the driver assistance camera and the rear toe was adjusted, then that system will require "complete alignment" calibration.
A change in rear toe is going to impact forward direction vs chassis pointing direction, I presume.
So if you have all three and the rear toe was adjusted, that's a lot of recalibration. The dynamic steering one is simple enough, but the other two require calibration equipment and things. Still, not sure they should have needed two more hours to get through them.
If you have adaptive cruise control and the rear toe was adjusted, then that system will require "complete alignment" calibration.
If you have the driver assistance camera and the rear toe was adjusted, then that system will require "complete alignment" calibration.
A change in rear toe is going to impact forward direction vs chassis pointing direction, I presume.
So if you have all three and the rear toe was adjusted, that's a lot of recalibration. The dynamic steering one is simple enough, but the other two require calibration equipment and things. Still, not sure they should have needed two more hours to get through them.
AudiWorld Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2021
Posts: 1,610
Likes: 565
From: Saskatchewan Canada
Audi needs to add a disclosure to their list of technical trickery options flagging the options that interface with multiple systems and that if any one system has a problem it creates problems elsewhere that are going to cost you significant $ to repair.
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AudiWorld Super User
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From: Georgia
I don't know. I didn't engineer the systems and don't know the extent of negative impact due to errant data depending on data source. It's simply what the workshop manual says.
I don't think alignments are to a set standard as much as relative to each corner. The one of interest would be the thrust angle on the rear axle due to the rear toe, which defines the "yaw offset' of forward motion. The real issue is all the alignment specs have a range of legit values. A few minutes of slant might seem like nothing, but at 500 feet down the road, maybe now the radars are looking at the wrong lane (don't know how acc handles curves, but I presume the current steering angle dictates to the system the direction of interest in the field of view).
Yeah, lot of this "right to repair" stuff going on these days, and it means too many different things to too many different groups for the phrase alone to denote something specific. The bigger issue is repair-ability / cost to repair. Front turn signal LED goes out, you can't change a bulb. It's a multi-grand headlamp. Hit a pothole, it's not a $200 alignment. It's a $600 alignment and systems calibration. Etc. And then there's the MHEV/PHEV/BEV battery packs, which are consumables. I don't even want "driver assistance systems". I don't need help driving.
I don't think alignments are to a set standard as much as relative to each corner. The one of interest would be the thrust angle on the rear axle due to the rear toe, which defines the "yaw offset' of forward motion. The real issue is all the alignment specs have a range of legit values. A few minutes of slant might seem like nothing, but at 500 feet down the road, maybe now the radars are looking at the wrong lane (don't know how acc handles curves, but I presume the current steering angle dictates to the system the direction of interest in the field of view).
Yeah, lot of this "right to repair" stuff going on these days, and it means too many different things to too many different groups for the phrase alone to denote something specific. The bigger issue is repair-ability / cost to repair. Front turn signal LED goes out, you can't change a bulb. It's a multi-grand headlamp. Hit a pothole, it's not a $200 alignment. It's a $600 alignment and systems calibration. Etc. And then there's the MHEV/PHEV/BEV battery packs, which are consumables. I don't even want "driver assistance systems". I don't need help driving.
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AudiWorld Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 32
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From: Massachusetts
This morning I hit a manhole riser ring while going straight at about 30mph. There were two of these in the same lane, beside each other, so impact was unavoidable. This or similar happened to about a dozen other drivers within about a twenty minute time span. I have a 2019 PP without acc and without lane keeping and I know I'll need new tires and at least one new wheel, but is there anything else I should be on the lookout for? It's at the dealer now.
AudiWorld Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 139
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From: Boston, MA
This morning I hit a manhole riser ring while going straight at about 30mph. There were two of these in the same lane, beside each other, so impact was unavoidable. This or similar happened to about a dozen other drivers within about a twenty minute time span. I have a 2019 PP without acc and without lane keeping and I know I'll need new tires and at least one new wheel, but is there anything else I should be on the lookout for? It's at the dealer now.
One other thing to consider: perhaps another MA resident can chime in as to whether the municipality / state may be held partly responsible in such an instance. There are certainly laws concerning timely repair of road hazards that can sometimes be invoked (usually early spring auto-eating potholes), but I don't immediately recall the specifics concerning timing and the window of state liability.