Weighted wheel alignment

hurtwj · 09-14-2013, 01:41 PM

I am currently living in southeast Alabama and the only BMW shop is over an hour away . Therefore I have to go to a regular alignment shops, most of the shops told me that they needed to put weights in my car to do the alignment. They will not touch it because of it! I have heard of that with earlier models but not with the E9x M3. Is it true that our cars need to add weight to do the alignment?

wheatpaste · 09-14-2013, 02:09 PM

Ideally you align the car with the suspension loaded the same as if you were driving it.

Meaning that either someone sits in the driver seat while the car is being aligned, or they put some other type of weight in the driver seat.

If that's all they're talking about it shouldn't be a problem.

jimk · 09-14-2013, 02:12 PM

Depends in the alignment machine. The newest the dealers use adjust the specs based on the actual vehicle height. With older machines you had to have a full tank of gas and I think 125 lbs at the driver seat. So yes, to do it right you should take it to a BMW shop or somewhere where they know how to do it right.

apecush · 09-16-2013, 10:51 AM

sit in the driver's seat when they are aligning the car.

09-14-2013, 01:41 PM	#1
hurtwj TRUE WARRANT OFFICER 3 /BLACKHAWK DRIVER 13 Rep 152 Posts Drives: BMW M3 E90 SG Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Savannah, Ga iTrader: (4)	Weighted wheel alignment I am currently living in southeast Alabama and the only BMW shop is over an hour away . Therefore I have to go to a regular alignment shops, most of the shops told me that they needed to put weights in my car to do the alignment. They will not touch it because of it! I have heard of that with earlier models but not with the E9x M3. Is it true that our cars need to add weight to do the alignment? __________________ 08 E90 M3 Sparkling graphite BC FORGED RACING WHEELS 19X8.5, 19X11 21&22LBS ,Blacked out side markers, CARBON FIBER EMBLEMS, H&R sport springs, HARDWIRED V1
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09-14-2013, 02:09 PM	#2
wheatpaste Private First Class 12 Rep 101 Posts Drives: 08 E92 M3 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Bay Area iTrader: (3)	Ideally you align the car with the suspension loaded the same as if you were driving it. Meaning that either someone sits in the driver seat while the car is being aligned, or they put some other type of weight in the driver seat. If that's all they're talking about it shouldn't be a problem.
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09-14-2013, 02:12 PM	#3
jimk Captain 104 Rep 934 Posts Drives: 2018 M550i Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Camarillo, CA iTrader: (8)	Depends in the alignment machine. The newest the dealers use adjust the specs based on the actual vehicle height. With older machines you had to have a full tank of gas and I think 125 lbs at the driver seat. So yes, to do it right you should take it to a BMW shop or somewhere where they know how to do it right.
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09-16-2013, 10:51 AM	#4
apecush Lieutenant 30 Rep 521 Posts Drives: 2008 E90 M3 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Edmonton iTrader: (2)	sit in the driver's seat when they are aligning the car.
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