Firestone lifetime alignment???

Are they worth it? Bilstein 3/2, just got 35s… pic for attention

 

Disclaimer: i have a very highly rated local firestone and they have been great. I got the lifetime deal from firestone. Only complaint I have is the first time I went to have them recheck it (front end wobble) They made a few tweaks and then started messing with my wheels and tires. Had to take it to DT (where I can have re balancing done for free) to have them fix the balance issue. All in all it's peace of mind knowing all I have to do is take it in if I ever need to.

 

If you're planning to keep your truck for a while then yes it's worth it

 

Personally feel it's only worth it if keeping your vehicle for a while, BUT. also if you're running a stock setup. My local one wants to put it to factory specs. If leveled, lifted, etc....then factory specs aren't applicable anymore.
Just my $.12

 

It's a great deal but I chose to pay an offroad shop for alignments because it's a family shop that does amazing alignments and I always get the owners dad to do the job.

I got an alignment from a regular shop and it was so bad. They usually don't know the dynamics of offroad setups and even if you get a good tech once, no guarantee you will get him again. The turnover is so high in those chain places, especially now I imagine with labor shortage and hiring anyone willing to work even if they have no idea what their doing.

 

This is good advice. The guys at my firestone were cool enough to pull some extra caster and work with my 2+in level and have done a great job, But I don't think I would expect that everywhere.

 

I have a small local shop do it for all vehicles leveled and lifted. They do it the old school way

 

I purchased the Lifetime Alignment from my local Firestone and had them align my 20' TRDPro after I had installed the Coachbuilder TRDPro kit with +3 shackles and when I still had the stock Michelin ATX tires on. It took them a while but they did align it to the specs that Coachbuilder specifies in their installation instructions. It came out great, steering wheel dead center, no vibration, pulling or wobble. Two days later I installed Toyo AT III's 35-12.5r18's on the stock BBS Pro rims and I had my local mom and pop tire guy I bought the Toyo's from (who does a lot of lifted trucks) re-align it after balancing and installing the tires just to check. He said it was spot on, which made me feel better to have an independent opinion from someone I have used for years. I plan on keeping the truck so that is the reason I went with the Firestone deal as it is hard to beat if you use it a few times. No regrets here, YMMV.

The tires have been great for 10,000 miles now with no steering or balance issues at all.

 

I did the Firestone lifetime alignment on my 4Runner 4 years ago. No complaints. I had a good Firestone near my house with a great alignment tech. I had a 2/1.5 lift with JBA UCAs, and it always came back with great caster and no shake on the highway. 4Runners are VERY prone to the 55-60mph shimmy on the highway.

Fast forward to buying my truck. I went in to do the lifetime alignment with them, and they said they can’t do it because my truck has lane departure alert. It was Dec 2020, and I had a ‘21 truck. They said they didn’t have the profile loaded yet for the truck.

Here is a thread I started about it. I thought it was very strange at the time, but maybe now they’ve got the proper profile loaded for my truck. Then again, if they only go by the VIN (which loads the factory specs) and can’t do a real alignment based on my truck’s actual geometry, which is different from stock because I’m running the TRD Fox suspension, then it might not be worth it.

 

TJ, go to Bert's Alignment on Rose Marie Ave. Ask for Chris Alvarez to do your alignments. Support local.

 

My truck is straight as an arrow I swear. He even knows to hold the toe in the low range of the spec. So worth the little bit extra. Plus they do free readjustment for 4 month after.

 

It’s very situational.

IF

- You have a reliable local Firestone who can keep both a manager and good employees
- Keep your vehicle for extended periods and don’t trade regularly
- Drive quite a bit or live in an area with terrible roads or any Midwest are full of potholes


Then yes - you likely can get your monies worth plus in a few years.

But if one or more of these don’t apply - it’s a much less lucrative proposition. Reality is alignment is a service/labor only cost to the seller. I’m at not like a warranty where they are obligated to replace parts that cost them money. Worst case - you come in when they are busy and they need to work harder to get everything finished. It’s not like they would be turning away business at any time.

 

I am not a fan of having alignments done at corporate shops like Firestone. There is a lot of skill involved in doing a good alignment, particularly if you have a lift or a modified suspension. Generally, I would not periodically have the alignment "checked" unless I had vibration (after excluding wheel balance and rotor thickness variation/warp) or abnormal tire wear. Finally, the old adage that you can't align a vehicle with worn suspension parts is very true but periodic alignment checks is a great opportunity to upsell replacement suspension parts. Truth be told, I don't even like these kinds of places to balance my wheels - more skill to that than you would think. Find a good independent shop with a long history and stable workforce.

 

appreciate the recommendation. I guess I need to update my profile. I’m in Navarre, FL now, getting ready to move to Whidbey Island Washington. Navy Life.