Rear alignment off-replace axle?

[patrickogrady]

I was in a minor fender bender, at leat it seemed minor to me. Another car lost control and side swiped me very slightly. The shop said before they do anything they want the alignment checked, so I had it done. That shop says the rear wheels are both off to the right by a similar amount. They will change the axle and recheck to see if that is the problem. If not they will check the body alignment so see if it's bent. Does this sound reasonable?

[lovemyraffe]

How far off are the rear wheels? With a solid axle, they should be about the same on both sides. When I had an alignment done, we had to put shims in both sides to make it "pass."

[Mavrik]

Unless your AWD, there really isn't a rear axle on the Vibe. You have the hub assemply, struts and all that. There is a solid piece that runs between the two rear wheels but I don't know if I'd really call it an axle.They should be able to adjust with shims.What kind of alignment machine are they using?

[patrickogrady]

It is off by the same amount approximately, if I recall correctly. I don't know what kind of machine it was, I'm no expert on collision repair. Does O.45" sound like alot? I don't have the alignment report in front of me, but it was a number like that.

[lovemyraffe]

That does not seem like much at all. If I had a scanner, I would post a copy of my alignment. The range is 0 to 26 degrees. My rear tires are at .53 degrees and .05 degrees (left than right.) I think they are trying to scam you. .45 degrees is out of range, but nothing that can't be helped with a shim. Edit: To be a little more specific, that is for the Toe, not Camber.

[patrickogrady]

I'm getting a second opinion tomorrow, I talked to others tonight and they agree this sounds fishy

[Mavrik]

Quote, originally posted by patrickogrady »I'm getting a second opinion tomorrow, I talked to others tonight and they agree this sounds fishygood idea. Try and find a shop with a laser alignment machine. They are the most accurate to use.