Wheel alignment F/R questions?

[Chiadog]

Just had a 4- wheel done at T-plus alignment shop. Vibe drove fine but steering wheel was about 22 degrees off center - one of my pet peeves.
Right FRONT camber was and is still just barley out of spec. Technician says "no adjustment for camber on Vibes" - I say "BS". WHO is right?

Question 2: how is toe-in adjusted on the rear of base 2wd Vibe? Which bolts are loosened to adjust rear toe-in?
Technician says bolts are frozen and I need to spray them with pb blaster, atf/acetone, torch & beeswax, etc.
I hope all my newby questions are more entertaining than irritating!
chiadog

[bluneon]

adjustment for front camber is claimed to be nonadjustable, but it is; only slightly. loosen the 2 lower strut bolts and have a second set of hands push/pull the wheel while it's on the alignment rack to adjust.

so technicialns claim is partially correct.

toe in is not adjustable in the rear for a fwd vibe since it's equipped w a solid type rear axle beam suspension. the only true adjustment available IS and ONLY is front toe.

AWD vibes are the only ones capable of having adjustable front and rear toe.

they charged you for a 4 wheel alignment when all they did was adjust front toe....

[Chiadog]

Well I guess that's par for the course!
I was thinking the same thing on the front camber adjustment. That's how my 2000 Saturn SL1 adjusts camber.
Thanks Bluneon!

[TerribleTim]

Hi Guys

Just went thru this after my dealer did a free alignment check during the airbag recall and said my front camber was out on both sides.
The are three mfrs at Rock Auto (delco, Moog, Raybestos) that make adjustable camber bolt retrofits, Specialty makes same at OReillys. They're between $20-31 a pair. Easy to install.

I like the loosen the strut bolts and pull on the wheel concept for minor adjustment, though.
Theoretically, I could elongate one of the strut bolt holes and get more adjustment and skip the retrofit bolts. The camber retrofit bolts just have a cam shaped lobe for this same adjustment. They're quite commonly necessary after a suspension lowering mod eg. coilovers.

I suspect my ball joints are going bad (they're getting loud) and this may be the camber problem. On the other hand, my daughter just banged the car up on a wall sideways (replace frontbumper). Since the camber is out in the same direction on both sides, she may have tweaked the strut mount bolts. No unusual tire edge wear yet.