I will be getting an alignment during this coming week. I got my Hotchkis springs installed and have put around 200 miles on them. So now I need to get an alignment.

Is is better to get a regular, one-time alignment, or should I get a lifetime alignment? Price is not a big issue, as the one-time is around $75, whereas the lifetime is around $130-140 (I guess it's twice as much, but after 2 times it has already paid itself off). The reason I am asking is because I don't know if I should trust the lifetime alignment places, since they may have some kind of fine print. Also, it seems like only larger chains usually offer the lifetime alignment, but I'm affraid that once I get the INGS kit on, the front may be too low for them to handle and they may end up scratching my lip, etc.

So what do you guys recommend? And if I just go for the one time, how often do I need to go in for an alignment?

 

And is a computerized aligment better? I've heard people say that doing it "the old fashioned way" is better, but I'm not sure.

If you are in Socal, what is a recommended place for alignment? Two places I've been told are "West End" in Gardena, and "BP Automotive Performance" in Whittier.

 

Hey bro...

I got a lifetime alignment at Evan's Tire specifically on Convoy, but that is here down in San Diego.

Found out that those guys have aligned many my350z members so they know the geometry of the car well. If a place is reputable, they'll know how to get your modified car on their ramps correctly. My car is ridiculously low compared the the Hotchki's springs so they used extenders and wood beams to get the car up the low-pro ramp.

They also get guys coming in to set the car up more aggressively for autocrossing or spirited road courses.

2 alignments will pay for itself...and you basically have that until you end ownership of your car. You'll never know if you might want to switch out shocks, coilovers or what not...so it's well worth it.

 

I think West End is cheaper (I have a note that it's $85, though not sure if that's right), but I brought mine to Johnson's Alignment (in Torrance on Hawthorne Blvd. near 190th St. by the Galleria) phone 310-370-6301

 

Yeah, that's what I guess my concerns are. I don't want to end up going to a Firestone or a national chain where they basically treat your car like a "normal" car. I'm afraid that they probably don't have the experience or care to deal with lowered cars or cars with expensive wheels or front lips/body kits. And also I figure that I will change to coilovers somewhere down the line, but I was afraid that there may be a caveat on the lifetime alignment, so only the original springs they aligned with apply to the lifetime alignment. I guess I could go to SD, but I'm done with school now so its quite a long ways from here

 

So do you know if West End is a reputable place? One of my friends went there and said that the guy does the alignments by hand (whatever that means). Is that better than a computerized alignment? How is Johnson's Alignment?

 

BTW, these image scare me:

https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....chmentid=73906
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....chmentid=74172

Does using the method in the pix above scratch your wheels?

 

I have the lifetime alignment at Fireston in Puente and my car clears the rack machine, I just have to watch them to make sure they don't do anything stupid. If I was going to only have one alignment then i'd go to West End Alignment. I have coilovers and I adjusted them a couple times so the multiple alignments have since payed themselves off.

 

So I take if from some of the responses that West End is reputable place to go? Do they do a computerized alignment? I'd like to go sometime this week.