My coupe was in the dealership today getting an oil change when my service rep informed me that my rear tires were worn and I needed an alignment. I knew I had a steering drift problem and suspected it was the problem associated with a tsb, so I mentioned that to him.

He said he wanted to do a $40 alignment first, and if that didn't solve it he would perform the tsb. My response was to ask if they would then refund or not charge me for the alignment since that didn't solve my problem. He said they would not.

It sounds like they are trying to double charge to fix the same problem. They would in essence be charging me and Infiniti for fixing the problem.
Can anybody verify one way or another that what they told me is normal procedure?

Should a car that is this new need an alignment? The car has 13000 miles on it.
The tsb I'm refering to recommends replacing the right compression rod. The tsb can be seen here
Can they really not tell whether the problem is alignment or the compression rod issue without doing an alignment first?

I feel nickel and dimed every time I go to this dealership so I want to understand as much of this problem I can before deciding what to do about it.

 

The link in my original doesn't seem to be working.
The tsb can be seen here.

http://www.infinitihelp.com/Ownership/Bulletins/Infiniti/2003/ITB03-028.htm

 

The alignment doesn't have any relation to how long you have had the car. You could drive off the lot with 1 mile on your car and hit a huge pothole and knock your alignment out. A $40 alignment is a steal, my dealership charges $110 and the local sears charges $65. I have my alignment checked every 3 months or so, it's a lot cheaper than buying new tires.

 

My alignment yesterday was $79.95, but because the car is lowered with Eibachs, they charged me $20 more because their alignment laser was unable to see under my bumper and it took them a little longer. I think it took them a while to figure how to get it on their lift. $40 is a great price for the alignment.