Re: Thanks to a dealer service department....

...Stevinson Porsche/Jaguar here in Denver. I removed my passenger seat to replace a failed height adjustment strut and forgot to disconnect the battery first, thus tripping the airbag light. Drove up to Stevinson without an appointment. They took it back and cleared the airbag code without even looking me up in the computer to see if I was a previous paying customer (I am). No charge and out in five minutes. I do most work myself but they have made me a more loyal customer for those things I am unable/unwilling to tackle.

Good service begets more customers. The local dealer has been offering good service now for a while and the other day I was there for a tech session -- another thing that it has done to introduce car owners to the service department -- and was talking to the service manager. Of course I asked how's business and he told me the dealer had added two more techs and was in the process of installing more lifts in service bays that had remained liftless since the dealer opened at this new location. He also told me a new tire mounting system with load force balancing was going in so the service techs would no longer have to rely on using the one at another dealer a few lots away.

One "new" tech was coming back from an indy Porsche shop. Seems he got tired of the pressure to get more done in less time, the corner cutting, because of -- he was told -- the low margins the indy shop has to work with. 'course that was what he was told. I recall at one job working for a business that was owned by a man and wife, how the man would always tell me how poor he was how small/thin his margins were and to work harder and harder and harder, which I did for a while, more than a few years in fact. Then I started noticing the new cars every year, for both him and his wife, the nice new home he had built and moved into from yet another nice home. The customers that would come in and merchandise would be exchanged for cash and the cash would go into the owner's pocket. Yet I was working like a dog and it was never good enough. Eventually I saw the light, returned to school and when the time was right changed not only jobs but my career.

Agreed. I have tried to give Indy's some business but it is often difficult to get them to even return a phone call. I am a fairly easy-going person but I never, and I mean never, ask somebody twice to take my money. Hopefully it will be a while but when I need something other than a non-stock alignment, I will look to the dealer. As far as I know they won't do anything outside of stock settings and I understand the reasons why.

-- within the machines capability and the adjustment range of the car -- the customer wanted. In fact I had one tech ask me if I wanted a custom alignment and I declined.

I didn't buy my car there (also an 01 S) but they did warranty work on it and have done some since. No complaints. I have not asked about the alignment in a while so maybe I will again and see if they will do it.

alignments came up and one tech told of working on a race team with several -- 5 or 6 drivers -- and each driver's car was set up differently. Yet the drivers were quite close to each regarding their lap times.

The point is each driver will have his own preferences. Know yours or be prepared to spend some time with the car set up stock until you figure out what you want and then try to limit the number of things you change at one time. Going all in for different front and rear camber, different front and rear toe, different tire pressures (or different tires) and so on, is generally just asking for trouble.

My two cents is that until i am a very advanced driver, capable of initiating , controlling and terminating slides at any time with ease, i want a fairly neutral alignment, at least w/r/t toe. There are many reasons i wont go into now, btu would be happy to elaborate on later.

But i think we have more opporutnity to mes up a car than ti fix it.

Now, when camber is the issue i have a different opinion - for a street drivenm car, keep it low both to minimize inner tire wear and to maximize fel and rubber onthe road.

For track driven, or really hard driven cars, mroe camber, within reason, is better. Anywhere frm -1.5 to -3 degrees typically. If yu want more than that you are already druiving at a very hgh level and likely have a complete track car (not street legal or at lest nto street practical).

When my toe deviates from neutral things always feel squirrely, and, inf act, it measn your tires are scrubbing. That is the beginning of a slide (transition from static and rolling friction to rolling and sliding friction(s), different coefficients) and under neutral conditions can;t be good.

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

I don't want anything radical. Just a bit more negative camber up front to lessen understeer and even out the track tire wear a little. Otherwise, it's mostly a street car and I like it as-is.

There is no adjustment provided for at all. The onyl trick is to slip the upper strut mount in whatever play exists in the mountng holes.

Even with modestly lowered suspension, i maxed out at -0.4 deg and zero cross-camber.

For comparison my Audi S6 wagon has -1.7 deg and zero CC.

Yuo can dial in liots with either

a) upper camber plates (but those mean solid bushings)
b) GT3 adjustable lower control arms (nice, but costrly, i'll go that route eventually

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

Thanks for the info. I looked into control arms. Too pricey for now but I will probably do it at some point.

texts me with questions too. You need a rapport.

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

Bought my '01S from Stevenson last fall. They were pretty easy to deal with and pretty laid back. Wish I lived a bit closer to actually try out their service department for some programming I want done. I am stuck in the middle in Boulder between dealerships in Denver and Fort Collins. Sucks to drive 1 hr either way for dealer parts.