My tie rods are worn out, both sides they have a lot of play, there are other suspension parts i'm addressing as well. I walked into a local independent stealer ********, they wanted $180!

Surely there's a place that's cheaper and does a great job.

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1998 Ford Escort ZX2 5 speed - 279,000 miles My Daily

1992 Mercedes 300D 2.5 202,000 - Pure junk
2000 Mercedes E320 Black - 136,000 miles - Needs repair

Don't forget to grease the screw and threads on the spring compressor.

I'd imagine $100 is the very cheapest you could get an alignment. (1 hours labor) and that $150 is probably gonna be your avg.

You can also do this job yourself with string line...

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Oh, well I'll quit wining about price then, hopefully I can find a reputable place.

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1998 Ford Escort ZX2 5 speed - 279,000 miles My Daily

1992 Mercedes 300D 2.5 202,000 - Pure junk
2000 Mercedes E320 Black - 136,000 miles - Needs repair

Don't forget to grease the screw and threads on the spring compressor.

Ya I can t help u find a place I'm in Seattle. I still don't get why it seems everyone on this forum is on the eastern seaboard.... Haha it's kinda crazy


And don't quote me on that info but that's just what id expect, I've always done it the Jerry rig way with a string line. It just seems that no matter what you do with your car these days it costs $200 or more

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Look up Bert's alignment. If Bert is still there, he's the man. Old guy who can even do it with strings.

I can't remember pricing, probably mid $100s. FWIW, I take all of my cars to Gran Turismo East here in Atlanta. Same shop that does all of Porsche NA's cars from down the road, plus it's a hub for high performance cars all over the city. Very good group of techs there. A front a rear job is $150.

I'd take it to an independent shop. At a dealer the alignments aren't anything special. It's a toe-n-go. They won't adjust your camber or caster. Mom and pop is the way to go and $180 isn't that bad. 150 is the regular

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Only diesels in this driveway.
2005 E320 CDI 243k Black/Black
2008 Chevy 3500HD Duramax 340k
2004 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 220k

Wherever you go, have them give you prints of the before and after readings.

Are you doing the tie rods yourself?

Yes I am doing the tie rods myself, I saw someone using a dial caliper to get the tie rod close enough to where the car is drivable enough to go to the alignment shop.

I want to try out that method.

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1998 Ford Escort ZX2 5 speed - 279,000 miles My Daily

1992 Mercedes 300D 2.5 202,000 - Pure junk
2000 Mercedes E320 Black - 136,000 miles - Needs repair

Don't forget to grease the screw and threads on the spring compressor.

WILL GO STRAIGHT (haha, i'll try) THERE, thank you!

__________________
1998 Ford Escort ZX2 5 speed - 279,000 miles My Daily

1992 Mercedes 300D 2.5 202,000 - Pure junk
2000 Mercedes E320 Black - 136,000 miles - Needs repair

Don't forget to grease the screw and threads on the spring compressor.