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[markjodrell]

I have spoken to the "boss" at the garage and he got a bit shirty saying that it was set according the Vx guide, end off. He says if its not right now there must be something bent which is bull as its unlikely that both side would be "bent" the gap is about 2 mm. I was even temped to jack the car up and simple slacken the bolts and move the wheel away from the shock absorber to a gap of 10mm , for both sides, that should give the correct clearance. First though I will put the original spare wheel (same size) and just see if the new budjet front tyes are slightly "fatter" than the original.

[markjodrell]

[Having paid 70 quid then I would expect you to have a before and after geometry report, do you have this as it should include the camber values.

Beware that if you have to much camber then you will eat the inside edges of the tyres.[/quote]



No report given , just said tracking and camber adjusted to within manufacturers specifications

[Marks DTM Calib]

Very poor service, name and shame please so we can avoid them in future.

As for camber setting, adjusting the camber will throw the track out.


It can be set pretty accurately using a spirit level and ruler with some flat ground

[feeutfo]

[Having paid 70 quid then I would expect you to have a before and after geometry report, do you have this as it should include the camber values.

Beware that if you have to much camber then you will eat the inside edges of the tyres.

No report given , just said tracking and camber adjusted to within manufacturers specifications [/quote]

Sorry mate, but thats appaling. No evidence they did anything at all/ did it correctly. Considering all that, if you paid by card, i would be on to the bank to get my money back.
 Putting that aside for a minute, please get it reset at a reputable company, wheels in motion for instance or pm albatross for the password to the oof map for the nearest alignment place to you as recommended by members on here. In the mean time please keep a very close eye on the inside edge of your tires, suggest parking with wheels on full lock so you can see the inside.

As said, whats the name and location of this shower of crap/company. They did give you a receipt i take it?

[Martin_1962]

Definately use WIM - worth the trip

[markjodrell]

Hi wim is too farfor me, I live in Stoke-on-Trent, does anyboy know of a centre near Stoke

[markjodrell]

I must admit this camber thing is really becoming a pain. I have had the car for just over a week , in that time I have had two tyres put on and the tracking adjusted. I then had the camber set at another garage, by eye which made it too "straight. I then had too have the tracking done again at another garage(another bill). i then went to what I thought was a reputable place who adjusted the camber and the tracking yet again( he talked a good job)( for another £70). End result is one tyre is barely 2 mm from touching the side of the shock absorber and the other side is barely more .
Incidently I have put a spirit level on the wheel from top to bottom, one side is definatley leaning in more than the other, excuse my ignorance but I take it that both sides should be identical.
As I have said if anybody knows of a localish company who can once and for all put my mind at rest on this one, near Stoke-on-Trent , I would really appreciate it,Thankyou.
Having just got a new car I should be spending my time driving or cleaning it , not going from garage to garage. I did also contact the main dealers , Greenhous, couldnt believe that the main dealer ship in the area for Vauxhall slaes and repairs said they could not check the camber. I also asked Kwik Fit, they couldnt either, would like to know then how they can change suspension parts, shockers etc but they cannot check the camber after, very strange. All I can think is that there must be a hell of a lot of cars on the road with the cambers out.

[jonathanh]

you could try chemix autocentres in birmingham.  
i think at one point that WIM may have said they've got the right equipment to do the job.

i went there for 4 new tyres and enquired about checking camber.  their response was:  don't waste your money mate.  the wear on the old set is pretty even, so it can't be far out.  I thought that was fair enough really as it was try and it did them out of some money!

[markjodrell]

Mark DTM

I have noticed in a previous post of yours regarding camber you said the following:-
1' 20'' is the value I target for front camber......and both as close to each other as possible.....on most Omegas this is about as little camber as the adjustment will allow you to set.....

Could you tell me if when you say as little adjustment that will allow is that referring to as close to the shock absorber without touching or the opposite way as far a way from the shocker as possible?

[Marks DTM Calib]

Mark DTM

I have noticed in a previous post of yours regarding camber you said the following:-
1' 20'' is the value I target for front camber......and both as close to each other as possible.....on most Omegas this is about as little camber as the adjustment will allow you to set.....

Could you tell me if when you say as little adjustment that will allow is that referring to as close to the shock absorber without touching or the opposite way as far a way from the shocker as possible?

The opposite, as far from the strutt as it will go (normaly a few mm of adjustement left).

We now use closer to -1deg 10'

[markjodrell]

Thank you Mark

I am going down to the garage to ask him what the values are that he set.(as he will not answer my emails)

I know he will blind me with science, say its other reasons etc etc and be quite abrupt then dismisive as he was on the phone when I spoke to him. I will guess he will not have any values to give to me as it was done by eye.

[Marks DTM Calib]

What you will find is that if you place a spirit level aginst the lowest part of the wheel rim there is about an 8mm gap between the level (at true vertical) and the rim at the top when the camber is correct.

As above, the Vx specs are as already listed

[Omega Pixie]

When I changed my front shocks I didnt buy genuine spares and they were gas shocks .When I had the wheel alingnment done thay told me there was very little clearance between the struts and tyers sorry cant remember size the bigest the car would take. when I got it home I checked the old shocks and the tube on the new shocks were 6mm bigger dia tubes I ended up putting 3 mm spacers behind the wheels to increase the clearance.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Tube size should have little affect as this can be compensated (to an extent) by the position of the lower mount.....as said, most cars will have 10mm ish sapce when the camber is correct....so a tube that is 6mm larger will only eat into this by 3mm....

By the way, Omega shocks are all gas ones.....from day one of manufacture!  

[markjodrell]

Just back from a stand up with the guy at the garage.

The camber for both wheels is set at   -2  .1

he said this is within the tolerence and fine the max being -2  .45 he said according to Vx. The chap seems to know what he is talking about and after banging his books around etc said he wanted another £60 to do a reset as he had already done the job within the tolerences.

I argue the point that the setting was pretty much at the end of the Vx tollerence and said that if a tolerence was say 1 to 10 I would go for 5 not 10, if you get my meaning. Eventually he told me to bring it in on Tuesday pm and he would set it to what ever I wanted. I told him I wanted -1 deg  10`, he said fine but it could affect other things like self centering etc.  I am a bit concerned now as if I have any issues after the setting is done I will have absolutley no come back having specified what I want