Doing alignment with rear airbags turned off

[Eric91Z]

Has anyone ever figured out if having an alignment done with the rear air bags turned off effects the alignment settings?

My car was in the shop for the last 10 days for repairs from me hitting a curb after swerving to missing a car that was about to hit me. Anyway, on the second day it was at the shop I stopped by to check on it and they had it lifted off the ground. Checked and the rear air bags were still turned on. I showed them that and turned them off at the time.

Anyway, went to pick the car up yesterday after work and it is sitting outside their shop with the rear sitting low. Check and sure enought the rear air bags were not turned back on. So they did the new alignment (supposedly to CarFixer's specs, but I do not have the printout) and the test drive with the rear air bags off.

Any idea if this would mess with the alignment settings they did? Any potential damage to the rear air bags with them driving the car with them turned off?

Let me know what you think.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

You had to tell the shop to turn the air bags off? That's not a good sign.

[Eric91Z]

You had to tell the shop to turn the air bags off? That's not a good sign.

Yeah, that was a different issue. I am guessing the service department might have caught it, but the collision center where the car was at for repairs did not.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

Camber would be most markedly affected by ride height, plus toe will change slightly since suspension geometry is never ever perfect. Is camber even adjustable? I would think that since it is a solid rear it isn't.

That being said, I would definitely make the shop redo the alignment at ride height.

[RoyLPita]

Camber would be most markedly affected by ride height, plus toe will change slightly since suspension geometry is never ever perfect. Is camber even adjustable? I would think that since it is a solid rear it isn't.

That being said, I would definitely make the shop redo the alignment at ride height.

+1 on redoing the alignment to Carfixer's specs and telling them to turn off the rear air suspension properly.

[Eric91Z]

Well, called the guy from the the collision center at the dealership that was handling this and expressed my alignment concerns. He said he would call the service guy that handled the alignment. Called me back and said they had turned the rear air bags on during that alignment and that it must have gotten turned back off for the oil change they did later and not turned back on. He also said he has the print out for the alignment that he will give me when I stop in to have the driver's side fog light checked (the beam is going vertically instead of horizantally like the passenger side does..)

[magindat]

Well, called the guy from the the collision center at the dealership that was handling this and expressed my alignment concerns. He said he would call the service guy that handled the alignment. Called me back and said they had turned the rear air bags on during that alignment and that it must have gotten turned back off for the oil change they did later and not turned back on. He also said he has the print out for the alignment that he will give me when I stop in to have the driver's side fog light checked (the beam is going vertically instead of horizantally like the passenger side does..)

The light is installed 90 degrees out. Have them make sure both read CIBIE correctly in the glass. Don't want it to end up upside down! As you can see, the beams are 'focussed' to a certain shape! It's just 4 screws, rotate and 4 screws back in. 10 minutes, max.

[Eric91Z]

The light is installed 90 degrees out. Have them make sure both read CIBIE correctly in the glass. Don't want it to end up upside down! As you can see, the beams are 'focussed' to a certain shape! It's just 4 screws, rotate and 4 screws back in. 10 minutes, max.


Cool. Thanks for that information. Knowing there are 4 screws holding it ni makes sense how it could be 90 degrees off. I was figuring it was just 2 screws like other cars I have had with foglights.