Alignment Issues

[The Baron]

Hey, guys.

Just had an alignment done on my '87 535iS, and it's still pulling pretty hard to the left. I called the shop who did it, and they said it may be an issue in the tie rods or a camber issue.

He said he aligned it to the proper specs, etc. Is it possible some of these 84-million potholes I've gone over on these God-forsaken Virginia roadways have caused something that cannot be fixed by a simple alignment?

What would you look for first, second, third in a case like this?

~ Ryan

[Sydgar]

Interesting - I also have an issue with steering pullling to the left and I just had the alignment checked yesterday. The service guy said my alignment was good and without digging further he felt the pulling was a tire problem. He did flip the fronts but still pulled left, however, he still maintains it is tire related. I am getting ready to put new tires on anyway.

The shop that did the alignment came very highly reccomended and although it is NOT a BMW shop there were no less than half a dozen other BMWs there so it seemed to me they knew what they were doing.

He did tell me that my tie rods and drag link are worn out and was fine that I would be changing those myself.

[The Baron]

Hmmmm...yeah, all my front-end suspension parts were replaced only about 12-15k miles ago. I just had tires put on that came on my new Style 5s, but the pulling to the left was occurring with my other tires as well.

So I'm really at a loss.

[Bimmerguy2002]

You guys are forgetting one thing, only the toe is adjustable.
Camber, rear camber, rear toe, bushings, etc...all play a role in alignment. You need to get a proper readout on a laser alignment rack and post it here.
In addition, mounting points get tweaked over time, as well as driver weight to take into consideration.

[The Baron]

[Bimmerguy2002]

Even firestone has them, most places SHOULD have one of them, there really is no proper and quick way to do it without one.
Without a printout there is no way to tell what was done or where you are at.
You may have to pay a little extra to get a readout.
I know some people may not like the company firestone (if you have them in your area) but for like 160 bucks, you get infinite alignments for the life of the car. I had that when i had my first car and abused it
You can just call around though, if they dont know what it is they dont need to be working on cars.

[Sydgar]