Tracking

[raynoon]

I took one of the cars to get its tracking done yesterday at National Tyres, and was told they no longer have the data for the Citroen XM.

So, who's had tracking done, where did you have it done and did you encounter any problems along the way?

I find it strange that a leading high street retailer no longer has details on a car that only went out of production 16 years ago?

[jamescarruthers]

Kwik Fit did mine a few months ago.
If it is a real problem, I can get you the data from my Peter Russel book; it might also be in the Haynes too.

[Jan-hendrik]

I had the tracking test done by a joint called Mister Tyre Man exactly a year ago.

Citroen specs are as follows:

Front
Caster 2 ﾟ00' ～ 3ﾟ00'
Camber -0ﾟ30' ～ 0ﾟ30'
Toe -2.5mm ～ 0.0mm

Rear
Camber -1ﾟ10' ～ -0ﾟ30'
Toe 0.4mm ～ 5.6mm

[Jan-hendrik]

The only problem I had with the tracking done was that it cost 20,000 yen. Only the front toe was adjusted which seemed to have influenced the rear angle as well, but all within limits. The car still pulls to the left.　I assume that to be due to worn bushes.

[jamescarruthers]

I was shocked that it was just short of £50! Your price in Yen in insane!

The new machines at Kwik Fit apparently cost a fortune, hence the price hike.

[Jan-hendrik]

The price in Yen may look insane, but I have seen how much time the technicians spend on setting up the car and equipment, program the machines, make adjustments, measure again, deliver the car back to the dealer, etc. Not to talk about the cost of the equipment. Ever had an MRI or CT scan? Ever wonder what the technicians get paid for their work? You'd have a reason to be shocked then. No offense intended
I've never owned a Toy0t@ car but 30 years ago one of my students, a T owner told me his dealer charges 9,500 yen for an hour's work. Notice how long ago that was. The dealers and their workers have a right to make a living. What they deliver is not conveyor line. Just read today that the average annual starting pay in the UK is 28,000 pounds. Got to come from somewhere.

[Dieselman]

If you think fully skilled Tyre fitters get anywhere near £28k you must have been smoking something good.

The machine does all the work and new ones are very quick to setup. Surprisingly rental is as cheap as about £22 per day for a Hunter Elite and about £35 is the standard price for 4 wheel alignment with simple adjustments. You can buy quality systems from the manufacturers for several thousand pounds.

As said already, front toe is 0-3mm toe out, rear is 0.4-5.6mm toe in.

The XM is only adjustable for front toe, so any other adjustments mean there is a problem which needs parts.

I have my own 4 wheel alignment guages and used them to good effect on the rear of the Cobalt car, which was tracking right all the time. I can measure toe, caster, camber, wheel set back, amongst others.
The rear o/s wheel must have taken a bash and was making the toe in too great that side. I trued the trailing arm flange back to true.

Jan, have a proper 4 wheel alignment performed and check the rears are true, or if you have a large enough garage, or smooth, flat piece of land, you can set the wheel alignment up with string.

[Jan-hendrik]

I had an alignment test done a year ago by a reputable outfit. Just the name sounds funny. The front toe angle was adjusted from 2.5mm to minus 1.3mm. All other measurements were within limits. The slight pull to the left remains a mystery. Tyres have been rotated, changed, renewed. Nothing changed.

[MTXM]

I had quite a significant left pull on my lhd 24v, although there was no irregular wear on the tyres. A local garage that I use for my MOTs made the necessary adjustments and I was charged for one hour's work (£30). The re-alignment made a real difference to driving pleasure and I guess with the Diravi self-centering feature the problem was increased! Regards, Matthew T.

[Peter.N.]

I always set mine parallel to slight tow in using a length of threaded rod inside some metal conduit tube, never had any problems in about 250k miles.

Peter