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Old 06-08-2013, 02:26 PM   #26
rickrobin
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sgold - Steering didn't feel any different afterward, but it felt fine beforehand.

Sti - Actually, they didn't give me the alignment sheet, oddly. Guess I should get a copy - especially since I'm wondering now if they actually did what they said they did. Anyway, I'm going to have a different dealership balance them (vibration between about 77 and 84 mph) in a week or so, and see what they have to say.

Here's the whole story: At the 7500 mi oil change, the mechanic said the tires were wearing fine. That was at a dealership I sometimes use (where I'm going for the balancing), not the one closest to me, who did the alignment, and had also done my 15,000 mi oil change, at which time they said nothing about uneven tire wear. Doesn't mean there wasn't any, of course, but I assumed they'd have said something after my experience with the other guys, and I didn't think about it.

I bought a set of winter wheels/tires and put them on myself at 17,000 mi, and didn't think to check the Avids for wear then; but when I went to switch back in the spring, I noticed the problem. (Like - whoa, what's this?!) So presumably the uneven wear happened between 7500 and 17,000 mi.

I put the OEM wheels back in the same positions, as they'd only been there for 2000 mi since the last rotation, but the mechanic said the front tires were the worst, and recommended putting them on the back (which I shortly did). He suggested a front alignment, saying the front was much more likely to be out than the back - which I would have though too, but this is my first AWD car. And as I say, the front tires had only been on there for the previous 2000 miles.... So I had them do a 4 wheel alignment. There's about 3,000 more miles on them since then, and it looks to me like the rears have evened out a lot; but the fronts again seem to be wearing more inside. We'll see what the other (I think better) dealer has to say. BTW, should they do a 4 wheel balance for free?
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Old 06-08-2013, 04:19 PM   #27
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I just got home with my new tire depth gauge. I'm seeing 7/32-inch on the outside and 8/32-inch on the inside of three tires, with an even 8/32-inch across the driver's-side front tire.

So if anything, my tires are wearing faster on the outer edge than on the inner edge.

I don't think I'll have much to complain about when I bring the Impreza in for its inspection this Tuesday evening.
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Old 06-08-2013, 05:00 PM   #28
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Steve - How many miles/rotations?
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Old 06-08-2013, 05:17 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rickrobin View Post
Steve - How many miles/rotations?
I knew someone would ask me that.

I do my tire rotations as part of my swap between summer and winter tires. My Impreza is almost exactly one year old now (thus the NYS inspection I'm about to have done). According to my records, I took off my Yokos and installed my winter wheels/tires at 7407 miles. I then put my Yokos back on in the spring when the Impreza had 13,725 miles on the odometer. So I put 6318 miles on my winter tires/wheels.

The Impreza currently has approximately 15,500 miles on the odometer. So my Yokos currently have approximately 9200 miles on them. They've been rotated once (when I installed them again in the spring, when they had the original 7407 miles on them).

For what it's worth, I inflate my tires 3 pounds high (35 front/33 rear), and drive conservatively MOST of the time (but not always; when I'm on my favorite on-ramp, I get pretty rowdy ).
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Old 06-08-2013, 05:22 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sgoldste01 View Post
I knew someone would ask me that.

I do my tire rotations as part of my swap between summer and winter tires. My Impreza is almost exactly one year old now (thus the NYS inspection I'm about to have done). According to my records, I took off my Yokos and installed my winter wheels/tires at 7407 miles. I then put my Yokos back on in the spring when the Impreza had 13,725 miles on the odometer. So I put 6318 miles on my winter tires/wheels.

The Impreza currently has approximately 15,500 miles on the odometer. So my Yokos currently have approximately 9200 miles on them. They've been rotated once (when I installed them again in the spring, when they had the original 7407 miles on them).

For what it's worth, I inflate my tires 3 pounds high (35 front/33 rear), and drive conservatively MOST of the time (but not always; when I'm on my favorite on-ramp, I get pretty rowdy ).
Right. And mine were supposedly perfect at 7500 miles. Guess you'll be keeping an eye on things! I'll post if the dealer has anything edifying to say.
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Old 06-08-2013, 05:31 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rickrobin View Post
Right. And mine were supposedly perfect at 7500 miles.
I can't imagine why tires would wear well the first 7500 miles, and then shortly thereafter start not wearing well if nothing dramatic has happened (like running into a curb, or through a big pothole).
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Old 06-08-2013, 07:02 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sgoldste01 View Post
I can't imagine why tires would wear well the first 7500 miles, and then shortly thereafter start not wearing well if nothing dramatic has happened (like running into a curb, or through a big pothole).
Welp, dealer said alignment was within spec.
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Old 06-08-2013, 07:19 PM   #33
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What are you suggesting? That someone who has tires that are wearing well, and who has a steering wheel that's centered correctly, and whose car doesn't pull, shouldn't believe that the alignment is good?
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Old 06-08-2013, 08:04 PM   #34
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I still haven't gotten my free alignment (1 from Subaru, don't let your dealer charge for it), and was waiting for most of the potholes to be filled from the winter before I got it.
Everyone automaticly gets one free alignment?! Thats news to me. My dealership definitely charged me for my alignment.
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Old 06-08-2013, 08:24 PM   #35
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Everyone automaticly gets one free alignment?! Thats news to me. My dealership definitely charged me for my alignment.
If that was your first alignment, call SOA Monday morning and let them know this. My dealership charged me too, $100.74. I called them, then sent a scanned copy of the invoice showing the alignment and I had a full refund by check in about 10 days.
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Old 06-08-2013, 08:33 PM   #36
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Quote:
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What are you suggesting? That someone who has tires that are wearing well, and who has a steering wheel that's centered correctly, and whose car doesn't pull, shouldn't believe that the alignment is good?
What can I tell you? It seems like the spec is somewhat over-broad; or else there's some other design problem in the suspension. Again, my alignment was supposedly within spec, with no discernible handling anomalies, yet my tires developed considerable extra inside wear over time - as apparently was the case with the originator of this thread, and others, including those the guy at my dealership was referring to when he said he was seeing a great deal of this on these cars with these tires.
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Old 06-08-2013, 08:45 PM   #37
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It would be interesting to know what measurements you would have come up with when your tires had approx 9k miles on them (as mine do now). I think mine are wearing evenly enough that I don't have a case for demanding a free alignment.
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Old 06-08-2013, 08:59 PM   #38
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Well, we'll see what happens with this. It is a new model - maybe something's up. Meanwhile, you've got your handy dandy new tire depth gage; just keep an eye on things.
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Old 06-10-2013, 02:24 PM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CLL_OBP View Post

If that was your first alignment, call SOA Monday morning and let them know this. My dealership charged me too, $100.74. I called them, then sent a scanned copy of the invoice showing the alignment and I had a full refund by check in about 10 days.
Hey, thanks a ton for that information! I actually just got off the phone with someone at SOA and they're sending me out a reimbursement check for my alignment. Should have it in 7-10 days.
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Old 06-10-2013, 03:42 PM   #40
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Hey, thanks a ton for that information! I actually just got off the phone with someone at SOA and they're sending me out a reimbursement check for my alignment. Should have it in 7-10 days.
Your welcome
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Old 06-11-2013, 08:31 PM   #41
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I learned something interesting at the dealership tonight.

I was there primarily for my first NYS inspection, but because of this thread I asked them to check the alignment. Later, the service writer came out and told me that I was all set, and that the alignment showed everything is in spec.

I asked to see the alignment numbers, so he handed me a sheet. Not only was the car alignment in spec, but all of the parameters were almost perfectly in the middle of each spec's range.

All but one: The right rear's Camber was at -1.9 degrees, with the spec being from -2.0 to -0.5 degrees. So I said, "I'm not liking that this one parameter is at the very edge of the spec. What would it take to bring the right rear's Camber into the middle of the range?"

He said that the rears are not adjustable, and that all alignment changes are made at the front. So, since it was in spec and couldn't be improved, I left.

Is this accurate? Is it true the alignment of the rear can't be improved? Should I have handled this situation any differently?
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Old 06-11-2013, 08:39 PM   #42
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Hmmm interesting.
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Old 06-11-2013, 08:43 PM   #43
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I answered my own question by looking in the service manual, which states:

NOTE:
  • Front toe-in, rear toe-in and front camber can be adjusted. Adjust if the value of toe-in or camber exceeds the tolerance range of the specification chart.
  • Other items except for front toe-in, rear toe-in and front camber that are described in the specification chart cannot be adjusted. If other items exceed the tolerance range of the specification chart, check the suspension parts and connections for deformation. If defective, replace with new parts.


So I guess my service department was correct, at least as it pertains to rear camber.
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Old 06-11-2013, 09:16 PM   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sgoldste01 View Post
I answered my own question by looking in the service manual, which states:

NOTE:
[*]Front toe-in, rear toe-in and front camber can be adjusted. Adjust if the value of toe-in or camber exceeds the tolerance range of the specification chart.[*]Other items except for front toe-in, rear toe-in and front camber that are described in the specification chart cannot be adjusted. If other items exceed the tolerance range of the specification chart, check the suspension parts and connections for deformation. If defective, replace with new parts.


So I guess my service department was correct, at least as it pertains to rear camber.
Its true you can't adjust subaru camber in the rear on stock suspension you can buy an adjustable arm but they are pretty spendy...but if your lowered then the camber will go negative depending on how low but its strange that only one side is like that from what I saw you post. You can always do a visual check of the suspension from one side to the other and see if anything is bent or just looks different
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Old 06-11-2013, 09:26 PM   #45
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sti_LGT View Post
Its true you can't adjust subaru camber in the rear on stock suspension you can buy an adjustable arm but they are pretty spendy...but if your lowered then the camber will go negative depending on how low but its strange that only one side is like that from what I saw you post. You can always do a visual check of the suspension from one side to the other and see if anything is bent or just looks different
I'm guessing it's fine. It's in spec, even if it's close to the edge of the spec. And my tires are wearing well at all four corners.

My right rear camber is -1.9 degrees, and the left rear camber is -1.3 degrees (which is right in the middle of the spec range).

I'll be sure to keep an eye on it, though.
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Old 06-12-2013, 08:35 AM   #46
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sgoldste01 View Post
My right rear camber is -1.9 degrees, and the left rear camber is -1.3 degrees (which is right in the middle of the spec range).
One thing I need to figure out is how to translate tenths of a degree to degrees and minutes.

According to the printout the dealership gave me, my right rear camber is -1.9 degrees on the right side and -1.3 degrees on the left side. However, the service manual says that the rear camber should be -1 degree 15 minutes, with a tolerance of plus/minus 0 degrees 45 minutes, and with the difference between the left and right sides being 45 minutes or less.

According to my research, a degree is broken into 60 minutes. So -1.9 degrees on my right rear side should be the same as saying -1 degree 54 minutes. Likewise, -1.3 degrees on my left rear side should be the same as saying -1 degree 18 minutes. This makes for a difference of 36 minutes between my right and left sides, so my tolerance is also in spec.

Do those of you more familiar with this stuff agree with my math? Am I interpreting the dealer printout as compared to the service manual correctly?
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Old 06-12-2013, 11:59 AM   #47
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Yep, 60 minutes per degree. 15 minutes = .25 degree. You're correct in your math!
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Old 06-12-2013, 01:03 PM   #48
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Yep, 60 minutes per degree. 15 minutes = .25 degree. You're correct in your math!
Great, thanks for confirming!
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Old 08-15-2013, 06:20 PM   #49
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So now my wheel balance has gone to hell with the wearing of the tires - maybe related to the uneven inside wear. (At least I HOPE it's wheel balance!) Between about 76 and 84 mph the thing vibrates pretty damn good. I'll be lucky to get through the season on these, so I'm trying to forego a $100 + 4 wheel balancing, but I hate it so much I don't know.
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Old 08-15-2013, 07:08 PM   #50
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Could be separated tire (s) so be careful could be a bad ending..
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