[doggonit]

I wanted to share my experience today with my 92 Black Cabriolet.



Everything has been going well over the last couple of days while I was completing the koni conversion on the front struts. Nice and easy with the help of the forums and yes....I didn't need a spring compressor.



I finally got everything put back together without any problems and went to get an alignment from my local NTB shop. They wanted $179 for an alignment. "Your car is an exotic....no one else will do it for less" I told them....I bet I could get get it aligned for $60.



I went a couple of miles down the street and found a Firestone that was willing to do the alignment for $59.



Here's where the fun starts..............



I waited around for them about an hour while they were fussing with their alignment machine and the interference that the sunlight was causing. I finally ran out of patience and said I would come back later when the sun wasn't an issue.



As they were backing the car off of the alignment rack, the lower chin spoiler caught on the rack and partially pulled the bumper cover off and snagged chin spoiler pretty good.



After I gathered myself a few minutes later......(I get a gold star for not coming unglued and keeping my composure).......I went underneath the car to survey the damage.



The chin spoiler was broken from the four large mounting bolts......I could make it work.



The manager was cool and said he was sorry and his guys should have been more careful.



The good news is that he called on the way home and said that he just finished ordering a new chin spoiler from the porsche dealer for me.



Has anyone had any similar experiences while having their baby worked on?

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[4matic]

I pay $200+ for all my alignments at a local frame shop. Takes them 2-3 hours to get it right. Worth every penny..



I did have a tow truck smash up my car. Not totally his fault as I tried to advise him how to do it. Now I carry a tow hook..

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[rxter]

Just finished getting some work done (oil cooler lines, sender unit, odds and ends) and the chin cover was a bit droopy (about 1" of hang). We drilled a couple of holes and put several tie wraps to keep it up. I was worried about exactly the same thing - backing off a rack. I backed off the rack at the local tire shop with no problems. Cheap fix and it worked fine.

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[xrad]

wow, free new chin spoiler..

.....where is this shop?



If it comes through, that manager should get a serious thank you..



How did the alignment come out?

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[doggonit]

[quote name='4matic' post='49631' date='Mar 22 2008, 10:46 PM']I pay $200+ for all my alignments at a local frame shop. Takes them 2-3 hours to get it right. Worth every penny..



I did have a tow truck smash up my car. Not totally his fault as I tried to advise him how to do it. Now I carry a tow hook..[/quote]

When I first received delivery of this car, the shipper evidently attached the winch to the sway bay. I didn't notice the sway bar weirdness until after I had signed off on the delivery.



I guess I was too excited to finally get her delivered and I didn't take all of the time I should have to inspect everything as thoroughly as I should have. Fortunately it wasn't too bad and I was able to fix it.



[quote name='rxter' post='49641' date='Mar 23 2008, 08:58 AM']Just finished getting some work done (oil cooler lines, sender unit, odds and ends) and the chin cover was a bit droopy (about 1" of hang). We drilled a couple of holes and put several tie wraps to keep it up. I was worried about exactly the same thing - backing off a rack. I backed off the rack at the local tire shop with no problems. Cheap fix and it worked fine.[/quote]

It wasn't too bad. I was able to put larger washers on the underside mounting points and it seems to be holding up ok.

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[doggonit]

[quote name='xrad' post='49642' date='Mar 23 2008, 09:45 AM']wow, free new chin spoiler..

.....where is this shop?



If it comes through, that manager should get a serious thank you..



How did the alignment come out?[/quote]

I'm not telling anyone where the shop is until everthing is sorted out. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Fortunately while I was waiting on the work being done, I had established a good rapport with the manager. If he does come through, he will definitely get a letter of recommendation.

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[Gotter]

Can't comment on 968 work... haven't got mine yet, BUT a couple of weeks ago I had my wifes car (Outback) in for services, to include an oil change. I woulda done it myself, but it was in for other stuff... it was already on the rack, so might as well.



30 minute job, no one in front of me... 3 1/2 hours later... it finally comes down. The manager had come out and told me that not only was this service free, so was the next one.



What happened? Apparently the oil pan and the transmission pan are identical. The tech didn't realize his mistake until the plug was pulled. Idiot.



Yeah. So I got a free transmission flush and two free oil changes out of the whole ordeal.



Don't think I'll be taking my baby there when I finally get it down here, though.

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[RPM]

Tire mounting and alignment seem such an easy thing... and yet.



There is only one shop that I let do this type of work. The owner is meticulous to a fault and uses the latest equipment. He does mostly Porsche/BMW/etc. When mounting tires he takes the time to not only take off old wheel weights, but to clean off any discoloration or adhesive. He also refuses to answer his phone when he is doing an alignment. He is not a volume guy and has no problem with sending away a waiting customer while he spends the time to 'get it right.'



Enthusiasts travel from across the mid-Atlantic to his shop. He is relatively close to VIR so it is not out of the ordinary for him to be finishing up someone's race car when you arrive (he is also a suspension wizard). I just bought new tires and I'm looking forward to spending a few hours with him. Not cheap, but worth every penny.



Brad Moyer

Digital Chassis

Durham, NC

no website - leave him a message and he might return your call.

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[doggonit]

Picked up my new chin spoiler today! The manager came through and fixed what his guy's damaged. It's nice to see some integrity and honesty out there.



I didn't let them put the new one on....I want to take the opportunity to do some cleaning while I am changing it out.

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