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Garage X - Episode 6 - DIY Wheel Alignment Part 1

Are you sick of heading to the alignment shop every time you replace something in the front end of your car? Want to do a custom alignment for weekend of ...

User Comments

Geo K commented on 27 Nov 2015

Is there a reason why you left the string a foot away from the wheels? The least without touching anything works best, less chance of an idiot tripping over it too...

Garage X Television commented on 02 Dec 2015

+Geo K: No, you could set it up with the strings closer if you wanted to. We were just trying to give ourselves room to work and film. As long as you are getting good measurements, it won't effect the quality of the alignment you get at the end.

john argue commented on 21 May 2015

17:34 steering wheel holder... Lol.. BTW, drilling holes in a pipe and attaching strings to it, I'll pass. Rather do strings and just jack stands.

Garage X Television commented on 21 May 2015

+john argue Yup. That works too.

Nana T commented on 07 May 2015

have you ever tried the quicktrick system?

Nana T commented on 07 May 2015

+Garage X Television my husband uses it when he races an on our home cars.. I don;t know how to fix my alignment, but i use it to do regular check ups after I hit the curb or whatever else my eyes dont see.. so it helps me not have to tell him unless there is a problem.. I drove over an island in the mall once when i pulled forward and i thought for sure i had knocked it out, but I got lucky and it was within the specs from Toyota.

Garage X Television commented on 07 May 2015

+Nana T No, but it looks like another great at-home alignment tool. It does caster, camber, and toe, and it's made in the U.S.A. What's not to love? We were surprised at how many options there are out there for doing DIY alignments once we started getting into it. We'd love to hear more about it, if you have used a Quicktrick that you've been using in your garage.

marcus mcc commented on 05 Apr 2015

I wouldn't believe using the side of the tire as a plane would be very accurate. correct me if i'm wrong. Also wouldn't you have too ensure the wheels have no runout? speaking from experience larger vehicles tend too run out significantly.

marcus mcc commented on 06 Apr 2015

Thought so, cool show guys. The only reason i say about the tyre as a plane, I tryed once too align toe on the front of a road grader in a way similar to you, but i used two people rhs across the tyres instead of the flat plate setup you guys used. (I worked on these machines that did lots of driving job to job). The tyre (not rim) wasn't uniform enough in that application. we used hammer handle against the tyre method. I tested this jacking the wheel up and turning it. Tyre wear did improve afterwards. I totally agree with the idea of getting your car setup close as possible. Some vehicles aren't as easy to align, some use shims on control arms etc. These can be hard to get at, As these are altered or removed it changes multiple settings and can take significant time to correct. These often aren't corrected. Im looking at making a setup very similar to what you used.

Garage X Television commented on 05 Apr 2015

+marcus mcc Runout at the rim is an issue no matter if you are trying this at home, or up on an expensive alignment rack. You can measure from your laser line (or string) down the side of the vehicle to the frame or pinch weld in a couple of spots and make sure your line is really parallel. That should take out any runout error coming from your back axel. If you want to be super accurate, you'd probably want to check for front wheel runout with a dial indicator before getting started as well. We didn't get to this level of measurement while filming this episode, but it couldn't hurt if you are looking for that last bit of accuracy.

khlash commented on 02 Apr 2015

I'm a helicopter mechanic and we align rotor blades with a long string like that. If its good enough for a million dollar aircraft its probably good enough for some dudes Camry.

Garage X Television commented on 03 Apr 2015

+khlash We have it on good authority that the string method is actually MORE accurate than the commercial racks at the big shops. You never see a race car getting set up on an alignment machine. They all use string... Or so we're being told. Interesting. -Matt

Allen Huff commented on 14 Feb 2015

So witch method worked best?

GarageX Television commented on 14 Feb 2015

Part 2 will be launching soon! Thanks for watching. -Matt

DIY Alignment: Setting Toe with the String Method

User Comments

Andrew Gems commented on 07 Apr 2015

Back wheel is fixed straight? I have heard about rear wheel alignments using shims! Is this true, or did the dealer rip me off?

Craig Kohake commented on 12 May 2015

No, the rear wheels are not always perfectly straight, most front wheel drive cars have adjustable links in the rear to set toe, camber, and thrust angle. the one's that don't require shims. This method is good to get you close, to truly dial it requires a 4 wheel alignment with the proper equipment.

angelisone commented on 12 Mar 2015

You can adjust the Inner Tie Rods (driver/passenger) when all tires contacted the ground?

angelisone commented on 17 Apr 2015

+Brantley Smith So adjust them with wheels touched ground and set to 1/16" for zero front inner ward (wheels point front inward)?

Brantley Smith commented on 17 Apr 2015

+angelisone Yes, but it's not ideal. Might have to over-adjust and come back in with it so the adjustment is neutral (not loaded). Hard to explain, it's a feel thing.

dean r commented on 22 Feb 2015

Great video, got some good tips, thank you, my car feels much better to drive now

Brantley Smith commented on 03 Mar 2015

Glad it was helpful, thanks for watching.

mcculloughmike commented on 19 Feb 2015

Fishing line works great, also you can take a couple of 12"x12" vinyl floor tiles, smear a little grease between them, and put them under the tires and make a great little turn plate so that when you adjust the toe, they move in and out really easy.

Brantley Smith commented on 19 Feb 2015

Those are great ideas, thanks.

MikeTv commented on 30 Dec 2014

after the accident my Car steering wheel is not straight. this method will Align my steering wheel?

Brantley Smith commented on 30 Dec 2014

In this case you almost certainly have something bent or broken. Your vehicle should be evaluated by a professional.

DIY Alignment - Part 1

Do-it-yourself car alignment check. This video shows you how to check your car's alignment using tools you probably have laying around your garage.

User Comments

shepd3 commented on 14 Jul 2012

Sure, you could take half a day off work to go to the alignment shop that's only open business hours, spend 15 minutes driving there, 1 hour waiting around pointlessly, 15 minutes driving back, and then enjoy not having worked all that time (ie: using up half a vacation day or just not getting paid) and having spent $80. Or you could do it yourself in your own driveway after work when you're not being paid for free and enjoy a beer for a job well done. I prefer to do the work myself.

briansmobile1 commented on 17 Sep 2011

You've made a great video here. I really like your leveling trick and attention to detail. I'd like my subscribers to see this video. Would you make it a video response to my quick and dirty alignment video? This will likely result in you getting more subscribers. I'm subscribing to your channel and you'll likely get more. Great work here!

w103rtm commented on 27 Oct 2011

Checking the floor level is genious, never would have thought of doing that. But it is a perfect way to check level next to a fixed reference such as the ruler because the water level in the tube will always rest at the same level as the water level in the bucket because both are subject to the same atmospheric air pressure. Great video!

liveTwoFish commented on 26 Feb 2012

So far this looks awesome! Gonna check out pt 2 but before I do I got a quick question. Instead of using the water trick, could you just set up a laser and measure up to it on all four corners? I'm in construction and use this method all the time but obviously not in this application! Just a thought!!

Ali Demirci commented on 03 Jun 2012

You have saved my business over $3000 I have two taxi's on the road 24/7 every two weeks I was paying $65 each to save on tyre costs, it really works so thanks for the video. But for your average family car that would only need an alignment one's a year well it's not really worth the trouble...

orangejulius072 commented on 23 Mar 2010

garage floors are always always supposed to be slanted, never consider them perfectly level. i believe it's something like 1/16" every foot.. i used to be in architectural engineering, before i changed majors so i can't be 100% positive on that number

aanderson66 commented on 22 Jul 2009

how level will my truck need to be to adjust toe if my camber is preset at the factory and not adjustable? my garage is fairly level to begin with. i will do what you did to make sure its level if i need to but if i dont have to it would be nice

torilee27 commented on 06 Mar 2009

Thank you for your reply. So then, if the steering wheel is a bit off centered... that does not mean your alignment is off, right? The check would be to drive on a flat road, take hands off and see if it goes straight.. is this correct?

Bertsblurts commented on 16 Apr 2010

@torilee27 A steering wheel that is off center could be a simple toe adjustment mistake or it might be an indicator of more serious damaged parts. Get a PROFESIONAL to inspect and align your car.!

rxpx69 commented on 07 Apr 2010

@AutoXer DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THE REAR WHEELS ARE TOE IN (AND THEY CANT BE ADJUSTED) SHOULD THE FRONT WHEELS BE TOE IN TOO, THE SAME DISTANCE AS THE REAR IS TOE IN?? OR SET TO ZERO TOE??

portaaids commented on 07 Jun 2012

The water jack thing is brilliant, but couldn't you do away with the jack and just add more water to the bucket instead of jacking it up/down? Could be more accurate that way too.

plybuyer40 commented on 14 Jun 2012

no shit,,,,,,,alignments are not that expensive,and most are done in less than an hour(depending on how busy the shop is that day) and you get a warranty and the rest of your day

jamesnmandy commented on 17 Mar 2012

jesus christ man, my time is worth something....$80 and the local guy i know uses the laser rack and gets it all right....then i go on about my day....this is insane

Suk Madik commented on 25 Dec 2011

Very informative video but why not lock your kids in the closet or something to shut them the fuck up? That whining in the background is very distracting.

torilee27 commented on 06 Mar 2009

dumb girl ? here.. does the steering wheel need to be PERFECTLY straight for the alignment to be straight.. what if the steering wheel is a tiny bit off?

Garage X - Episode 7 - DIY Wheel Alignment Part 2

We're back, and we're going to be finishing up our at-home alignments! Last time, we tried our hands at an old school string alignment to set the toe on Matt's ...

User Comments

Jeff Forss commented on 08 Dec 2015

Well done. (Fudge. I need to go back and watch the first part.) Quicktrick = fail The Longacre or Fastrax tools are better and far less expensive. I can't believe the amount of BS in the Quictrick sales video, and they disabled the comments. No comments = they know they're FOS. We'll see how long it takes them to post a condescending rebuttal to this, try to ban me, and get this comment deleted. I own a Smartcamber tool as well as the Longacre device*. I don't bother with the "hands free part" on the Smartcamber. But, the reason I quit using it was that the level can move around in the frame. The Longacre tool has the level locked in the holder. *...I use a Hunter camera system at my shop and a Hunter 411 laser system at my house. I've never used the Fastrax but saw it at the SEMA show. It looks good, but I'd prefer a digital level. I've spent three years working at an alignment shop that does not use computers, and a total of twenty three years, including eight years of having my own shop, using computers. Jeff "TheAlignmentGuy" (.com)

Jeff Forss commented on 08 Dec 2015

+Jeff Forss I should add, even if you own or have access to a computer, you need to know how to use mechanical methods to do an alignment. This way you can double check your computer to tell if it's acting up. ...And still get alignments done if the computer is broken, or if some bozo co worker has a dump truck apart on the alignment rack when you want to use it. This happened once and I stunned the boss by doing the alignment on the floor with some of the methods in these videos.

Mr QuickTrick commented on 21 Oct 2015

Cool video.. we would love to have you guys use our products on RV's and large trucks, or just any vehicle

Mr QuickTrick commented on 22 Oct 2015

+Garage X Television lets chat email [email protected]

Garage X Television commented on 22 Oct 2015

+Mr QuickTrick Hey! And we'd be thrilled to try them out. There's a lot more to this alignment business than meets the eye. -Matt

enterprise59 commented on 18 Oct 2015

So, let me ask you guys a question please. We have a 31' Class C motor home built on a 2006 Ford E-450. I've had this MH for about 2 years. Had the alignment done 3 times and it STILL has 3 to 4 inches of steering play going down the road. I've asked to have the caster set as far forward as possible and they REFUSE to move it past Ford spec. Why won't they? Does Caster NOT help the play?

Garage X Television commented on 26 Oct 2015

+Michael “Roguelement” Laverty Agreed. There's an adjustment that can be done at the steering box to take up some of the slack, but that sounds like too much slop for everything to be okay under there. I'd have them look again, or go get a second opinion. It shouldn't be too hard to see where the play is coming from if the wheel is able to move back and forth that much.

Michael “Roguelement” Laverty commented on 26 Oct 2015

+enterprise59 I hear you but I have to tell you .. I'm NOT real comfortable telling you to try and remove that much play and trying to do it thinking your gonna accomplish that through the steering gear box It's only a gear box . you will let go of the wheel and it won't come back to center . I've taken up some slop and overly loose feeling but to remove 3 to 5 inches .. I'm not doing it ...maybe try another gear box first .. Or how are the king pins if it's straight axle ????

enterprise59 commented on 26 Oct 2015

+Michael Lavertyreplaced drag link. The place that did that check out the rest of the steering system, said all connections were in great shape. They did not check the gear box however. She likes to wonder, so I have 3 to 5 inches of play depending on road.

Michael “Roguelement” Laverty commented on 24 Oct 2015

+enterprise59 I'm going to guess you have a straight axle front end ? I myself would check every joint in the steering system personally so have someone behind the wheel rock the steering wheel in one direction and back a few time's to pin point the steering play issue chances are you have a worn out joint . maybe center link or tie rod end {drag link} or the like but if you have excessive play then you have an issue that can easily be found ...Even for a so called "front end" guy

Garage X Television commented on 18 Oct 2015

+enterprise59 No. Caster won't do anything for "play" or slop in the steering. That's more likely due to wear and tear, or stack-up of clearances throughout the steering/suspension system. Additional negative caster will increase steering effort, and give you more straight line tracking. I'd have someone check your steering ASAP and figure out what the problem is.

Ralf V commented on 13 Oct 2015

Do you realize that by the time you raise the front of the vehicle you done lost its natural camber angle. Nonsense Video just like so many others. Why do you think alignment turn plates move in all directions. Get a life.

Garage X Television commented on 13 Oct 2015

True. Which is why you have to "jounce" the suspension once it's back down on its wheels. They greased plates let the wheels move in all directions, just like an expensive turn plates. Even on real alignment machines, vehicles often get lifted off their wheels while the tech makes adjustments and loosen hard to reach fasteners. When the car comes down, the suspension gets jounced to find its "natural"camber angle again. We got great, consistent camber numbers using the Watkins Smart Camber Gauge. Just remember to jounce it.I will see if I can get a life. -Matt

hllywd964 commented on 25 Sep 2015

With the Longacre Plates how do you know what side to adjust, or do you adjust both equally?

hllywd964 commented on 25 Sep 2015

Thanks, I thought so...

Garage X Television commented on 25 Sep 2015

You're right. That seems to be the issue with toe plates. You can set total toe by adjusting both, or just one side, but on most vehicles there will be no way to ensure your steering wheel angle is straight when you are done. The plates work well if you just replaced an outer tie rod end, and you want to check and set toe on one side, but not as well if you need a full alignment.

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