05TiGr8Lady

Yeah, I'm sure I can a lot of this done for less, and I truly appreciate all the suggestions and comparison data. AND there is the PITA factor for me.... It's gonna save me a lot of time (equates to $$) and less stress if I just take it in and have someone I trust do the work and who knows 8's as well as they do. So.... U-Mazda FTW for me! They are matching the lowest quote, which is about $200 less. My 8 goes in tomorrow morning.

Skinless

I would suggest that you not have them do the alignment. Not based on price, but based on quality. If you have a Mazda dealership do the alignment they will align the car within factory tolerances, which is a very big range. Having a performance alignment done on my car made a big difference in handling. I don't know how much I'd notice it on the street, but on an Autocross course it significantly reduced the amount of understeer. I understand doing everything at one place for convenience, but I think you'd be much better off having a performance shop give you a real alignment. I did mine at Fordahl Motorsports and I think it was about $100.

dmc27

roger that. time = money!

05TiGr8Lady

Thx for the suggestion Skinless! If I get that set of wheels that's FS and put my stock tires back on, not sure when though, am I going to need another alignment?

dmc27

It's always best w/a new set up. Chances are it would not make much difference, but if you're spending 1-3 grand on wheels and tires it's a little silly not to spend an extra $100 to make sure they wear properly.

05TiGr8Lady

LOL... I WISH I could afford new wheels/tires!! These would be an OEM set of wheels from a local guy who just posted them (fingers x'd) and my stock Potenzas that only have 9K on them. Right now I'm using my own stock wheels, that have gotten beat up, and my all-seasons.

dmc27

Can you wait til the new set is in and then do the service & alignment?

05TiGr8Lady

Sure, I can wait on the alignment. I still need the service though - I'm a little overdue on my oil change and don't want to wait any longer. Don't know if I'm gonna get the wheels from this guy - hopefully he responds to my post today .

ANIBALRX8

on less your tire are getting worn down, and its not even (let said one is worn down on the out-side or in-side) you dont need an alignment!!!

Skinless

That's not really true. Just because there aren't obvious signs on the tires doesn't mean that you wouldn't get better tire wear and/or handling with an alignment. If you can easily see signs from your tires that the alignment is off, then it is off by a lot. It also makes sense to get the car aligned for the type of driving you do. If you communte all of the time and don't really push your car in the corners then you should have different alignment settings then somebody who spends time hard in the corners. A good performance alignment shop will ask how you plan to drive the car, and whether you plan on autocross and track days, and set the alignment accordingly. I had my alignment done when my car was new and it made a big difference. I would suggest that anybody who drives their car hard have a performance alignment done first thing.

pdxhak

iTrader: (2)

100% agree with Skinless.

If you like the corners then they will probably ask how long you want the tires to last as well

kristopher_d

+1

I have a LOT of camber and less toe in my alignment. I wear pretty even , but I think everyone here knows why. Others who may not be quite as crazy as I am would be better off with less camber and more front toe than I run. But a good shop will, at the very least, ask what you use the car for.

05TiGr8Lady

I agree with Skinless too about alignments. Better to be proactive to avoid uneven wear before it's too late... U-Mazda told me this morning it shouldn't matter whether I do it now or wait til I put another set of wheels/tires on, especially because they are the original stock ones. I've been hitting some pretty big potholes, so I decided to go for an alignment today.

I like to push it in the corners too, but generally it happens when I'm on the monthly drives with Kristopher, so I'm not as radical as he is daily although I do have my favorite corners around here

Darn... I still haven't heard back from the guy with the 4 wheels for sale.

ANIBALRX8

well I did spend four years studying mecanic and an othere four working in a jaguar shop, and on less you have notice that your alignmente is off or you hit something, with your wheel, you are wasting your money, wich is why dealers tell you that you need it done, like Discount tires, tell people to change ther TPM each time you change tires or that you shoud not fix a tire if it has a punture in the out side tread of the tire, but less schab fixes them, even if they are in the out side tread!!!

05TiGr8Lady

All I can say is that my 8 is running really well now!! Must be the latest flash? Or new plugs? Have a new battery too. Seems to be pulling stronger. And maybe I'm imagining it, but I think the alignment helped too - it feels more solid going down the road. And, woohoo, i-pod connection!!!

Oh, and if anyone has a spare wheel laying around, I should be able to make a deal with Avery on his wheels - let me know.

tvtech3

Spencer/(NAPA) auto parts located in spencer tn will do all of this excluding the pwr steer fluid for $195 including plugs.
Yes all of it!!>>

-Oil change and filter
-Engine Cleaner and Conditioner
-Differential Fluid change
-Transmission fluid change
-Clean battery terminals
-rotate tires (if applic.)
-inspect brakes
-Brake fluid Change
>>>>>>Power Steering fluid change<<<<<<=NOT
-Replace engine air filter and in-cabin filter
-Clean Fuel injectors and throttle body.

kristopher_d

Sorry, Anibal, but your average Jaguar owner is less likely to need their car dialed in than your average civic owner. Plus, those cars rarely run long enough develop wear issues no matter how bad the alignment is .

Average Joe requirements are different from performance enthusiast requirements. Every time you have a significant shock to the suspension, you risk things getting just a little more out of alignment. Your alignment can be off enough to affect handling and mileage without pulling, and still need several thousand miles to develop uneven wear.

So for most folks you're right, don't worry about it unless you have an issue. For those wanting to get the most of their car, get it dialed in.

BunnyGirl

All this price talk got me curious as I have 28K right now and should be due around mid to late June on my 30K service, depending on how soon I get clearance from my doctor to start driving again after my surgery last week.

I called Ron Tonkin (where I always go) and got this for pricing:

Factory recommended 30K: $475 (then minus $30 as I get free oil change for life)
Dealer recommended 30K: $745 (then minus $30 for oil change)
Changing out plugs: $140

According to maintenance schedule in my manual the plugs need changing at 37.5K miles or a certain number of months (30 maybe? I can't remember at the moment, must be the drugs, LOL), but puts me due in September, which is also when I am looking to replace my tires as they will need it.

I am going to go for the new plugs as I am starting to have some "issues" attributed to the plugs (never got new ones with the recall as mine were too new at the time to qualify) and had them cleaned at last oil change two weeks ago, which helped a little (didn't want to spend to change them yet). I have not decided on factory versus dealer recommended service. I can't remember what the extras were (I asked but I can't write at the moment as my hand is wrapped up like a stump with fingertips, or I would have written it down so I could repeat it/remember it).

For me it is a matter of what my budget comes down to at the time the service is due and how my budget will be shaping up for tires in the fall. I am on disability and modified work duty (depending on the job) at this time so my budget is extra tight and I don't know when to expect my settlement yet (were planning June but looks like the end of the year at the earliest, unless desperate, as I am now deemed "permanently impaired" and looking to lifetime wage loss and the need to get me an education to retrain me for another career if I am still deemed able to work in a full-time capacity, which has dragged everything out with the policy holders fighting me as their insurance informed them they are on the hook for everything above their insurance level, which they have deemed me entitled to, and they will have to reimburse the insurance company) or how my hand is going to progress to allow me back to regular work, if at all.

I do know that power steering fluid was not on the list, though! (It is in the "standard" dealer recommended list for all vehicles).

BunnyGirl

Enjoy the iPod integration Linda. My mom bought me that for my birthday last year (would have been Christmas, except that a storm wiped out some of my necessary home office stuff for my part-time job, so replacements ended up being my present, grrrr!!!!). I love it!!! I wish I would have had it for that drive I took Robbie on, but they weren't able to schedule me the week before the drive as the tech that was qualified to do it was out on vacation. I got it installed on Tuesday, two days after the drive.

Robbie has a radio adaptor for his iPod that you have to control through the iPod, so everytime he rides in my car and wants to play with the iPod he takes it out of the glove box and then complains that he can't control it from the iPod and has to use the radio and the only part of the radio I have allowed him to play with so far is the volume dial or to change channels on my programmed radio stations!

patrick_andraste

I have an extra stock wheel. it has a small bit of scrapes on the rim

05TiGr8Lady

PM sent^

BunnyGirl

I just got mine done on Monday. I ended up paying $480 total for the factory recommended service, plus new plugs. Of course, they were also trying to convince me that I needed new tires as they had just entered the "yellow zone" on their paperwork and were all "We have the stock Potenzas in stock, so we can swap them out for you now!" LOL! I have heard they are the extra crappy of the two stock tires, but mine came with the Dunlops, so no idea. I already have a different set of tires picked out and am busily saving up my pennies for them come fall. =)

Interestingly, I found out that I can get (according to them) any tire I want at their dealership. All I have to do is give them 2-3 hours notice before coming in and they can have them there and install them for me. I did discover that it ends up saving me quite a bit to get the tires I want (priced it already) through them as opposed to elsewhere, which I didn't expect. So, it looks like I am going to go that route, and at least I trust them not to scratch up my wheels.

05TiGr8Lady

Haha.. UMazda said my tires were in the yellow when I did my 30K. I got my oil changed at LeeJohnson last week at their QuickLube and those guys said they were in the green. They look ok to me.

BunnyGirl

Yeah. I'd say mine were maybe about borderline green-yellow, so I'm not in any big hurry. I'd already been planning on September-October for new tires, pretty much before all the rain (well, constant rain anyway) starts in again.

ANIBALRX8

you could aways do like I did, and wait intill someone tell you, do you know your tire are on the inner tread!!!