Dealer wants $600 for alignment

Samir

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Dropped my car on KW coilovers and went to 3 alignment shops but none were able to align it due to their Hunter racks not having the 2020 specs for the Supra. So I took it to the dealer who quoted me $120, but then called me after I dropped it off and said it would be $600 because BMW mandates a new radar sensor each time an alignment is performed.

Anyone else heard this? Seems crazy.
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consultadrone

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Dropped my car on KW coilovers and went to 3 alignment shops but none were able to align it due to their Hunter racks not having the 2020 specs for the Supra. So I took it to the dealer who quoted me $120, but then called me after I dropped it off and said it would be $600 because BMW mandates a new radar sensor each time an alignment is performed.

Anyone else heard this? Seems crazy.
I call BS!!
 

CantEven_Supra

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Owned a 2020 BMW M2C before the Supra. Dropped it on KW sleeves and had it aligned by a 3rd party shop that works on BMW's. 100 bucks

not sure how an alignment does anything to the radar sensor
 

XtremeMaC

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I don't think it's due to alignment. Also, they for sure don't need a "new" radar.
It's more like you've lowered your vehicle and rightfully so the radar is also lowered, thus may need adjustment to correctly read...
 
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Samir

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Ended up talking to the Toyota service tech in person and he explained that BMW requires the radar sensor to be re-calibrated (not replaced -- I misunderstood the SA over the phone) each time the ride height is changed. Otherwise the safety system (front collision, lane departure, etc) may not work properly. The high cost is due to the dealer having to source the calibration tools which apparently are available from BMW only as loaners. They won't do the alignment without this calibration due to liability. Sounds to me like BMW corporate/legal over-complicating something very simple.

Ended up taking it to an independent shop today in Sherman Oaks who had the updated specs for their Hunter rack and had it aligned.
 

CantEven_Supra

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Not sure how much your drop is but my drop on the M2C was probably an inch and a half and my front collision still worked. So hopefully yours does as well.

not sure if your state requires or includes a free windshield replacement, but safelite offers this recalibration service when they replace bmw windshields for a fee

If you have a free windshield replacement from insurance you could get a ā€œchipā€ and have it replaced lol! The recalibration is also covered by insurance when replacing a windshield
 
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Samir

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Not sure how much your drop is but my drop on the M2C was probably an inch and a half and my front collision still worked. So hopefully yours does as well.

not sure if your state requires or includes a free windshield replacement, but safelite offers this recalibration service when they replace bmw windshields for a fee

If you have a free windshield replacement from insurance you could get a ā€œchipā€ and have it replaced lol! The recalibration is also covered by insurance when replacing a windshield
Thanks for the info. The drop is pretty aggressive but so far haven't noticed any issues with the safety system after getting the alignment done at an independent shop.
 

Dastanli

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Test it out. Get an inflatable thing-a-ma-jig and drive towards it and see if they system kicks in or better yet a small child with some hockey pads on :p
 

kona61

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Hello everyone, I went to the dealership today to get a free oil change. While they were there I told them to do an alignment because it was off slightly due to some rough roads. When I went to pick it up, they said they couldn't do said alignment due to one-time use bolts? I have no clue what they meant by that as I have never seen any tie rods, control arms, eccentric bolts, etc. that were one time use? Also they said that I needed a full tank of gas and a bunch of weight in the car before they could do it. Can someone either confirm or deny that this is what they are supposed to do? Seems like total BS to me.
 

akasonny

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Hello everyone, I went to the dealership today to get a free oil change. While they were there I told them to do an alignment because it was off slightly due to some rough roads. When I went to pick it up, they said they couldn't do said alignment due to one-time use bolts? I have no clue what they meant by that as I have never seen any tie rods, control arms, eccentric bolts, etc. that were one time use? Also they said that I needed a full tank of gas and a bunch of weight in the car before they could do it. Can someone either confirm or deny that this is what they are supposed to do? Seems like total BS to me.
Unreal. I wonder if Toyota USA would be happy to hear about the dealershipā€™s arbitrary attitude. Certainly bad for PR and sales if dealerships wonā€™t service their cars. That kind of stuff easily leads to Toyota cancelling a franchise.

Try another dealership if you have one. If that fails, itā€™s time to get Toyota USA involved.
 

Brian Clarke

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Take it to a race shop - that does Road Course Cars. And be descriptive with what you want to do with the car.
 

kona61

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Take it to a race shop - that does Road Course Cars. And be descriptive with what you want to do with the car.
Yea, I already contacted friends in the area with BMW shops. I'm sure they can get it squared away.
 
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Samir

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they said they couldn't do said alignment due to one-time use bolts?
Total BS. It sounds to me like they didn't want to rent the tools from BMW for the radar calibration and spoon fed you that nonesense. You can get the alignment done at any independent shop as long as they have the updated specs for the A90 Supra. A lot of shops don't update their racks every year so ask ahead of time if they do.
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