Front End Alignment at Town Fair Tires

[bluesboyst]

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone out there has had the experience of a Town Fair Tire front end alignment. I think Bozo the clown is the alignment specialist at the Town Fair Tire in West Roxbury, MA.

I brought two of my cars for tires and a front end alignment at Town Fair. The tires are priced right there. But the alignment is another store. My Marauder was not out of alignment so the tires are wearing evenly. On my caravan even before I had the new tires put on the old ones were wearing on the outer edge in front. Well I thought great let them align it. After a few weeks I noticed that the tires were wearing on the outer edge. I also noticed no adjustments had been made to the inner/outer tire rod adjustments.

I took the car back and they put it on the machine again. Now, they have the lastest Hunter alignment machine, mind you. Again, I noticed no adustments where made. All they did was put it on the lift, put those alignment mirrors on each wheel and then gave me that stupid printout.
I also watched them do other cars and not one adjustment to tie rods or upper control arms where done. They told me that a shim was needed on the left rear wheel . Don't think so!!!!

So I took it to my reliable Alignment man and bingo. When I got the vanback I could see adjustments were done and the tires are not wearing on the outer edge.

So it looks like this could be a scam. They take 49.95 from you, put the car on the lift, make the computer printout look like all adjustments went from red to green and walk away for 20 minutes and wow, the car is aligned.

Anyone else go through this?

Steve

[rhandwor]

Turn them into the better business bureau.

[Jim Dawg]

While it would be unfair to conclude that they NEVER do the alignment, I too have had a dubious experience at the Hamden CT Town Fair. I had my doubts about the alignments there based on a couple of comments by friends of mine, so I did a little test when I brought my van in for tires and alignment. I put some globs of grease on the adjustment nuts, so that I would be able to tell if they had put a wrench to them. Picked up the car, and got the printout showing the before and after, clearly indicating that adjustments had been made, and brought the car home. When I got under and had a look at the nuts, guess what? They had definitely not been touched! I decided not to make an issue of it, but I definitely found the experience disturbing, and while I may purchase tires from these guys again, if I do, I'm going to pass on the alignment.

[ricebike]

don't let them slide by! report them!

since this chain isn't in my immediate area, i can't do anything

[James Goulet]

My son has had 3 tires replaced at Town Fair Tire over the last 3 months, 2 tires in Feb and 1 in April. Both times he has gone Town Fair has charged him for an alignment. Now tire alignments are free with purchase of tire, so I find out it is a front end alignment. Last week my sons tire comes off it's axel and he almost had a seriour accident.

The ball joint and arm were gone on the left front and the one on the right front was almost gone. Town Fair tire changed the left front tire and changed us for an alignment but never informed us that the ball joint and arm were in need of replacement. There is no way that they couldn't have noticed that the ball joint and arm needed replacement if they in fact did a front end alignemnt.

No returned call from their manager at this time.