Alignment/ CPO

[bberg22]

Does anyone know if an alignment check would be standard procedure for an Audi tech when doing a CPO inspection on a car? I purchased a 13 S4 DSG and no where in the paperwork does it say anything about checking alignment specifically, but it does say they did the 35k mile maintenance (car had 24.5k miles when purchased). I am pretty sure based on tire wear that at least the rear alignment is off, (toe most likely) the outside of the tires seems to be wearing faster than the inside. I will have them check it when i take the car for an oil change in about 2 weeks but i'm wondering if I have a case here to prove that they should have checked the alignment and didn't.

If I do have a case should i push to have the tires replaced? I have driven about 8k miles so far since purchase and it has only been about 3 months.

Thoughts?

[wangshuo1989]

It should be part of CPO process. When I bought my CPO S5, dealer did an alignment and put 4 new tires on it, it's on their CPO paperwork.

[bberg22]

I don't see anything in the CPO check paperwork that says alignment. There is tire inspection but thats about as close as it gets.

[Zman84]

No alignment on my CPO and I learned the hard way when one tire got eaten up within a couple thousand miles and dealer denied to help. Thankfully I had purchased certs/warranty on the tires from discount tire and they helped me out.

[S4inBC]

No alignment on a CPO car here either. Just had it done, along with a set of Michelin Pilot Super Sports today, what a transformation!

[bberg22]

Well I am going have to get on them. There are 5 dealerships around me so if the one that sold me the car doesn't want to play ball they can lose my business permanently.

[Reckon]

Don't believe alignment is part of the CPO process; tire wear check is (with a minimum tread depth requirement). I think alignment and tire wear falls into normal wear and tear and thus not something that is checked, even with CPO.

[bberg22]

They check other wear and tear items such as brakes. On my CPO they took the time and money to do the 35k service, front brakes, and brake fluid flush but not a simple alignment? Seems a bit ridiculous.

[S4inBC]

I replaced the stock tires on my car because they were so noisy. They were getting pretty close to the wear bars anyway so I felt justified. When I took the car in to the tire shop, the manager asked why I wanted to change the tires and I told him why. He came out and checked the tires on the car and said that the noise was caused by cupping, and the cupping could have been avoided if I rotated the tires every 8000km, and had the alignment checked earlier. He pretty much refused to install new tires without checking the alignment and he was justified. From now on, both will be regular maintenance items for my car.

[Johnnycash]

They check other wear and tear items such as brakes. On my CPO they took the time and money to do the 35k service, front brakes, and brake fluid flush but not a simple alignment? Seems a bit ridiculous.

maybe you should have inquired as to what a cpo purchase entailed in detail up front? buyer beware

an alignment is like $150 bucks just get it done and consider it a lesson learned.

[bberg22]

I did inquire up front but I didn't think that in a 350 point inspection that one of the items not checked was something so simple as an alignment. Lesson learned in that regard I guess.

[Johnnycash]

I did inquire up front but I didn't think that in a 350 point inspection that one of the items not checked was something so simple as an alignment. Lesson learned in that regard I guess.

im not trying to be a jerk here but im confused? if you did inquire up front you would have known the answer already and wouldnt be complaining about this after the fact.

the bottomline is this: audi has a very clear policy on how the cars are cpod, and there are specs and tolerances with which they determine whether or not something needs tending to ie if the brake pads are beyond a certain thickness you get a brake job prior, but for the sake of the argument lets just say your pads were a few millimeters above spec spo they didnt do a brake job prior to cpo and your purchase.

you drive the car for 8k miles and brake pad light comes on the dash, guess what you now get to pay for your own brake job!

in summation: be happy you got fresh brakes instead of a free alignment, because the brake job is significantly more than an alignment.

[bberg22]

I guess I was more focused on the other aspects of buying the car (it was a bit of a confusing process for various reasons). I just figured that if they did a thorough inspection the alignment would be a part of that. I'm not complaining about the work they did, but I feel like an alignment should be part of the CPO inspection since it really doesn't cost them anything to do. And its not like you can visually tell that the car is out of alignment without an alignment check or driving for a few thousand miles and checking for uneven wear so i'm not sure if its the same as the brake job analogy.

[Johnnycash]

I guess I was more focused on the other aspects of buying the car (it was a bit of a confusing process for various reasons). I just figured that if they did a thorough inspection the alignment would be a part of that. I'm not complaining about the work they did, but I feel like an alignment should be part of the CPO inspection since it really doesn't cost them anything to do. And its not like you can visually tell that the car is out of alignment without an alignment check or driving for a few thousand miles and checking for uneven wear so i'm not sure if its the same as the brake job analogy.

next time you buy a car negotiate that part into the deal, or ask to make sure its within spec and proof...

[Luna's S4]

First, congratulations on 8,000 miles in three months. This is proper. Second, my CPO had tires from three different manufacture batches, if you know what I mean. But the dealer & I quickly worked it out once I noticed the wear difference.

[bberg22]

First, congratulations on 8,000 miles in three months. This is proper. Second, my CPO had tires from three different manufacture batches, if you know what I mean. But the dealer & I quickly worked it out once I noticed the wear difference.

Thanks. Yea I rack up a lot of miles. The tires being different brands is supposed to be covered by the CPO so that makes sense. I just cannot fathom how an alignment is not part of the inspection, it has been on other car brands I have purchased in the past which is why I didn't think to check for it. I will in the future I guess.

[Reckon]

I don't think I have ever had alignment be a part of any CPO purchase I have made. I agree that it should be part of the CPO but sometimes its not. You should have gotten a booklet that shows what was checked off as part of the CPO for your car, from Audi. I did when I got mine. I didn't see alignment on mine but figured that if I noticed the alignment was off, I could probably get the dealership to fix it.

[bberg22]

I didn't see alignment on mine but figured that if I noticed the alignment was off, I could probably get the dealership to fix it.

This was my thought. I did get the booklet, and realized after that it was not one of the items. The sales guy was new so the process was a bit sloppy but I should have thought to check.

[6V0N1N]

I purchased my CPO @6.5k miles while on vacation in another state. I drove it around for a few days before driving home, and noticed that it pulled a bit to the right. I went back to the dealership and asked if they did an alignment as part of the routine inspection. Their answer was that they'll check the wear pattern on the tires, and if needed they'll do an alignment. Since I was leaving town the next day, they couldn't fit me in, but did offer to pay for an alignment when I got back home. These were the stock Conti's. I waited another month or so to get an alignment when I threw on the new Continental DWS 06. Sorry to hear about your tires...but did you get and drift when cruising on the highway? I also put a decent amount of miles on mine, already 6k miles in about 3 months.

[bberg22]

6v0N1N: I think you are asking if I got any drift on the highway. The answer to that is yes and no. It can be hard on the east coast I have found to detect drift due to the condition of the roads (sloping, worn out sections, etc). But I did notice some at first but since this was my first Audi attributed it to the electric steering that I many complaints about on here. I bought a CR15 brace and that helped so I didn't think much of it until I noticed the tires. I do regularly check my tires and have finally come to the conclusion that the align must be off. I thought the edge wearing could be from spirited driving or from the previous owner (tires were not new but did meet CPO specs for tread depth) so it did take time to notice the wear pattern, and now like I said it is fairly obvious.

Additionally I didn't think much about alignment because previous cars I have had only needed one alignment each in their respective life spans of 70k miles each (even when the dealer would try to up-sell me an alignment they could not because their complimentary alignment check was always within spec on past cars).

[6V0N1N]

it is hard to detect drift with the stock conti's at least since I've noticed that they tend to tram a good amount, even on the decent roads here in California. It won't hurt to try, but I think you'd have a difficult time convincing the dealership to chip in since it's 8k miles out. Might just have to get some new shoes and move on. I ended up getting a firestone lifetime alignment since I have coilovers. I sent an invoice to my dealer for a standard alignment, which covered about half the cost. Nice to have that option to bring it in whenever I need an alignment check.

[bberg22]

I was planning on getting new Wheels and tires for summer and keeping the stock 18 inch rims for winter, but I also wasn't expecting to have the stock tires crap out so fast, especially from something that was avoidable. Oh well.