Rear end alignment?

2002 BUICK PARK AVENUE
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DKKLOSE
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Our car wants to fishtail badly when driving down the road. We were told (by a non Buick professional) that we needed a rear end alignment. What is this (for real? never heard of before) and what problem(s) in the car would prompt such a repair?
Mar 7, 2009 at 2:23 PM
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SQM
  • CAR REPAIR CONTRIBUTOR
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Hello,

A vehicle will need rear wheel alignment as over time the suspension components wear off and makes the alignment to be off.
However for the vehicle to have significant misalignment that it will fishtail it will need to have some type of damage. Lets say you hit a curb, it can bent the wheel or damage the suspension it could make it difficult for the vehicle to drive straight.

First inspect the suspension for any obvious damage or broken component. If you have a broken sway bar link it can affect the alignment.

You might want to get the alignment checked to make sure it is in good shape and this issue not being caused by a different factor.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/popping-noise

Please let me know of any questions.

Thank you.
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Aug 26, 2021 at 12:13 PM
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ASEMASTER6371
  • CAR REPAIR CONTRIBUTOR
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Good afternoon,

The tech was spot on. There always was and always will be alignment required for the rear wheels.

In order to do a proper alignment today, the shop must adjust the rear wheels to spec first before adjusting the front end. Failure to do this will result in handling issues.

The front-wheel settings are based on the rear wheels being in alignment.

I attached the specs for you below to view.

No one is pulling the wool over your eyes. They are 100% correct.

Roy
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Aug 26, 2021 at 1:15 PM