I had an alignment done on my 2002 GMC Sonoma in Nov. 2011 when I got new tires. On 3-23-2012 I took it back in because I had a tire wearing on the outside and was told that the ball joints were bad, even though they were replaced in Nov, 2011 when I got new tires. I took my truck back to the place that replaced the ball joints and had them check it. What they found was the upper control arm bolt was loose, the cotter key was not in it and it could be turned by hand. This has to be loosened to set the tire when an alignment is done, so it was not tightened when the alignment done in Nov. 2011. It wore my tire and they are not willing to take responsibility for their actions. I will never go there again and will not recommend them to anyone, "EVER", very unprofessional.
RESPONSE FROM Network Automotive Service Center:
Hello Mr. Turner,
We apologize for any inconvenience you experienced. We will realign your truck and issue a new 6 month/6000 mile warranty, assuming all the suspension is good.
We stand behind all of our work. We are experts (ASE certified) in our field, and we do what many shops do not. We show the customer any condemned parts, and visually demonstrate to the customer why that part was condemned.
We do not touch the ball joints in any way to do an alignment on a Sonoma. If a ball joint was missing a cotter pin or the ball joint nut was loose, it wasnt connected to the alignment.
We did not see movement in the control arm not related to the upper ball joint (did not appear to be loose). If it was loose, you are correct, we owe you for a tire.
Please feel free to call me, personally, regarding your concerns. Thank you, Carl 480-797-9752
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