what should i expect top pay for a GOOD 4 wheel alignment from a shop familiar with porsche cars?

No shims, 100 bucks

Bring shims, get them from foley.

Chris Foley did mine, was worth it! Check with him on what is a fair price and ask him what to look for in a shop that thinks they can do it. My teener tracks straight and true, wasn't real bad before but I could really notice the difference. I could drive with one finger placed on the steering wheel now, not recommending you do that just saying how much of a difference a good 4 wheel alignment can make.

Ian Stott
Moncton
Canada

I just paid $75.00, but there is another place that charges $40.00 with the same equipment.

Bay Area prices call for $200+ for an expert shop that can set up to racing or street specs.

i just heard back from a local shop that specializes in porsche cars and they quoted my $249. geez, that is what i was afraid of. i check some other porsche shops.

Because I am a CSOB, penny pinching, whining 914 owner, I hesitated for a long time to get a pro alignment. When I did, I found SF Bay Area quotes $80-$250. I ended up paying about $90. I knew the front was screwed. I asked them to "do an alignment check for $75 and then call me". This was Diamond Tire in San Rafael, and very well respected tire shop that is an authorized Tire Rack installer. The rear on my car was in spec. The front was way off spec and they adjusted it after checking with me. I had adjusted it myself within 6 months so no bolts were frozen and it was done quickly by the shop. So, total cost not so bad.

They would have charged me a quick $100 extra to muscle the alignment "out of factory spec" which is what most race tires call for (i.e. lots of negative camber).

For me, my bad DIY alignment toasted a set of tires in less than a year, so it was worth the cost to pay the pros to get it on the rack with the lasers. Good luck!

second place just quoted me $300 for 3 hrs work.

3rd quote $325+-

you're going the wrong way!

4th quote, $360 is their basic charge but mine could run $500/600.

one more $375.

i called, ASG, intersport, IMA, chapman, and autobahn. list in not in order.

IMA quoted $250.

Did you check with your local Porsche dealer?
I had my done Sat on their zillon dollar machine. We had to add plates on the back and made the alignment correct when I'm in the car. (no we did not weight balance) $225 plus taxes

I set aside 3 1/2 hours for a full alignment, but they don't all take that long.
Depends on how long ago the bolts were last loosened among other things.

I just paid $150 last week for a 4-wheel racing alignment on my 996, by a shop that is well-experienced in Porsches.

I guess it depends on if the shop utilize an electronic alingment machine or simply a set of strings. My thought are that if its a track car, strings is a great option..if the alignment isva few degrees off, your going to scuff the tire out anyway. For street, I perfer electronic version. .. depending on the market.....LA area, I expect to pay $200-300 as the going labor rate is approximately $70-80 hr.
Old saying, you want to play, you gotta pay.

kevin at piedmont just quoted me $99 plus tax.

http://rennlist.com/forums/997-forum/83583...rn-va-area.html

Make or buy a strings system and do it yourself. I continue to make so many changes to my car that if I had to rely on someone else to do the alignment it would drive me out of house and home. I also use a bubble Camber gauge, which I prefer over the digital gauges, and the benefit is its less expensive. Although I don't have them, I really like the Tangerine Trailing arm brackets. Rear toe would be so much easier with these. When you start approaching $400 for a 914 alignment you had better run. Having said that most shops in the $100 range are probably only going to adjust toe.

I do my 914 with strings and gauges....

But,
Chris is right, if the rear bolts have never been moved, you need a long time to get those lose without breaking them.

Hey, I'm in the Bay Area too. What shops do you recommend for our 914's?

I use a "Smart Camber" digital camber tool and strings in my garage. Just have to ensure you are working on a nice flat surface. The front end of these cars are easy to adjust, rear is a bit more difficult.

We just used a bubble camber gauge and fishing line to dial in the 962.

I paid 175 and they balanced the tires too