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Old 05-12-2021, 03:22 AM   #1
ItsReiko
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Rear Sway Bar Looks Shifted?

Hi everyone. I went and got an alignment today and was told that my left rear camber is very out of spec. When I got home, I noticed that my rear sway bar was shifted to the left judging by the clean spots with no dust/dirt as you can see next to the bushings. Would this be normal after an alignment is performed?

I wanted to get some opinions on whether this is something the shop fcked up and in turn messed up my alignment or not? It just looks like the sway bar was freshly moved, but I'm no professional.

I am also absolutely trying to figure out if the shop is to blame since pre alignment, they took my car out for what seems to be a test drive, but for lack of a better term, drove it like they stole it. They then proceed to damage my hood when working on the car. Hence I don't trust the tech's alignment job either.

Anyway, here are my alignment sheet and photos of the rear sway bar. Thank you!
P.S. My left rear strut appears to have a film of oil covering it. Is it blown? x.x



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Old 05-12-2021, 09:44 AM   #2
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The bar being slightly shifted won't be doing anything to the camber. You could probably use new bushings, but I also don't think it was damaged by the alignment either.
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Old 05-12-2021, 11:44 AM   #3
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Sway bars shift, that's why the lock collars are there. Hopefully it's just worn out bushings like wparsons said, but if your left shock is shot I think it could let that side sit lower and thus get more camber. Go to a different shop and see.
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Old 05-12-2021, 03:47 PM   #4
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They just adjusted toe. IMO -1.8 one side -2.3 other side rear camber isn't that big a deal. Camber isn't adjustable anyway, I wouldn't worry about it.
Likewise, sway bar can shift left/right, should wiggle itself into a neutral position if it moved.

If they damaged your hood they should be responsible for fxing it of course
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Old 05-12-2021, 03:48 PM   #5
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Swaybar is supposed to move a little left to right so it doesn't get bound up.
Half a degree camber difference across the rear is not unheard of with stock control arms.
Looks like a standard 86 alignment without aftermarket alignment parts to me.

Edit, left rear is out of spec because the lowering springs add negative camber, probably would be about -1.8/-1.3 if you had brought it in before installing the yellows.
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Old 05-13-2021, 01:02 AM   #6
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The bar being slightly shifted won't be doing anything to the camber. You could probably use new bushings, but I also don't think it was damaged by the alignment either.
Do the bushings look bad? I'm surprised something like this needs to be replaced on a 4 year old California car already =o
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Sway bars shift, that's why the lock collars are there. Hopefully it's just worn out bushings like wparsons said, but if your left shock is shot I think it could let that side sit lower and thus get more camber. Go to a different shop and see.
Oh so those are lock collars, had no idea that the bar is supposed to shift. In that case it would make sense because it definitely moved from before I brought it in for alignment and after alignment. I checked and both left and right side, ground to fender, are exactly the same height.

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They just adjusted toe. IMO -1.8 one side -2.3 other side rear camber isn't that big a deal. Camber isn't adjustable anyway, I wouldn't worry about it.
Likewise, sway bar can shift left/right, should wiggle itself into a neutral position if it moved.

If they damaged your hood they should be responsible for fxing it of course
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Swaybar is supposed to move a little left to right so it doesn't get bound up.
Half a degree camber difference across the rear is not unheard of with stock control arms.
Looks like a standard 86 alignment without aftermarket alignment parts to me.

Edit, left rear is out of spec because the lowering springs add negative camber, probably would be about -1.8/-1.3 if you had brought it in before installing the yellows.
The reason I'm confused is because my prior alignment to this one, my rear camber was left -2.1 & right -2.1. So since camber cannot be adjusted in these cars, shouldn't it remain the same? Or would shop numbers have this big of a variance?
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Old 05-13-2021, 08:22 AM   #7
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Could be difference in error between two different alignment rigs, repeatability error, or could be the rear subframe has migrated a bit on its bushings. I don't think it's anything to worry about.
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Old 05-13-2021, 12:47 PM   #8
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Rear suspension is contained within the subframe, subframe shifts don't change alignment.
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Old 05-14-2021, 12:06 AM   #9
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My FL, RL, RR struts are getting replaced. I don't want one corner to have old suspension so I'll be replacing my FR myself for peace of mind. Blowing up already at 36k smh.

Should I replace the top hat/mount while I'm at it or save $60? I have no idea if these often wear out.
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Old 05-15-2021, 11:59 AM   #10
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My FL, RL, RR struts are getting replaced. I don't want one corner to have old suspension so I'll be replacing my FR myself for peace of mind. Blowing up already at 36k smh.

Should I replace the top hat/mount while I'm at it or save $60? I have no idea if these often wear out.
The front top hats have a bearing that can go bad, so it may not be a bad idea to swap those out. On the other hand, I replaced my rear top hats with 160k miles with ones with 20k miles and didn’t notice a difference.

Regarding your camber difference in the rear, it is actually possible to install the rear shock/sprint assembly backwards. Unlike the front springs, when you set the rear springs on the ground you’ll notice they sit at a slight angle. If they are installed wrong you will lose camber. I have never really seen this addressed in any DIY guides as the rear springs and rear shocks have the same part numbers left to right, but one assembly needs to be installed in the opposite orientation as the other.
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