Suspicious alignment job on 2022 Tucson

[M0THER!]

One of my customers brought in his 2022 Tucson SEL after a questionable experience at a nearby dealer. He originally went in for a prepaid oil change but was told his alignment was off and needed to be corrected. They showed him a printout, offered a "discounted" price of $99, and claimed it'd be done on the spot. He agreed, but when he asked for the before-and-after specs later, the sheet didn't match what they initially showed him.

Turns out the second sheet, supposedly the post-alignment numbers, looked suspiciously generic and didn't reflect the rear wheels being touched at all. According to his timeline, they couldn't have possibly inspected or adjusted anything that fast. It looks like they just tossed him a random alignment report, made some easy money, and called it a day. He's understandably frustrated and thinking about filing a complaint with BAR.

Anyone seen this kind of thing before? Not the first time I've heard of alignment "discounts" being used as bait. Would appreciate any advice on how to help him push back with proof.

 

[SpeedyTucson]

Totally, that's a classic tactic some shops like to pull. It might be a good idea to have him request the machine logs along with the timestamps. Most systems typically log the specs before and after any work is done. If they're hesitant to share that info, it's a pretty solid indicator that something might be off. Also, it could be worth getting a fresh alignment check done at a different place just to compare. Has anyone else dealt with this kind of situation?

 

[Karenn]

Yeah, I've seen shops pull that trick, why not help him request the full alignment report with timestamps? It's harder for them to fake that, and BAR will take it seriously

 

[Alan]

@M0THER! Definitely sounds like a red flag. The best move is to get a second opinion from a reputable shop and request the full alignment printout with timestamps from the first place. Most alignment machines log all measurements, and if the dealer refuses, that’s a strong indication something was off. Document everything. Get the photos, copies of receipts, notes from phone calls. And BAR or your local consumer protection agency will take it seriously. Did your customer manage to get a second check yet?