I popped to WIM on Saturday to finally after 5 years [:$] get my alignment done.
I’ve read it so many times when people say “wow what a difference” and always thought does it REALLY make THAT much difference ? Well all I can say is “YES” !!! If you’ve been thinking of getting the alignment done then don’t put it off !! I was starting to lose some confidence in my car recently, but all that confidence is back (not sure the GF is too chuffed about that though) haha. It’s a completely different drive, even along the motorway. The car feels much more ‘planted’ and smoother.
I was quite surprised how far out the alignment was and how much quicker it would scrub my tyres out and put extra pressure on joints and the chassis.
Many thanks to WIM for firstly being friendly and very helpful, but for also taking the time to stand there and explain it all to me as when it comes to anything to do with a spanner i’m stuffed !! It was also good to meet other MX5 Owners Club members whilst I was there … what a friendly bunch we all are.
Did you really just pop in or did you have to book a date and time slot. I would need that, as I would want to travel down get the job done and travel back all in one day.
Did you need to have any springs or shockers renewed first?
Mine is ‘Booked in’ for tomorrow. When I spoke to mark IIRC he said to book weekends as they were starting to pick up now as the track season starts soon.
Cost is just shy of £100 for the alignment and tracking…
I’ll let you know the difference tomorrow as we have a 100 mile drive home, at the moment my Mk3 seems skittish since the Eibachs were done.
hi, need to try this alignment thing, kwikfit in cambridge have a computor 4 wheel aligner with before and after print outs can check/adj toe,camber and caster they will use mazda specs, did wim use mazda specs
I’m not sure I’d trust Kwik Fit to unlock my car! My girlfriend took her car to a Kwik Fit a few months back, and they put the wrong size tyres on it, causing the speedo to be out by 10% for a while until we worked out why!
cheers CB, totally with you on that score doin it right aint highest on their list, cant get the one job they specialise in right (fitting the right tyres!!) doesnt fill ya with confidence (wouldnt happen where i work) BUT they do offer before and after print outs, nah yor right what was i thinkin, Goochie
Got back from having the Mk3 aligned today… to say Tony and Mark are wizards is to do them an injustice. I have a new car now before WIM I was getting DSC lights on all the time, even on the straights , now after coming back the country way at pace ( within the bounds of the law) on dry/damp/wet roads the car twitched once on an off camber roundabout taking the 3rd exit…awesome.
So the reason for this post, if you want to transform your cars handling then WIM are your way to perfection. Do it!
Yeah sorry, when I say ‘popped in’ I did have a slot already booked.
You definately need to book as these guys are very busy, and that’ll be because they do such a great job !
I had mine set to what ‘they’ call a ‘fast road set up’. It allows you to drive the car as it should be driven, but without majorly scrubbing the tyres out in the process. The car still feels so much ‘tighter’ and handles so much better. Just wish all this ice would b*gger off so I can have a proper play !!
As soon as I sort out some new suspension im going to be there.
Tony has set up my car in the past and to say that I thought I had a decent car in the first place but was blown away by it afterwards would be an understatement.
I always want to impress upon people who have new ones that they need them doing as well. They seem to arrive out of alignment off the transporter.
Mazda dealers dont have this type of machinery and with all due respect most places that do have the machinery dont have Tony’s expertise.
Just as a note, Mazda specs are very broad and there is a lot of difference between a WIM alignment where you explain how your car drives and what you do and dont like and a generic geometry tolerance.
before WIM I was getting DSC lights on all the time, even on the straights 
, now after coming back the country way at pace ( within the bounds of the law) on dry/damp/wet roads the car twitched once on an off camber roundabout taking the 3rd exit…awesome.