I recently needed an alignment on my car

I called a few shops and asked what kind of machine they use for the alignment

i noticed a similarity in all their responses al most word for word
"A Brand New State of the Art Laser" alignment machine
none actually giving me what brand made the machine

so my question is, is it common for shops with older equipment to lie about their alignment machine to attract customers

seems kind of odd that all 3 said the exact same thing yet somehow i dont feel like all these shop had the money to shell out for a brand new state of the art laser alignment rack

 

I don't see a scam. All alignment machines use lasers. How "state of the art" it is cant be determined over the phone. There's only a couple major brands of machines and anything made in the last 10-15 years will get the job done.

 

As long as you can get a print out when the job is done, I wouldnt worry about the machine. If you have nice wheels, maybe ask about the mounting as some can leave some scratches

 

The real answer is they probably have no clue what the machine is, don't care to know, and are too lazy to find out. What was previously said is good advice.

 

I've been guaranteed by 3 different shops that their alignment tools would not scratch or chip my wheels.

I've had to touch up my wheels 3 different times now from chipping especially.

If you have a secondary set of wheels, I'd put them on before taking your car to any shop. Tire mounting can be done without scratching and chipping due to machines that use plastic rather than metal mounts. But any alignment is going to leave markings of some kind on pristine wheels.

 

Or do it the good ole' way with a plumb bob, a rule, and a level surface.

There are some (very very few) shops that may still do it this way if you live out in the sticks somewhere.

Guaranteed not to scratch your wheels.... Either way, most general alignment machines will be accurate +/- to some degree acceptable for general population.

 

Doesn't matter what brand it is. If they can get your car aligned back to factory specs, that's all you need to know. There's no need to be so damn judgmental.