I ran a search but didn't find an answer to my question.

I just got two new tires installed and it pulls slightly to the right so I figured i'd get an alignment. I've called three different shops in my city and all three said they can't align my car because they don't have some tool necessary to do it.

Does that make any sense?

I have an appointment with a dealer tomorrow morning. They're charging $129 which is high but not crazy.

Should I keep calling around or is this a common issue?

 

Honestly I have always gotten the best alignment for my car at the dealer that said I usually paid around $75-100. Right now I have a contract with a nationwide chain that gives me unlimited alignments so if one shop screws up I just drive to another one same day even and get it corrected. I purchased that because I have been slowly replacing the upper and lower control arms for the second time (always buy OEM/OES parts for suspension it will come back and bite you if you don't)

 

Makes sense to me. When any business tells me or mine “no thanks” I simply move on.

$129+ for a proper alignment is a sound and relatively inexpensive investment imho.
Authorized dealerships do have the “some tool necessary,” personnel, and techniques at their immediate disposal to address and solve your issue.
And they typically stand behind their work product per corporate and each individual stores’ management edicts. ymmv

 

Not sure what tool they're talking about, but that isn't a bad price. I've usually paid around $115-30 for alignment here in Atlanta, and the dealer does a good job.

 

So what they're talking about is adjusting the castor and camber, which requires unbolting the control arms from the chassis and optionally installing a special fluted bolt that will allow you to mount the control arm at +/- 4mm offset positions, thereby allowing some adjustment in the geometry of the suspension. There is no in-and-out screw to adjust castor or camber on these cars.

There are other theads that talk about this -- search for "fluted bolts". Also look for pictures of the front upper and lower control arms and you will see the oval shaped hole where the bolt goes through, and allows for sideways adjustment.

To remove the bolts from the upper control arms you also have to remove the sway bar mounting brackets from the chassis, which also requires you to remove the front engine cover. Performance suspensions weren't especially built for easy maintenance

So, I suspect most shops won't touch caster/camber adjustments because it requires partial dissassembly of the front suspension.

Toe-in adjustments on these cars is normal, however, a simple turning of the inner tie rod end on either side, and a lock nut to hold it in position. If the camber and caster readings are within spec, then an alignment shop should be able to adjust your toe-in without difficulty.

However in DIY-land here, you can also adjust toe-in yourself pretty easily and save the $90. There are multiple youtube videos showing how it is done -- I basically use a tape measure to check tire spacing on the front side and back side of the front tires, using one of the grooves in the tread design as a landmark on both front and back. I set it so that the front measurement is 1/16"" less than the back measurement. If you do the geometry calculations this equates to about 0.15 degrees of total toe-in, which is roughly within spec (which I think is 0 - 0.20 degrees). And if your steering wheel is not straight, turn both tie-rods in the saame direction to move the rack in the direction needed.

You will need a pair of ramps -- or some way of comfortably getting to the tie rods under the front of the car -- to do this, and it may take a few iterations of tweaking the settings, but you will get the satisfaction out of a job well done, more knowledge of what is one of the simplest maintenance procedures to do on the car, and $90 extra cash in your pocket.

 

Ha I’ve used straightedges, plumb bobs, strings, lasers, and racing-derived camber/caster gauges to accurately align my chassis’ settings time and again.
After appropriate cross-weighting and corner balancing, that is.
Nonetheless they’re always a compromise and I do end up chasing my tail on occasion.

The time 'invested' or frittered away far exceeds the OP’s legitimate estimate, regardless of accounting method or actuarial derivatives used (additional hardware upfitting notwithstanding).
Even volunteering a meager workman’s wages it’ll never quite pencil out with any bookkeeper.
A worthy supplement, though, to my other mental health stratagems as those who’ve come to know me personally can likely attest. :)

 

Keep in mind, I was talking only about toe-in.

Yes, caster and camber are a whole different matter, and not for the faint of heart ...!

 

Reason that dealers and alignment shops cannot accurately align is because there is only front and rear Toe adjustment.

No Camber or Caster facility ex-factory.

K-MAC manufacture precisely adjustable Front Camber and Caster and Rear Camber kits. All rear kits also include additional Toe adjustment.

Result is ongoing adjustment facility for more even tire wear, traction along with improved steering and braking response.

See "Vendors" and K-MAC link.

 

Every place I've been to, "set the toe and let it go", even after promising to do more.