I took my FL2 in for its MoT at the local well-known tyre fitters place yesterday, and asked them to do a 4 wheel alignment check on it. One of the rear wheels came up slightly out of alignment (showing a toe of -0.32') but they were unable to adjust it. The man said the bolt was seized and they were worried about snapping it.

Of course by the time they told me this it was off the ramp so I couldn't see what they were talking about. Does anyone here know where this bolt might be, and how I should tackle it?

Cant seem to load a picture this morning of the offending item. Its a bolt through the rear tie bar that moves left to right set at Tourque 175 nm

Will try later or send me your email via the message facility on here . FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

is that the eccentric cam bolt I've seen mentioned?

Yes FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Having to mess around with a photo of screen as can't get screen shots !

 FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

I am sure that people will correct me but I am always amazed that it is possible to set up something as big and chunky as a car to half a degree anyway. I would have thought that wear and slack in the various linkages and bearings would give a variation of more than that as the car ages. 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

Finally some dry weather and I've been able to get under the car to take a look.

I found the eccentric bolts and was able to undo the nuts with only a moderate amount of force.

Question: do these nuts have to be completely removed before the bolt can be turned, or just loosened?

What really worries me is that there was absolutely no sign of anyone having attempted to undo these previously. Was the man at the well-known tyre fitters simply lying to me because it was nearly 5 o'clock?

Slack off only, you can't set the toe yourself without the gear but you can go back now and take them to task to finish the job and demand it be done at no charge for the inconvenience. If they wont play ball threaten them with their Head Office etc.

As for the man he was thinking of pies.  FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Now the nuts are loose you need to see if the cam bolts can be moved. It's normally the bolts that seize in the metal sleeves. Just take note of the cam position before you move it as you will need to put it back to where it is or the toe will be way out of spec. If it is seized up spray it with penetrating oil and try to work it back and forward.

Update:

Spoke to the manager of the shop today and he agreed to re-do the alignment personally. His excuse was that sometimes the mechanics are scared of breaking nuts and bolts, though frankly that doesn't explain why they hadn't even tried!

Anyway, he has just completed the job under my watchful eye (for free) and I'm more than happy with the result.

A few comments that might be helpful:

1. the Hunter system they use is amazingly sensitive, and I assume accurate, to within +/- 1 minute (which if I remember my schoolboy maths is one sixtieth of a degree). I suspect Formula 1 teams must use something even more sensitive.
2. After re-setting the rear toe on one wheel, it was necessary to re-set both the fronts all over again. That I don't understand but the guy assured me this was always the case. Because the Hunter system displays the status of all 4 wheels in real time, you can see the adjustments taking effect immediately on the computer screen. I have to say that 1 minute is only a fraction of a turn on the adjuster!
3. I assume that the reason one rear wheel was out of alignment must be because a previous owner changed something, perhaps the main strut, and didn't have the alignment checked afterwards. That's assuming the factory set it up right to start with.
4. Equally, I assume that this will never need doing again, or at least not until one of the suspension components gets changed. Hopefully not in my lifetime.

Thanks to all for your help in this.

You may find that dropping a Freely into a rut will mean further adjustments down the line.

Always worth checking when you pay over £500 for 4 good new rubber shoes. FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Don't assume "the factory set it up right to start with." Every time I change cars, even for a brand new car, I take it to a specialist tyre place that has the Hunter system and knows how to operate it. You'd be surprised how far out the alignment can be. And the cost of correcting it (around £40) is effectively free as you soon get it back in improved mpg and reduced tyre wear.

£40 for realignment! I had my FL2 done last week and was stung for £65 This seems to be the price all the local tyre shops are charging

Just looked up the invoice. It was actually £38 (inc VAT), this time last year at Dingwall Tyres.

HI Guys.
Am I right in thinking that the FW alignment undertaken is the same as the FL1 and my other Toy an MGZT, ie that the rear wheels need to be aligned first then the front so they are correct ? cost at our local tyre place is £50.00