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2004 - 2008 Ford F150 General discussion on the 2004 - 2008 Ford F150 truck.

Front Passenger wheel not centered

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Old Apr 12, 2022 | 11:30 PM
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Default Front Passenger wheel not centered

Good evening everyone.
I just got my 04 F150 SCREW back from the shop after having a RC 4 inch lift installed. I also replaced the front suspension (Bilstein 5100s) including upper and lower control arms (Moog) and coil springs (Moog).
The shop told me I had some slight rubbing and would need to do some trimming, which I thought was odd considering I had 35" tires put on.
After further inspection, it was only the passenger side that was rubbing against the running board and fender trim. I noticed that the wheel was about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch further back than the driver side wheel.
They pretty much told me that I must have frame damage, yet there is zero evidence of such, and the truck did not go in that way. The truck also pulls to the right, which I'm guessing is a result of the wheel not being centered.

Does anyone have any suggestions/feedback what could possibly cause this?
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Old Apr 13, 2022 | 12:19 AM
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When you adjust the caster it will push the wheel forward/rearward in the wheel well. A good alignment shop should be able to correct the wheel position and pull to right by aligning your truck properly.
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Old Apr 13, 2022 | 12:20 AM
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If you are confident the truck was perfect when it went in, then you should be talking to the installer, not us. Granted they are closed now so you should be calling them in the morning.

Did the shop perform a front end alignment? If not, have you had it done? If not, I would not ask the installer "do you think after alignment it will be fine".... they will definitely say yes and problem solved, they are off the hook.

How do you know for sure the wheel is in the same position as it was when you dropped it off?
How do you know the frame isn't tweaked (unless you are the original owner).

I'm sure you have confirmed the running board is identical from side to side.
Being out nearly an inch is quite a lot for the front axle to be misaligned.
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Old Apr 13, 2022 | 12:48 AM
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Originally Posted by 16IngotFX4
If you are confident the truck was perfect when it went in, then you should be talking to the installer, not us. Granted they are closed now so you should be calling them in the morning.

Did the shop perform a front end alignment? If not, have you had it done? If not, I would not ask the installer "do you think after alignment it will be fine".... they will definitely say yes and problem solved, they are off the hook.

How do you know for sure the wheel is in the same position as it was when you dropped it off?
How do you know the frame isn't tweaked (unless you are the original owner).

I'm sure you have confirmed the running board is identical from side to side.
Being out nearly an inch is quite a lot for the front axle to be misaligned.
I did confirm the running board is identical.
I suppose it's possible the frame is tweaked (I mean anything is possible), but visually everything looks true. Even they said so (this evening).
I have no proof that the wheel is not in the same position, but I'm very sure. The previous tire had a slow leak, so I was airing it up quite frequently and pretty sure I would have noticed. The truck definitely wasn't pulling to the right before all the work. They claim they did do an alignment, so all I can do is take their word for it. If an alignment was done, I can't see any other reason that the truck would be pulling to the right.

I got the truck back yesterday morning. I immediately noticed it pulling to the right when I was leaving the shop. This already tells me they did not take it for a test drive. My guess is because the tank was on empty. Apparently more than 3/4 tank of gas was siphoned out at some point while they had my truck for 4 weeks. I called them when I got to work, and the guy I had been dealing with, told me to "drive it a little more to see if it settles in". I inspected the truck yesterday when I got home from work (I was going to do the trimming), when I almost immediately noticed the wheel was off center. Apparently they didn't even notice that the rubbing was only on one side. And only against the running board (I was advised to trim a bit of the bumper too). I text him first thing was morning and informed him of my findings. He asked me to bring the truck back after work for inspection, which I did. And then was pretty much told that everything is good and I should take it to a body shop to see where the misalignment is.

I'm supposed to take the truck back for another alignment after a 100 miles, and then a re-torque of the kit after a 1000 miles. Was told this when I picked the truck up. So I really have no reason to believe an alignment wasn't done.

At this point I'm just wondering if I should take it to a body shop, or another tire shop first.
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Old Apr 13, 2022 | 01:05 AM
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How did you get a 4" lift using a Bilstein 5100, as it only lifts the front an advertised ~2"

I think the shop must have borked something up or installed a faulty part and must also be incompetent or full of crap because if they aligned it and /or test driven it they would have found this issue.
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Old Apr 13, 2022 | 01:21 AM
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Originally Posted by needsmoarturbo
How did you get a 4" lift using a Bilstein 5100, as it only lifts the front an advertised ~2"

I think the shop must have borked something up or installed a faulty part and must also be incompetent or full of crap because if they aligned it and /or test driven it they would have found this issue.
I got a Rough Country 4 inch lift kit. Just replaced the shocks/struts since mine were overdue for replacement.
Decided to replace the control arm and springs since it was recommended with all that coming out anyway. And they were probably still the originals.

Yeh I'm almost certain that they did not test drive it. There's no way they would not have noticed that. But your thoughts echo mine. Either a faulty part, or they goofed something.
I'm just surprised they didn't notice this, or this didnt show up when they did the alignment. But this isnt my area of expertise.
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Old Apr 14, 2022 | 10:55 PM
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Took it to Les Schwab this morning, and the alignment was so far out its not even funny. $99 later and everything is good. The customer service was so much better too.
Needless to say, the other place will be hearing from me tomorrow. I'll give them copies of the alignment/work report and tell them that they either need more competent employees, a new machine, or Both.

Just glad i can wash my hands of those clowns now.

Thank you for everyone's input.
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Old Apr 15, 2022 | 05:23 AM
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don't forget to retorque your lift kit.
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Old Apr 15, 2022 | 04:08 PM
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Originally Posted by techrep
don't forget to retorque your lift kit.
I won't. Won't be getting it done there though.
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