In the collision, Mellow Yellow was struck on the right rear quarter
panel with enough force to spin it a bit -- the rear tires were pushed
about three feet to the left. And even though the van seemed to track
perfectly and ride without shudders or other weirdnesses after the
accident, I wanted to make sure the alignment was still good before we
head out camping tomorrow morning. No sense tearing up a tire, I reckon.

So I took it to Alignment Techniques here in Bend, Ore. The van already
had been there once in March after the split steering rack boots had
been replaced.

When I called to make the appointment, the first thing the owner, Mike
Wing, asked was whether it was a Syncro. I mention this because the two
shops I used in SoCal didn't even know how to work on Vanagons at all,
much less know the distinction.

He said that though they were way busy I should bring it by after lunch
and he'd see if he could squeeze it in.

As soon as I arrived, they pulled the van onto their second rack, worked
on it for 45 minutes, found nothing whack, touched everything up, and
sent me on my way -- no charge. Some pretty fancy computerized
equipment: cameras, reflectors . . . swell stuff.

He said that if the alignment was going to be knocked off from the
collision, it would have been way off.

Alignment Techniques, Bend, Ore. -- recommended.

--
Rocky J Squirrel