Murano alignment...necessary?

[Julio Bro!]

Hi: Everyone knows I have a 1993 240SX, but my Dad has a 2005 Murano...veeery sleek and fun to drive. A year later my Wife bought a Murano too, this one I told her to take AWD...nice.

Well, recently my Dad complained of his Murano having a not so good ride, so the shop replaced the shocks under warranty. When he got it back he felt the ride was better, but when checking the shop documents, it didn't specified alignment. He checked and they said that for the Murano, after shock replacement, alignment wasn't needed.

I said to my Dad that was ridiculous, any major suspension change needs alignment, says so in many articles and forums. But before releasing the bloodhounds on the shop, we wanna make sure, the Murano being recent and all, that it does need the alignment.

Any advice from the service manual or comments from experience?

[elwesso]

replacing the factory struts with new factory struts CERTAINLY does not require an alignment because you are not changing any of the geometry...

ONLY when you change to adjustable multilink parts, or lower the car is an alignment really necessary....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After shock/strut replacements assuming no spring change, i never recommend alignments as NECESSARY...

Granted, alignment may have changed slightly but not enough to be detectable! Not to say an alignment isnt a bad idea, but its not necessary...! Very RARELY will you get them to do alignments under warranty, because its all labor and no parts, its parts that they make money on!

If you are going to get an alignment, wait a month or so for the springs and shocks to settle...