"specialty Alignment" (?)

[mguzzipilot]

So two local tire shops say they can't align a 2005 Boxster. National chain ups the price because it requires a "specialty alignment " What the he k does that mean? Does a Boxer require something special to perform the alignment, or is this an inflated price due to the name on the car?

[White987S]

Find an indy shop that does Porsche. Should be about an hour labor. Under $200.

[mguzzipilot]

Tough to do in my neck of the woods. I'm OK, I'll get it done, just wondering what could be different on these vs. the BMW, Volvo, and Benz cars I've owned. They are all held together with nuts and bolts, right? Just curious.

[Highlander]

On a lot of cars, the only thing that can be adjusted is the toe.  On Boxsters, front camber can also be adjusted.  Maybe that's what they mean by "specialty alignment".  It does take more time to adjust toe and camber - as camber adjustments effect toe, so it would not be unreasonable to charge more for a Boxster alignment over say, a Camry or even a 3-series BMW that has no factory camber adjustment.