FRONT END ALIGNMENT

I have to say that since I don't have access to an alignment rack no more and have had no choice but to farm mine out I have had results that are nothing short of maddening. Most recent is my 12 truck, had it aligned, had to pay extra because shop owner claimed cam bolts were frozen and he had difficulty getting them to turn, so he stuck it to me for extra time. I then went and spent $600 on a PAIR of 70k rated Michelins. I hadn't spent $600 on any SET ((yeah all4) of tires before and I've bought Michelin before too. But with today's times and this being the first vehicle I've ever had with 17"rubber but that $600 pair of tires was worn damneer into the cords on the inner most rib, (from edge to first groove) and like new the rest of the tread. I rotated them to the back and didn't get to 20k and they were gone
At about 1/2 of the 13k miles they spent on the front, I got a nail in one. I took it in and had it patched and switched sides with them. I was noticing the tread wear then. I didn't want to put them on the back because I had Cooper all terrain ones out back and I wasn't wanting highway tread out back with AT's on the front. But for the last 6-7 k miles I had no choice before I re replaced all 4.

My last alignment debacle was on my wife's Durango.
I had replaced some front end parts and the first place I went to try and get an alignment was the last place I worked as their alignment guy. The business had changed hands after 70 some years, but some of the same people were still there. I went and asked the salesman behind the counter who'd been there 35+ years and stayed on with the new owners. I mentioned that my Durango has a "slip shaft" style adjustment on camber and caster and he replied that he didn't think that the alignment guy he had there had ever done a slip shaft. When I was there (94-05) our other alignment guy could never get those right and I ended up having to do all of the cars and trucks that came in with that setup. I got sent to another shop down the street. When I left there it drove worse than it had when I took it in, and I had guessed at where to bolt down the control arms when I put them back in here at home. I took it back, and no improvement.
I ended up having to take it in to another shop and pay for a second alignment to get it done right.