Alignment: Specialty Tools Needed?

[bquicksilver]

I'm calling around for an alignment (trying to avoid stealership) and am getting mixed messages on what is required for a 2011 X5 (50i) alignment.

Some say it's not an issue (maybe bc they have all the tools, or just no idea what they're doing).

1) Some say there is a special tool required for camber adjustment. Is that true, and is the tool a must?
2) Some say special bags of weight are needed for pass seats. Are they "required" or just good practice to get the weighting correct? (id assume just good practice)
3) Some say an alignment will throw off sensors and require coding at the dealer? Any truth to this?

Thanks in advance!

[bquicksilver]

One shop said they cannot reset the steering angle sensor (SAS) on BMW's. Anyone run into that issue?

[ard]

Not being able to reset it??

Or EVER needing to reset it?

Or finding a shop that said they cant?

[bquicksilver]

Who really knows. Most of them didn't graduate high school for a reason.

That said, a few different places brought it up (one place mentioned the SAS in specific), so I figured the issue must have come up before.