Couple updates.
This past Wednesday, Thursday and part of Friday, I put some new parts into the Tahoe. Kept thinking if I am going to pay the dealer to align it, I want them to be able to align it. I bought brand new Mevotech TTX upper control arms, MOOG greaseable camber/caster bolts+shims, outer tie rods and some ACDelco Gold inner tie rods. While looking at my camber/caster adjustments on my truck previously (while noticing they weren't touched), I noticed they were adjusted all-the-way. So it got me thinking... maybe I have a lot of wear here and we do need a replacement.
So I went ahead and changed all those parts. I did find two of the cam bolts on each side were seized into the control arm bushing. So I do not know how anyone would have aligned this anyways. The bushings were cracked and falling apart. It was good to change them. I do not recall when inner tie rods were ever changed on this truck (been in family since 170k so maybe 150k at least?). Outers... I'm not doing inners and not, not doing outers.
The one inner tie rod fought me... I ended up buying an inner tie rod tool from Harbor Freight. Good tool to have... it worked very well.
Fast forward to today.
Visited West-Herr Chevrolet of Orchard Park. Appointment for 8am. Took the "close as I could get but probably very unaligned" Tahoe through the car wash to clean the snow and stuff off of it on my way through. Figured it be more pleasant than a snowy mess melting on a tech while they're working.
Pulled up to the door a few minutes before 8am. Door opened and a service advisor almost immediately came out, checked me in, took my keys and directed me to the waiting room. Watched Al Roker on the TV and had some coffee from this 35-in-1 Keurig-branded "appliance". Coffee sucked. Oh well.
Waited about an hour. Another service advisor/writer came up to me and told me I was all set. Said it went well, everything aligned real well, and commented on a lot of new parts in the truck. I paid around $185 with tax.
I left the dealer and the truck drives great. Steering wheel is straight, handles the road well, no tire noise, I am very pleased.
With the pretty quick time it took, end results being great and overall pleasantness... well worth the extra cost than dealing with the jokers at Firestone. I am pleased.