To align, or not to align?

[Midpack]

Today is the day, putting new tires on DWs car for winter. But I am still on the fence re: alignment. The dealer told me alignment was way off on 3 of the 4 corners in Apr (report here http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/dqotd-fix-car-misalignment-81389.html#post1715233). The car does not pull right or left at any speed or under braking. There hasn't been any difference in maintaining tire air pressure. And I just got down on my hands and knees with a flashlight and there is no evidence of uneven tire wear AT ALL, even though we are not diligent about maintaining tire pressure (I check once or twice a year).

I don't mind paying $119 for alignment if we actually need it, but I have my doubts based on our 'symptoms' - and I hate to just let them fleece us.

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/dqotd-fix-car-misalignment-81389.html

 

[Big_Hitter]

have them check the alignment (hopefully free) after the new tires are put on

 

[Options]

Alignment should be free with all new tires I would think. Now that I have run-flat tires, I use the internal dash guage all of the time due to paranoia. I've read it's easy to have a flat on run-flat tires and not know it. Great.

 

[W2R]

Alignment should be free with all new tires I would think.

+1 Ask your dealer. Surely it is free.

 

[GrayHare]

I don't bother with realignment unless the car is pulling to one side or its tires wearing unevenly, neither of which have ever happened to my vehicle.

I have a friend who pays for realignment multiple times per year and every time he pays for the tires to be rotated. Since his bankruptcy he has cut back on that a bit.

 

[easysurfer]

You could bring the car in to an independent place that doesn't choose for a diagnosis. That way if they say you need an alignment and you prefer to go with the dealer's service, you won't feel fleeced. Of course, then there is the time involved and if the shop said you need an alignment, who is to say the independent place wasn't trying to fleece you also.

I am biased as I don't like bringing my car in to the service shop at dealers unless I really have to.

 

[RE2Boys]

I don't bother with realignment unless the car is pulling to one side or its tires wearing unevenly, neither of which have ever happened to my vehicle.

I haven't had an alignment of any car I've owned since about 1980. Unless there is pulling or early tire wear, I would not bother. I've had tires that wore slightly unevenly but it wasn't noticeable until late in the tire's life and as the cost of four wheel alignments is sometimes a significant percentage of the cost of a tire, I don't buy that you save money by having an alignment done. I live in snow country so tend to replace tires before they hit the legal end of life.

Now if you've got expensive tires, then YMMV. And I tend to due a fair amount of research in purchasing all season tires, aim for saving money while getting good tire life, decent ride, but good snow ratings. Try to aim for the best trade-off.

 

[Midpack]

Alignment should be free with all new tires I would think.

+1 Ask your dealer. Surely it is free.

Check is free, but alignment is not, $119.95 even with 4 new tires. I got prices for tires at two other places, alignment not included there either. I am planning on playing it by ear, they'll have to convince me...

If alignment is truly way off, I would think something is bent, worn or broken. I'd want that corrected before re-alignment.

 

[misanman]

A word of caution - I think you would be surprised at how quickly poor alignment can ruin a set of tires. I guess I'd get a second opinion.

I've had cars come from the factory with poor alignment (discovered too late) but I have an independent shop that I use and once they set an alignment it seldom needs any later adjustment.

 

[HFWR]

Have never had to adjust alignment on a car. Don't plan to start now, particularly with no indication (other than a dealer upsell) to do so...

 

[Sue J]

I had two wheel bearings replaced. Would that justify an alignment?


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[travelover]

I had two wheel bearings replaced. Would that justify an alignment?

No. Wheel bearings alone do not require an alignment.

 

[travelover]

You can check the toe in with a string if you have a level place to park it. Example:

 

[Bamaman]

I have two high performance cars with 40 and 45 series tires that eat tires--no matter how they're aligned. I'm sick of paying $800-$1100 every 20,000 miles for tires, and have sworn off purchasing any more vehicles with low profile tires.

Today's alignment equipment will print out a copy of the alignment numbers, and they color code any wheel/tire that's out of factory specs. That shop should use the printed copy to show you what your vehicle needs. If it's out by much, get the wheel alignment. And have them check your ball joints, tie rod ends, struts and other wear parts while they're at it.

We can get alignments done for half what that dealer's quoting.

 

[Lakewood90712]

If you can't see abnormal wear patterns on the old tires and got good life from them, skip it IMO.

Alignment on some vehicles is about like reading Tea Leaves .

EVERY vehicle has some mis alignment .

 

[ls99]

I agree with the NO crowd. If you really want to know, go to an independent shop.

I had my 95 Jaguar aligned at a Ford dealer a few years ago, was around 60 bucks. And it needed it, 'cause tire wear showed it, and I asked them to do it.

 

[Montecfo]

I have two high performance cars with 40 and 45 series tires that eat tires--no matter how they're aligned. I'm sick of paying $800-$1100 every 20,000 miles for tires, and have sworn off purchasing any more vehicles with low profile tires.

Today's alignment equipment will print out a copy of the alignment numbers, and they color code any wheel/tire that's out of factory specs. That shop should use the printed copy to show you what your vehicle needs. If it's out by much, get the wheel alignment. And have them check your ball joints, tie rod ends, struts and other wear parts while they're at it.

We can get alignments done for half what that dealer's quoting.

Low profile tires seem like a bit of a conspiracy to drive up tire sizes and wear. I have two BMW 5's (E39), no low profile tires. And yeah, I hate expensive tires.

I do align them. But if the alignment is $119 and I saw no issues i would definitely think about skipping it.

 

[akck]

You can check the toe in with a string if you have a level place to park it. Example:

I've done this, but I think I've figured out a better way to do it. I now use a magnetic laser level by attaching a steel plate to a plywood board and resting it against the rear tire, adjusting it to ensure the laser is level in both directions. I then use a ruler to see the alignment of the front tires. The only problem is you need a shaded or darkened area to better see the laser line.

 

[eytonxav]

If you never encounter any bad pot holes and have not seen any evidence of uneven wear, I wouldn't worry about it, but tires are expensive and uneven wear could go unnoticed until it is a problem, so if you have any doubt, get an alignment.

 

[Midpack]

Just got back from the dealership, went with an open mind re: alignment, after all it is DW's car and I want it to be right. They put the new tires on and presented me with a new wheel alignment report. The readings are completely different this time than they were in Apr, with a different adjustment recommendation. I know it's possible, but unlikely as we haven't had pothole/curb hits.

What do they use a random number generator?

So I left without an alignment, the car still steers/rides nice. I'll observe for a while, but I doubt we'll do an alignment, and I will go to a tire shop instead of a car dealer. We expect to trade the car within 1-2 years, long before the tires wear out anyway.

Thanks for your thoughts all.

 

[Texas Proud]

I think this is a new way for the dealer to make money....

I will throw them under the bus... took our Hyundai in to get a recall done... said we needed alignment.... it was my mom's car and she had hit things, so I thought it actually might need one... even though we had less than 10K miles....

Took my other Hyundai in for the recall.... again, bad alignment... did not have them do anything....

Told my sis who took her Hyundai in and YES, it needed an alignment.... even though she had a wreck which fixed everything a few months earlier including the alignment....


So far, our Honda is approaching 25K miles and they have not tried to sell me an alignment.... this last time it was filters, but they did look bad.... will check soon to see how long they are supposed to last...

 

[ls99]

I'd call BS on the dealer's numbers. Tires do not determine or effect alignment.

Some twenty years ago I had a 1974 Mercedes 450. Can't remember the reason the car was at a dealer. Dealer claimed they could not do an alinggment with the tires I had on the car. They were around 5/32. Low but still useable. They wanted to sell me new tires. I did tell them to go pund salt and had the alignment done by an independent shop.

 

[NW-Bound]

Just got back from the dealership, went with an open mind re: alignment, after all it is DW's car and I want it to be right. They put the new tires on and presented me with a new wheel alignment report. The readings are completely different this time than they were in Apr, with a different adjustment recommendation. I know it's possible, but unlikely as we haven't had pothole/curb hits.

What do they use a random number generator?...

Sounds like a scam to me. It's not something beyond what many shops are capable of.

Some TV stations have reporters doing stories on scams like this. They would go in with perfectly aligned cars for these guys to "work" on.

 

[CRLLS]

I generally only do an alignment if the old tires have worn in an uneven pattern, the steering wheel is off-center, or I have done front end service (tie rod ends, ball joints, bushings, etc.) I don't rotate my tires either. This way any "problem" is not hidden by the rotation. I have sometimes gotten over 100k miles on the rear of RWD vehicles, and easily get 60K on the fronts.

I would suggest taking it to a tire dealer and getting a free alignment check. Compare those results to the report from the dealership. If they match (within reason), then have it aligned right there by the tire dealer. If not, have them check the front end for damage or wear. Worn ball joints can move about a bit and cause different alignment.

Be aware that alignment specs vary from car model to car model and are set by the designers to be a compromise of many variables. Just being slightly out of spec may not indicate the need for alignment. Left to right wheel consistency is more telling of actual damage to a suspension component.

 

[3800Fiero]

I would also decline the alignment. If there is no abnormal wear on the tires and handling (pulling, shaking) seems normal then no alignment is really needed. In my 40+ years of vehicle ownership, I have yet to get an alignment done correctly the first time around and required a second visit to get it resolved. YMMV.