I have a 92 Toyota Previa that I use for road trips. I have the car aligned before every major road trip which is about every 5-8k miles. Is this too often? What are the effects of not getting your car aligned besides poor handling?
2006-12-12 13:07:53 · 8 answers · asked by David D 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
No that's not really too often. You should do it at least once a year, or preferably every 6 months. I do mine twice a year.
On most modern cars it takes only a very minute deviation to make the alignment OUT from factory spec. A few hundredths of a degree to either side of perfect. If you wait only until after your tires are starting to wear funny it's already too late - your alignment has been out for a while and the damage is done. Alignment is a preventive maintenance item after all.
I should also point out for some of the other posters above; your alignment can be very far out and chewing the heck out of your tires but the car will still drive straight ahead, not pull to one side or the other or cause the steering wheel to be crooked.
2006-12-12 13:35:53 · answer #1 · answered by Naughtums 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
How Often Alignment
2016-11-07 07:54:55 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh my god yes that is way too often. I bet your mechanic loves you. You are wasting money. There is no set schedule for alignments. Theoretically, a car could never need aligned (not likely doe to pot holes, road bumps, etc). Your car's performance will not suffer (noticeably) if your car is out of alignment, your tires will. You will notice your car pulling to the same side (one way or another) at all times and a slight uneven wearing of your front tires. I am pretty easy on my vehicles and I have never notice them pull. Just as preventative maintenance I have mine aligned every 30-45k miles.
2006-12-12 13:15:48 · answer #3 · answered by Mike Hunt 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you don't have your car in good alignment, parts and tires could wear out or fail prematurely in addition to the handling problem.
I've never had to have a vehicle aligned every 5-8K miles, but they're all different. I had one that I had aligned every year, ( it was old and kinda worn out ) and my truck, which was actually driven more went 4 years before it showed signs of needing aligned.
It's not a great answer, but the best one I can give you for how often a vehicle needs aligned is "it depends upon the vehicle and how and where you drive it." If you're living in pot hole hell or driving on dirt roads your vehicle will have different needs than if you're riding on all smooth paved roads.
2006-12-12 13:15:35 · answer #4 · answered by Redneck Crow 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The way i figure a car should only be aligned if the steering wheel starts pulling hard which could mean other front end problems and you should always have it aligned when you get new tires installed. a car should always pull to the right when you drive so if something happens to you that you cannot drive the vehicle will pull itself over but gradually not a fast right .
2006-12-12 13:29:56 · answer #5 · answered by dewaltfordtruckman 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When the tires are replaced. Many problems associated with front-end alignment can be tire problems such as: vibration, pulling to the right or left. Vibration is usually warped brake rotors or tires out of balance or out of round. Wheel alignment can be instrumental in adding to the results. Have the front end checked for wear and alignment and have the tires looked at by somebody you can trust?
2016-03-20 08:09:36 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is way to often. You should have it aligned when you have work done to the front end. Just watch the tire wear and that should be fine. By the way all roads have a crown to them and most cars will drift to right because of that.
2006-12-12 13:14:12 · answer #7 · answered by jmayer5025 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
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In my opinion, an Alignment is ONLY needed when your driving normal and the steering wheel pulls to one side... this shows you the alingment if off and needs to be corrected. Wheel/Tire Balancing&Rotation, this should be done every 6,000 miles to keep the wear and tear in close order on all four of your tires... Good day
2016-04-05 22:32:45 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't have mine aligned unless I start to notice unusual tire wear.
I check my air pressure at every fuel stop, so I look at the tires.
I think you're wasting a lot of $$.
2006-12-12 13:16:09 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well I would just have it checked and see if it needs it. You have something wrong if you have to get it aligned that often. most mechanics should notice if it has bad ball joints or tie rods I would have them checked.
2006-12-12 13:17:33 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋