Quicky car question....alignment

I've never had my car aligned and it's 8 years old. Is that weird?

 

Yes. Usually, the alignment can be knocked askew by a tire rotation, new set of tires, climbing a curb, hitting a wheel against a curb, clobbering a pothole, etc., etc.

Does your vehicle track straight - without your having to hold the wheel in place? If so, I need some of what your vehicle has.

 

No, but it's not harsh either. And who drives without their hands on the wheel?

 

No one should, but let's see - people using their cell phones, checking their makeup, reading maps, reading something else, trying to jot down notes (I saw this a couple of days ago) and otherwise not paying attention or thinks driving isn't worth the effort. Too many people drive with barely one hand, their knee or nothing at all when the road has no turns or curves.

If a vehicle is properly aligned it should be able to track itself down the road with minimal input - given a flat road. Then again, roads are usually pitched ever-so-slightly toward the shoulder, and vehicles such as trucks, SUVs and other heavy-duty machines tend not to have as good a point-of-center steering feel.

 

If the car is out of alignment, the tires wear unevenly and wear out more quickly.

You either pay for the alignment . . . or pay for not getting it later.

 

Nice...
I just had it done this week -- 4 tires balance and rotated with front end alignment and got out for just under 80 bucks

 

Sorry, I was just practicing to be a mechanic in my next career.
From the other thread, I have gotten the struts warning, too. That must be the buzzword in the industry. Sell 'em struts whether they need 'em or not.

 

One of us (HC probably ) hit a curb.

And Sam is right. You need an alignment if the car doesn't track properly at 120 km with your hands off the wheel.

Hey, Sam, can I drive down there and get you to do it?

 

How often are you supposed to get an alignment? Once a year? I always forget until my car hits 40,000 miles and one half of the tread is completely worn down. Then I have to get new tires and forget about it for another 40,000 miles.

 

No way. Judge by the wear of your tires. Like Sam said, unless you've jumped a curb or hit a massive pothole at a high speed, you should be good to go for a long while after getting an alignment.

If the tires wear out on one side unevenly (say the right side edge of the two left tires is bald while there's still tread left on the rest of the tire), you need an alignment. And also like Sam said, if the car pulls hard to one side or the other, you need an alignment. But make sure if you do the "hands off the wheel test" that you car isn't just drifting away from the crown of the road. That's not true pulling.

 

The father of an athlete i used to cover owned a tire place, so he gave me a deal for $49. I think usually it's $75, give or take a few bucks.

 

You want to be celibate, don't you honey?