Quicky car question....alignment

[JR]

Our beloved ' 94 Camry needs an alignment.

Any idea how much this will cost?

(I know I could google around and look but it's Friday night and I'm lazy)

Thanks in advance.

 

[Batman]

Most tire shops can do it for under $100. The breakdown is about $50 for the alignment, then another $35 o $40 for a tire rotation and balancing.

 

[SoCalDude]

Should be $50 or $60. But don't forget you'll need new struts for $1,700.

 

[JR]

Batman,
You are a gentleman and a scholar.
Thanks.

 

[JR]

Should be $50 or $60. But don't forget you'll need new struts for $1,700.

You, sir, are not.

 

[Batman]

Glad to help.

 

[JR]

Coming up to 300,000 kms on the beat. (That's about 180,00 miles for the foreigners)

 

[Sam Mills 51]

JR, if there are Firestone locations in your corner of the world, check into their lifetime alignment deal if you're going to hang on to your current machine for at least a year or two more.

It costs about $130 US when I got it for my current vehicle more than four years ago - pricey, yes - but it also means you don't pay for another alignment on the vehicle for as long as you own it. So, for example, if you need 3-4 alignments over the time span for which you own your vehicle, you come out well ahead.

 

[JR]

Sam my man, thanks.

We do have Firestone and Green & Ross.

I was going to check with my mechanic first--I'd rather have him do it but he may just tell me, "Take it to them. They'll be cheaper".

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Anytime, JR.

I've bought the lifetime alignment for my last two machines. Had the first one four years and I'm sure I took it in for alignment at least four times. My current machine is 4.5 years old, and on top of the times when my vehicle has starting drifting, it paid off when I had no choice to climb a curb to avoid a swerving drunk driver after a crazy Friday desk shift.

If Firestone still offers it - and the reputations of the locations in your world aren't too ugly - look into it.

 

[Walter_Sobchak]

Should be $50 or $60. But don't forget you'll need new struts for $1,700.

Not funny.

 

[JR]

Should be $50 or $60. But don't forget you'll need new struts for $1,700.

Not funny.

My reaction too, Walter.

 

[imjustagirl2]

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

 

[Sam Mills 51]

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.

 

[imjustagirl2]

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

 

[Sam Mills 51]

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.

 

[BTExpress]

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.

 

[slappy4428]

Should be $50 or $60. But don't forget you'll need new struts for $1,700.

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

 

[SoCalDude]

Should be $50 or $60. But don't forget you'll need new struts for $1,700.

Not funny.

My reaction too, Walter.

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.

 

[JR]

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.

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?