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[zj16]

my 2011 e90 had it 1st service at 17,000 miles and service advisor told me that I need a 4 wheel alignment. would it be possible that soon I need the alignment? my ram had its alignment when its 45k+ miles, I'm a moderate driver and the car never hit any pothole. thus someone here had its alignment that soon.

[Bartman619]

You need an aligment at least every 10-15K! For me thats at least every 18 months. It helps because your tires will last longer, especially those with sports package .

[bmw325i]

I haven't bothered with it I've put 20k miles since I got the car and who knows how long it had been before that. Tire wear is even so I decided it wasn't worth it. Just my experience so far if you think it's worth it then you should.

[Surly73]

Originally Posted by zj16

my 2011 e90 had it 1st service at 17,000 miles and service advisor told me that I need a 4 wheel alignment. would it be possible that soon I need the alignment? my ram had its alignment when its 45k+ miles, I'm a moderate driver and the car never hit any pothole. thus someone here had its alignment that soon.

Alignments are maintenance, not a repair. Lots of cars come from the factory needing an alignment.

Yes, it's possible that the dealership is just trying to soak you, but it's also perfectly reasonable that you may need one. Ask them how they know - they'll probably say tire wear. Ask to see the abnormal tire wear and then you should have your proof of their intentions. In a performance oriented car, I usually end up with alignments every 18 months or so

[zj16]

I'm planning for wheel upgrade as soon as tire life wears off so wear doesn't bother me.

Aside from tire wear is their any suspension part affected if I don't have it align soon?

[EFI Logics]

It really doesn't take much to knock an alignment out of spec. That being said, you may or may not actually need it. Does the car visibly look like it is out of spec? Does the car feel like it's behaving differently than it used to? Is the car tracking on the road? Are you getting uneven tire wear? These are a few questions you can ask yourself to help determine if you really need it or not. You may not necessarily be able to tell just by looking at it though and you may not be able to feel the difference if the alignment is off. The only way to know for sure if it is off is to check the specs on an alignment rack or with the proper tools.

-Josh

[Surly73]

Originally Posted by zj16

I'm planning for wheel upgrade as soon as tire life wears off so wear doesn't bother me.

Aside from tire wear is their any suspension part affected if I don't have it align soon?

Low tire life is a SYMPTOM of an incorrect alignment, but is not the only reason to have a proper alignment. Alignment affects handling, stability, tracking through turns, mid-corner bumps and the entire character of the car.

Why drive a BMW if it doesn't track properly?

[Doctor///M]

a fitting question... and I was wondering the same thing. Just has my 4 tires replaced and was wondering if it was wise to do a full alignment. I'm thinking that it is...

[VMRWheels]

Originally Posted by S3RI35

a fitting question... and I was wondering the same thing. Just has my 4 tires replaced and was wondering if it was wise to do a full alignment. I'm thinking that it is...

If you feel that your alignment might be off or if your tires had uneven wear on them before you replaced them. If so, I'd recommend getting an alignment since it'll save you money in the long run since it won't wear down your tires as quickly.