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[Tooyoung00]

So I took my BMW in because of HPFP issue. The dealer is strongly suggesting I get a wheel alignment.

Should I get wheel alignment?
Its like $300. Obvious answer is yes but I only have 8k miles on the car. I just feel he is just trying to sell me stuff.

Any suggestion/ idea would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[asuresh8]

no don't do it. I got a flier from a notorious stealership offering wheel alignment for 140. You should be able to get an indy shop to do it for much less.

[alex2364]

Did the dealer say why you need an alignment? You don't need one unless there's a specific issue with the car.

[sneaks]

Call around. In my experience, the indy shops where the owner or partner is one of the techs/mechanic are the most experienced and thorough. They seem to have more of a passion for making customers happy because of quality work instead of free coffee and nice loaner cars. Ask what equipment they use when doing your research too. Newer hunter and snap on machines are what you are looking for.

[JFU]

100 bucks at my indy shop and they take pride in what they do =) hunt around, you ll find better deals for alignments. my shop does free alignment checks too. look for those =)

[bimbopper]

I got a free 4-wheel alignment from my BMW dealer when I complained of a vibration in the rear of the car at 1K miles. Turns out the dealer did not do an alignment prior to delivery as 3 wheels were out of spec. Of course that did not fix the vibration. That took a trip to a tire dealer to replace an out of round Continental Tire and re-seat the others. I have never paid $300 for an alignment. Subaru dealer charged $80 for my Legacy GT, Porsche dealer charged $240 for my dear, departed Boxster.

[magungo]

I just took in my car for its oil change and they told me that I should get my tires aligned once a year. He noticed a small amount of curb rash on my rear wheel and said especially so.

Is there any truth to this?

[pruettfan]

Originally Posted by magungo

I just took in my car for its oil change and they told me that I should get my tires aligned once a year. He noticed a small amount of curb rash on my rear wheel and said especially so.

Is there any truth to this?

That is BS. Curb rash takes place at very low speed (crawl) and has no energy in the collision or the wheel would break. Remember in most dealers the service advisor has pay incentives based upon the sales beyond repairs they generate. This "advice" is coming from someone with a less than pure intentions. Signs a car needs an alignment are uncentered steering wheel, pulling in one direction or another while on a surface like a freeway, and uneven tire wear. If you don't have one of those symptoms you do not need an alignment period. I agree with those above that if and when you need an alignment a good non-dealer/independent shop can do it just as well for much less. Just make sure it is a shop that does a lot of them. You can tell the difference by how long you have to wait. High volume shops will have a wait or will require an appointment to get an alignment. I also make sure they use Hunter equipment

[kevin@bavarianx]

Generally you would want an alignment every year especially if your lowered. I neglected to align my car after about a year and a half and I was getting uneven tire wear due to my front toe being way out of spec. Getting an alignment is cheaper than having to buy a new set of tires every year.

[pruettfan]

Originally Posted by sales@bavarianx

Generally you would want an alignment every year especially if your lowered. I neglected to align my car after about a year and a half and I was getting uneven tire wear due to my front toe being way out of spec. Getting an alignment is cheaper than having to buy a new set of tires every year.

I respectfully disagree. If it makes sense to do it once a year just in case then why not every 6 months or better yet every 3 months. We have guys on here that drive their cars 7,000 miles a year and some that drive 30,000 miles. If alignment is going to change it would do so by driving conditions not time. Better advice is to monitor tire wear, and pay attention to the centering of the steering wheel and tracking of the car. I might agree that every 20-30,000 miles might make sense but the x number of months is silly and a waste of money.

[kevin@bavarianx]

Originally Posted by pruettfan

I respectfully disagree. If it makes sense to do it once a year just in case then why not every 6 months or better yet every 3 months. We have guys on here that drive their cars 7,000 miles a year and some that drive 30,000 miles. If alignment is going to change it would do so by driving conditions not time. Better advice is to monitor tire wear, and pay attention to the centering of the steering wheel and tracking of the car. I might agree that every 20-30,000 miles might make sense but the x number of months is silly and a waste of money.

You are right about the driving conditions. Smooth quality roads would not affect alignment as much as harsh roads which can degrade alignments overtime. I drive about 10-12k miles a year and I got my alignment way out of spec within a year with me driving on smooth roads to even disfigured roads.