I've only been driving in DC for 20 years and somehow I don't need 3 alignments a year.

Its gotta be the alignment techs.

 

I agree something doesn't sound right there. I've lived in the Chicago area for 43 years, and a couple of other Midwestern markets before that driving both personal and company cars, and no frequent alignment issues (fingers crossed).

 

I was being facetious. D.C. streets, in general, are known for their lack of maintenance.

 

You know alignments are actually pretty difficult do to correctly right? And the techs are correct as your car wears you will get negative camber due to gravity. I dont know what state you live in but I get my aligments done at a race shop in NY and thats $150 and takes about an hour. Normal aligments should only cost $60-$90 any more and your getting bent over with a handful of sand.

There is no way your rear was out of spec by -1.9 thats an insane amount of camber on a stock car, I lowered my ls430 3.5 inches in the front and the camber was only off by -1.7 and ls430's have very little front camber adjustment. If it was off that much then your shock collapsed and you should probably get that fixed.

 

Welcome to NY were during the morning commute the giant moon craters in the road have cars for breakfast lol

 

What I meant was the overall was -1.9, with the range being up to -1.8, so it was just out. But I noticed the lifetime place just gets it in the range. The BMW dealer sets every value to the center of the range, even if green to begin with. I suppose that's why one is $149 each, and another $170 fo life....

Man I was driving on Haverford Ave. yest. there are some gigantic I don't even know what to call them. this honda CR-V starts wavering like a person deking on a penalty shot, and then speeds up through the hole in the road. I couldn't help but think lucky your car must be leased. If anything, common sense would say slow down when you are going to hit something. I'm not driving my LS430 through that, I used the other side of the Ave. and avoided the hole.

 

Thats the aligment sheet from my ls430 when I first got the car after I installed coilovers.

 

When I had the alignment done last year after hitting the curb (no, I wasn't drinking; it was ice) I was impressed by the technology used by the Les Schwab tire place. Up on the rack, a couple of reflectors attached to the wheels, couple of seconds of moving things around, everything read by a laser, then--Bingo!--the computer spits out a graphical analysis. Pretty cool, and a far cry from the way it was done decades ago.

 

I assume you are talking about the ubiquitous Hunter alignment machines, in use for years.

 

I wish there was a way to verify the steering is set exactly @ 0° before they do all the aligning.

 

i think the last time i got an alignment was over a decade ago when my 2gs had coilovers, custom rims/tires, etc. since then, nope.

 

Only when it pulls or I see excessive/abnormal tire wear.

In my earlier days, it would have been once a month when I tinkered around with my suspension.

 

info directly from the Hunter website....

https://www.hunter.com/alignment-sys...heel-alignment

The Benefits of Wheel Alignment

Proper wheel alignment is extremely important to protect tire investment and tire life, maximize fuel economy and stop safely in wet weather conditions. Proper wheel alignment helps vehicles hold the road better and feel more stable.

Fuel Economy Benefits of Wheel Alignment

Proper wheel alignment also maximizes fuel economy. Vehicles with wheel alignment conditions can suffer a decrease in fuel efficiency by up to 7%. For a vehicle owner who drives 15,000 miles per year and gets an average of 25 miles per gallon at $3.50 per gallon, proper wheel alignment adds up to $150 annual fuel cost savings.

Proper Alignment Protects a Vehicle Owner’s Investment

Every inch a vehicle is out of alignment is equivalent to dragging the tire sideways at 100 feet per mile! Not only does this create dangerous driving conditions, but it also places unnecessary wear on tires that can be avoided by proper wheel alignment.

Other Wheel Alignment Benefits for Safety

One of the benefits of wheel alignment is maintaining tread life and reducing unnecessary tread wear over time. Remaining tire tread has a direct impact on stopping distance on wet surfaces, which can cause serious problems when traveling over 60 mph.

How Often Should You Get an Alignment?

Most manufacturers don’t outline a maintenance schedule for wheel alignment, however, most mechanics recommend this service be completed once every 2-3 years.

If your vehicle has an off-center steering wheel, pulls to one side while driving on a straight and level road, has uneven tire wear or doesn’t hold the road well, chances are you may be due for wheel alignment service.

Benefits of a Wheel Alignment System with Steering System Reset

As vehicle manufacturers equip more vehicles with on-board driver-assist systems, such as electronic stability control, parking assist, traction control and more, an increasing number of manufacturers now require a steering system reset during alignment service. It is important to have an alignment system that can reset all alignment-related sensors during alignment service.

Learn more about the benefits of wheel alignment performed by Hunter Engineering wheel aligners. click here.

 

As far as the front wheels dragging the vehicle sideways, manufacturers rarely specify a perfectly parallel-alignment of the front wheels. Often there is a very small amount of toe-in specified, to help keep the vehicle steady, and no tend to drift back and forth out of one's lanes specially in crosswinds. Sometimes a small amount of negative camber will also be recommended, to help keep as much tread as possible on the outer tires firmly-planted in corners.