Just curious if folks get them yearly or just when you buy new tires or........

 

I can't think of the last time I had an alignment done. Maybe 10 years ago when I had all the shocks replaced on my 1999 Z28 Camaro.

If it doesn't pull to the left or right or have any funny tire wear, well then its dead on IMO. Past few vehicles have been Toyotas, and well the suspension on Toyotas wear like iron, at least in my part of the world where the roads are decently maintained.

 

When I hit a massive pothole that breaks one or more of my wheels.

 

If needed, and also when I get a new set of tires. Thats probably a waste if there are no symptoms of poor alignment, but thats a process thats just ingrained in me.

 

We have the $170 "lifetime alignment" on 2 of our cars, not the BMW. My wife made out on hers, 4X in a year, as her 2011 GM car failed a state safety inspection. Wouldn't you know I stupidly bought an extended warranty that covered the work which was about $1k. Amazingly, GMPP authorized the alignment of only one of four wheels hahahahahahahahahaha So went it went back on the rack, 2/4 wheels were not within spec, and the single wheel that was aligned was perfect.

The LS430 is a game of "let me guess the negative camber" in the rear. Haven't broken even quite yet, but about to get the 3rd in a year.

From my experience, if one goes back every 6k or so, various settings are always out of spec. How much this translates into performance or tire wear, I bet is minimal. Because on my Maxima, which is over 260k miles, I probably aligned the car about 4X.

The BMW is $140-$160 a pop and I do it every time I replace the tires, I just don't want the lifetime place handling it.

 

I don't tend to keep a car long enough to need it. I've done it once in the past 20 years. That was about 2 years ago on my GS when I had to swerve to avoid an accident and hit a curb, shredding both left tires and wheels.

 

 

Whenever I change my suspension (ie lowering springs, shocks) I get an alignment.

 

My tires have to be replaced every year, so the answer is both!

 

Dunno....I know after alignment #1, the left rear was just out of spec at -1.9. But then after #2, the left was in spec and now the right was out of spec. I wish I could try doing it myself (it can't be rocket science), I would like to convince myself it's the techs, and not the car. Many seem to say as the car wears and springs sag etc., there is a tendency for the rear to exhibit more negative camber.

I will say this from what I see. If you roll in with a BMW, pay $140, and every setting is green to begin with, they still adjust such that all the settings are in the middle of each range. I have found this to not be the case with the lifetime alignment. Green means no need to adjust. That's the myth of the lifetime alignment lol But since we have them, I'll use them, don't really lose anything but the drop off and pickup time...

 

Drive in some of our Northeastern or Great Lakes states and and you'll find out. Heck, it's often bad enough even around D.C.

 

it's not rocket science or an exact science, IMO. I mean if the steering wheel isn't centered exactly when they put the sensors on the wheels the front will be off.

 

Except wth new tires, I generally don't formally get an alignment unless I hit some bad potholes (and I'm usually very careful how and where I drive, avoiding the worst of local D.C. roads) or notice irregular tire wear. Some feathering on the outer-edge to the tread is often normal because of the way that the tread-grooves on modern tires wrap around the edge of the tires, and the rotating-action of the tires putting continual stress in the tread-blocks in one direction. But excessive feathering, or to the point where it starts making a lot of tire noise, often means an alignment or new tires.

 

My uncle who has performed them said they are as good as the tech. They look at a screen that pretty much walks them through what bolt to loosen and how to move the suspension. On YouTube there are people who do it themselves without any equipment (this is imho only for fun or novelty purposes or the love of geometry)...

 

Two winters ago I slid into a curb on a turnout going about 10mph. I had the alignment checked and it was close but not in the range, so they re-set it.

Prior to that I guess the only alignments were done if the tires showed atypical wear. So maybe every ten years.