TiresPlus suggests re-alignment, do I really need it?

[Mister Selatcia]

Greetings,

I'll start by saying that I have a pretty small overall knowledge when it comes to cars. I do know the basics, but not a lot beyond that. Today I had a minor job done at a local Tires Plus location and they did their "complementary free alignment check". They gave me the printout and suggested that I get that done as soon as I could. They said it was only the front that needed addressing. I took a pic of the printout that shows all the numbers in detail. My question is, how do you know when it's time for a re-alignment? I had one done 1 or 2 years back and haven't noticed anything too unusual when driving. The link below is to a picture of their alignment check report:

http://s831.photobucket.com/user/Mis...11361.jpg.html

Thanks,
Mr. S

[CapriRacer]

Mr. S,

First clue would be the green vs red. Red indicates something outside the published spec limits.

Second, I am of the opinion that the published specs are too wide - by half. You have a couple of those.

And lastly, you didn't tell us what was done to prompt an alignment check. I also find it interesting that they didn't adjust the toe as it takes longer to set up the machine than it does to adjust the toe.

[gmtech1]

Originally Posted by Mister Selatcia

Greetings,

I'll start by saying that I have a pretty small overall knowledge when it comes to cars. I do know the basics, but not a lot beyond that. Today I had a minor job done at a local Tires Plus location and they did their "complementary free alignment check". They gave me the printout and suggested that I get that done as soon as I could. They said it was only the front that needed addressing. I took a pic of the printout that shows all the numbers in detail. My question is, how do you know when it's time for a re-alignment? I had one done 1 or 2 years back and haven't noticed anything too unusual when driving. The link below is to a picture of their alignment check report:

http://s831.photobucket.com/user/Mis...11361.jpg.html

Thanks,
Mr. S

What that printout says, basically, is that your steering wheel is off center, when driving, to the right. The "total toe" is good, toed out a little, but ok. They may have locked the steering wheel down off center when they set it up also. I don't see anything critical that needs to be taken care of. The camber is a little higher on the left, may cause a pull, but road crown should offset that.