Wheel alignment
A small job that stops you buying tyres more often than you should.
Service One Automotive does wheel alignments at Factory 9, 266 Osborne Avenue, Clayton South VIC 3169. An alignment sets the angles the wheels sit at so the car tracks straight and the tyres wear evenly across the tread. It is worth doing after new tyres, after suspension work, and any time the car has pulled or the wear has gone uneven. Ring or text 0434 949 091. Please call to confirm current weekday hours.
What an alignment actually sets
Three angles, and they do different jobs.
Toe is whether the wheels point slightly in or slightly out. Get it wrong and it will scrub a set of tyres out in a few thousand kilometres. It is also the angle that moves most easily.
Camber is how far the top of the wheel leans in or out, which shows up as wear concentrated on one edge of the tread. Caster affects how the steering self centres and how stable the car feels at speed.
A kerb is all it takes
Alignment does not drift on its own so much as get knocked. One solid kerb strike, one pothole taken at the wrong angle, one speed hump hit harder than you meant to.
You will not necessarily feel it straight away. Often the first sign is the tyre, months later, worn on one edge with plenty of tread left in the middle.
When it is worth booking
With new tyres, always. Fitting fresh rubber to a car that is out of alignment is throwing money at the problem.
After any suspension or steering work, because changing those components changes the geometry. And any time the car has started pulling, or the wheel sits off centre when you are going straight.
Signs the alignment is out
- The car drifts to one side when you let the wheel go briefly on a flat road
- The steering wheel sits crooked while the car is travelling straight
- One edge of a tyre is worn noticeably more than the rest of the tread
- The steering feels vague, or does not return to centre by itself
- It has just had new tyres, suspension work or a hard kerb strike
Questions about wheel alignment
How often should I have it done?
There is no set interval. Have it checked with new tyres, after suspension work, and whenever the car starts behaving differently.
Will an alignment fix uneven tyre wear that is already there?
It stops it getting worse. It cannot put rubber back, so a tyre that is already worn on one edge stays worn, and if it is down to the limit it still needs replacing.
My car pulls but the tyres look fine. Is it the alignment?
It might be. A pull can also come from a sticking brake caliper or from uneven tyre pressures, so it is worth checking those at the same time rather than assuming.
Book wheel alignment
Six short steps, or ring the workshop.
Open weekends by booking only, at the same rates. The booking has to be confirmed before the day, so ring or text ahead.