I just called my dealer to schedule an appointment for the recall. Seeing that they have free alignment check advertised on their website, I also asked to schedule an appointment as well for another car I have. To my surprise, he said no appointment needed. I asked if they needed to put my car on the machine to check and he said no and it only takes 5 minutes. So they must be taking a reading with the car on the ground. Interesting. Does anyone know what they do to check the alignment so easily while the car is on the ground?
Alignment check
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I didn't get your question? Besides the wheels, what else do you think they can align on the car?
TPMS maybe? Seems unlikely to me that a wheel alignment would be free and / or a 5 minute service.
I Googled "Free Alignment Check" and the following came up for Goodyear -
During your Free Alignment Check, one of our expert technicians will use state-of-the-art equipment to carefully inspect your wheels for proper alignment. This service includes:
- Measuring your vehicle's wheel angles to to ensure that your current alignment meets the precise recommendations of your vehicle manufacturer
- Inspecting your tires, suspension, and steering components for damage or wear
I guess I wouldn't be surprised if all it included was "Inspecting your tires, suspension, and steering components for damage or wear"
During your Free Alignment Check, one of our expert technicians will use state-of-the-art equipment to carefully inspect your wheels for proper alignment. This service includes:
- Measuring your vehicle's wheel angles to to ensure that your current alignment meets the precise recommendations of your vehicle manufacturer
- Inspecting your tires, suspension, and steering components for damage or wear
I guess I wouldn't be surprised if all it included was "Inspecting your tires, suspension, and steering components for damage or wear"
The Service Advisor is mistaken; you can't do an alignment check without putting the car on an alignment machine. It's not a long or involved process, but it involves more than just staring at the tires.
Maybe the SA was confusing it with a free safety check? That could be done by any lube tech in about two minutes.
Maybe the SA was confusing it with a free safety check? That could be done by any lube tech in about two minutes.
My dealer has a small machine that will check the alignment within a few minutes just like jtuber describes. They have a clamp that they put on the wheels and it uses lasers and cameras to check the alignment. My car failed, and I said that I did not have any signs of out of alignment like pulling steering wheel or bad wearing of the tires. They rechecked it, and it passed the second time. It should be considered only a preliminary check and nothing to make you spend $150 for an alignment. The measurements seem to be quite crude and there is no quantitative results. If it fails, tell them to check it on the Hunter machine for free to measure and report the measurements. It is a big money maker to convince people to get an alignment.
The Honda dealer and GM dealer near me do this for every car that comes in. While the service advisor writes you up the car jockeys put sensors on each tire and take a reading while the car is on the ground. Not sure its accurate but one writer at the GM dealer uses this often to upsell. I never went into that place without her trying to upsell.
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WHAT recall?
The same recall that we have discussed here on the board.
I suspect as much. If it's free, they wouldn't spend too much labor/effort on it. The primary reason is to get you into doing an alignment with them probably. I got free lifetime alignment of that car at Firestone but my car pulls to the side on some road. I had Firestone rechecked and they said their machine indicated that my wheels were aligned. I suspect my bushings need replacing but if this is free, I'll take it for second opinion.
Many dealers are installing this type of system. When you drive into the service lane, it does an automatic alignment and tire inspection. My Honda/Acura dealer has one.
https://www.elcochevrolet.com/wheel-alignment
https://www.elcochevrolet.com/wheel-alignment
Thanks! I saw that at a Toyota dealer but they only advertised tire checkup. I didn't know that also does alignment check.
Does it automatically make the cash register CA-CHING? LOL
In reading some of the dealer trade magazines, absolutely! Money maker! It does turn out a very impressive visual report to show the customers.
Attached is the report that I got from my dealer's simple alignment machine that is being requested. I am not sure when the recommended alignment box gets checked, but I believe my service advisor recommended a $150 alignment. Totally quantitative report. If you do not have worn tire edges or pulling wheel, I would not get an alignment.
They can also measure the tire tread depth.
They can also measure the tire tread depth.
Attachments
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My dealer gives me a print out purporting to be the wheel alignment status at every service visit. It is based on tire wear.
The tire health readings contradict the alignment readings in the attachment you provided. I'm skeptical of the alignment diagnosis shown.. but the treadwear looks to be pretty good (though the readout says "marginal".. I wonder about that.. as to what the limit is on marginal) .. and if you have no apparent pull to right or left at this time.. I kind of doubt you actually need an alignment. Interesting that you have 1/32 more treadwear on the outside tread on the right tire compared to the left tire.. my guess is the marginal readout is based on the 5/32 on the outer treads of your right front tire.
Same here. It is a tread quality readout, I don't see any indication of an alignment status check.. but personally I judge alignment status on treadwear measurements compared to last tire rotation tread measurements + steering quality (ie: no pull right or left at both city and highway speeds) before I consent to a wheel alignment.
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