ALIGNMENT SERVICES

Alignment checks are recommended by most vehicle manufacturers at specific mileage or time intervals, or whenever steering, suspension parts, or some front-wheel-drive (FWD) driveline components are replaced. Alignment also is recommended when new tires are installed, or when customers complain of pull or abnormal tire wear such as scuffing, cupping or more accelerated wear on one side of the tire.

The type of alignment performed usually is conditional upon the amount of adjustment that's feasible on a particular vehicle, as well as the shop's equipment capability. On solid-axle, rear-wheel-drive (RWD) vehicles, for example, a thrust alignment is usually performed so the front wheels are aligned to the rear axle. The drive direction of the rear axle is referred to as the thrust line, which should in theory be the same as the geometric center of the vehicle.

A four-wheel alignment involves adjusting the rear wheels to achieve proper camber and toe and a thrust angle as close to zero as possible, then adjusting the front wheels to the same vehicle centerline. Four-wheel alignments are recommended for most front-wheel-drive cars, mini-vans, some sport utility vehicles and RWD vehicles with independent suspension.

Many alignment shops today offer a standard thrust alignment and charge extra for time and materials if rear-wheel adjustments are required. This approach eliminates different vehicle owners paying the same price, when only one of them requires rear-wheel alignment.

BMW

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