Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I have no clue what your numbers mean for your car. If the car is having issues then by all means align it.
Here's what I learned about alignments over the years. If you don't need one don't get one. I'm sure I'll get flamed but here's my logic. If the front end is tight and no parts were replaced, the car tracks well, meaning it doesn't drift or wander, and the tires are wearing well LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE. I've taken in cars for alignments as part of a tire replacement ritual and many times left having the alignment worse than before, and having to go back to have them correct it, only to tell me some B-S story like its a caliper, or some other nonsense.
Trav a good friend of mine and I discussed this recently and he agreed 100% with me. My Buick is due for tires, the wear pattern on them is perfect. I'm going to pass on an alignment. Having an alignment would have been an old habit, I'm happy to report that died. Opinions vary, flame suit on.
A good way to check if a tech even knows what he's doing is to see if he checks the air in the tires before he starts. You'd be amazed how many don't do that most important routine procedure before an alignment. I won't even mention checking the front end. Just watch the Mavis guys in the local shops near me and you'll see what I mean.
I absolutely agree. If you are not having a problem do not have the alignment checked. There are so few shops that do it right it is to be avoided if at all possible.
I will also add this, the best alignment shop I have ever known did not always go by the factory specs. There are environmental aspects that affect alignment. For example: The crown of the road in some localities has to be taken into account as some are steeper than others. Always a single occupant vs. usually two occupants is a consideration, as well as how the vehicle is normally loaded. An excellent shop will take many variables into consideration and use the factory specs as a guide, but in actuality, they create their own specs based on the information they know, and that that is provided by you.