Alignment Issues!

Well today I go to the dealer to get an 24k oil change, tires rotated, and a creaking/klunk noise checked out. The service guy checks all tsbs and what not and see the klunk one so he says theyl take care of it. Well when I am called to pic it up the car he tells me some bad news. That well the two front tires are basically bald and the car needs an alignment. A few months ago I had springs and struts installed at a shop on the car. I also had the car aligned, or so I though. Well now I need to get 2 new tires, the car aligned, and the two weels mounted, balanced, and all four tires put on the car again. Which sucks cause the money that will go to that would have been to a mod or something of the like.

The clunk noise was fixed, the guy said it was some loose bolts and he tightened them so they shouldnt be an issue.

Now my question/concern...if i had the car aligned what could have caused this. The guy at the dealer says I need an alignment which I think ill do. I felt the now rear tires and well they were pretty bald on the inside basically curing on the inside from extreme use. I mean i understand some balding because i drive the car hard but I didnt expect this to happen. I am now bummed because i have to spend close to $300.00 for everything to be said and done. And well I am wondering if I should look out for anything else and if this is the right decision, in the aspect of alignment and not something else.

a bad alignment will cause the tires to wear abnormally and at a much faster rate, the symptoms match the sickness...

where I go to get my tires installed/balanced (Tires Plus), they always offer to check my alignment for free, maybe you can find another shop that will check it and verify the dealer claims.

well the tires are badly worn on the inside, ive not noticed anything but riding with my on friday my dad asked me if the rims were balanced cause he sensed the car was off a bit, mind you he was riding shotgun. it sucks i didnt come to this before or sence/feel it but then again this is my first car basically so tere is a first time for everything. someone mentioned the camber could be off but idk? any more ideas after this update on more info?

camber adjust is part of an alignment
being pretty inexperienced myself, from what I've read up and heard, it can be hard to detect an alignment issue, most people will notice if their car does not track straight, but that can also just be the tires following the grooves of the road. It never hurts to check your tire wear on a regular basis (if you rotate regularly, inspect them every time), or when you change your oil...

thanks...i think i might get another alignment well see though its allotta mula. i trust the dealer though he seemed nice and honest guy.

The inner portion of my stock tires wore down to the wires in the front. I replaced them and had the alignment checked. The technician at the shop showed me a printout of where my alignment was set as and did a comparison against table that listed the values and tolerance for my vehicle. Everything appeared to be well within spec.

My new tires did the same thing after less than 30k miles. Back then I was only rotating about every 15k miles if that. Now I do it every 5k, but I also am getting more than 30k miles out of them. My wife and I drive through corners extremely aggressively . . . we cant help it, the car begs us to. Thats what causes the severe inner tread wear.

Well i drive the car hard as well, especially now that my suspension is tighter and the guy at the dealer said it shouldnt happen this way even if the car is pushed a little. cause i made it clear that the car gets beat on a little. he said it just needs an alignment. we shall see though i dont have the time to do it for another few weeks so yeah...

If this was less than a year ago since you had your allignment, the place you had it done should have a warranty so I would actually go back to them and have them redo it and have them redo it correctly. Tell them to take their time and make sure everything is done properly. Also, make sure you have the reciept so they can't charge you. This was the shop's fault and they should guarantee their work.

I had the same problem on the Dunflops in the back. I noticed the wire showing through when I went to get new tires. I got the new tires put on, and then took it for an alignment. Firestone has a special on "Alignments for life" right now for $99 + TX. No catch to keep your "for life" alignments. I asked. Just bring it in. The guy suggested every 3 months. My rear cambers were way off, causing the bad wear on the inner sides of the rear tires. New ride is noticeably better.

every 3 months? wow, that is pretty often!
do they do a 1/2 assed job on it and figure if you bring it in often enough they'll get it right 50% of the time?

MacBipes said:

Firestone has a special on "Alignments for life" right now for $99 + TX. No catch to keep your "for life" alignments. I asked. Just bring it in. The guy suggested every 3 months. My rear cambers were way off, causing the bad wear on the inner sides of the rear tires. New ride is noticeably better.

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(wow) DAMN!!!! I hope that's not just a local promotion. I've been going to a different place for my tire install, but they don't do alignments. I've chatted with the owner a few times and he highly recommends one particular guy. . . that guy happens to be at a Firestone shop. If I can line that deal up at home, I'll hooking up all of my vehicles with "for life" alignments.

I am not sure if the promo is nation-wide or not, but my deal is good nationwide if I need anything in another city at a Firestone. Everything is recorded by computer. I was happy with the deal, since one alignment at Firestone was $70. For $30 more, I get as many alignments as I want. Nice. Even if I switch wheels and tires, which I plan to do later. 17" black with polished outer rims?