Ofcourse the dealers will tell you that it should be done regularly- we know how they $$$$ operate, right? And ofcourse we might think- if my tires are not showing any abnormal wear-why is an alignment necessary? My TL has 15K now and the tires have been rotated every 7.5K and are looking great, although I will replace them at 20K since there will not be much useable tread left by then. Also the steering is spot on, no pulling etc-knock on wood!! The question: Does the alignment of the TL/suspension set-up/calibration change over time, and how much, and when should one have it done-at 30K?,45K?? What is the history of the front end suspension?? Need some expert advice from you experienced gear heads. Thanks for the help.
Regards
TLVR

 

i dont believe it is necessary most of the time but it reduces the chance of having squeaks, pulling, and brake wear (shop told us this about our land crusier), ETC

 

I would say you should do it when the car tells you to. By that I mean, when you notice signs that it pulls, uneven tire wear, etc.

For some reason, I believe in factory settings. Everytime I had one done, it would have to be done more often then at the beginning. I hope it makes sense.

 

Unless you see abnormal tire wear or the handling changes, I would leave it alone. Don't fix what ain't broke.

I always had a rule that when I put on new tires, I got the wheels aligned. This changed with my 96 TL. I changed tires twice, put 80,000 miles on it, and never had the wheels aligned and never had a problem.

Hope this generation TL does the same thing.

 

i was pulling into a parking space front end first the other night. i accidently went over the curb at 5-10 mph. the steering wheel budged out of my grip and turned along with the wheel. got some minor scrapes on the very edge of the front passenger side rim. after i left and drove home i thought the car was driving a little funny. maybe i was just paranoid. i even made my friend stick his head out the passenger window to see if the wheel was warping while i was driving. would that have affected my alignment? i'm at around 5500k miles so maybe i'll just bring it in for an alignment soon.

 

^ That could definitely screw with your alignment.

I agree with Ron A. In normal cases, (not lowering the car, changing out other suspension parts, no occasions to meet the curb, etc.) you do not need an alignment "every so often".