Hey everyone I wanted to get some input on this. As some of you know NYC driving is the worst on our cars, potholes bumps uneven roads. My car has about 10k miles on it now and I notice the steering doesn't track that well anymore, kind of feels like it's wandering a bit or pulling left right ever so slightly. My commute everyday has a ton of bumps and weekend is probably the same and its been like this for 1 year. I don't think any suspension parts is bad or bent I never went through a deep pothole. Do you guys think an alignment is called for ? There is a shop by me that has excellent reviews on their hunter Hawkeye system.

 

You should certainly have it looked at. There are a lot of bad things that can happen to front ends to cause this that are much worse than just needing an alignment. Besides damaged suspension parts, another one would be too many loose nuts on your wheel. Bad tires with uneven wear can mess you up to. Story: One time my dad had my brother take our family car (back in the 50's) to a garage for a pre-vacation checkup. One of the things the mechanic did was tap (gently!!) on each tie rod to make sure it wasn't breaking. One of them gave way. That check may have saved our lives.

 

Bad alignment can fuck up tires too (and those ain't cheap if you have a good set).

I had my alignment checked after 8 months of driving on potholes in Alberta, and sure enough, yup, it was out of spec. Get an alignment.

 

I do the lifetime alignment with Firestone for all three vehicles ($100 for alignment+$100 for lifetime). You can go back every +6000 miles to get it rechecked and the alignment is always out of specs by a touch. I really can't feel it being out of specs in city driving; but, there is an improved before/after difference for hwy driving (especially at +80 mph). I always take my cars back when I get new tires, before a big trip, or once a year. It has also saved me some $$ to do the alignment with Firestone if I have any suspension work done someplace else (TSX: front control arm, broken end link, rear camber kit, RDX: add progress RSB, replaced shocks/struts). The good thing about the lifetime alignment is they can spot problems to give you time to fix before you are left stranded or premature wear of your tires. I have +340,000 miles between all three vehicles and the extra $300 I spent for lifetime alignment has paid for itself a long time ago.

 

Hey guys sorry I was extremly busy this week but thanks for all thr replies I'm going to a local shop who is noted for high end car alignments with hunter hawk eye, I'll let everyone know thr results. I didn't know Firestone does that I would go twice a year

 

Hey guys got my alignment my goodness it was really off all the toe were messed up except for passenger rear wheel. Everything is perfect , he sat in the car to make everything 0 and had it aligned with someone in the car. Also roadforced my 2 back wheels. No more vibration wow and it drives soooo smooth. I guess living in NY is has to be a yearly thing.

 

I think that Car alignment is somewhat like termites here in So Cal. The reason termite companies offer free inspections is that they WILL find them. Free alignment checks are much the same. There is a high probability the alignment is off. Too many bumps, potholes, curbs, etc.

 

Living in Alberta, I go at LEAST yearly for alignment. Sometimes I go twice a year if it's been a particularly bad spring with a lot of freeze/thaw cycles.

 

yup i think i will make it a yearly things, the car drives great.

 

Yea dealers recommend alignments every year or every 15,000 miles

 

Interesting. I live in the upper Midwest, lots of potholes, winter ice, construction, road trips and so on, and on my TSX I did only one alignment not associated with new tires, and on ALL of them, even the ones I did just because of new tires, there was only one measurement that was ever out of spec to begin with each time, and not very far out.

 

yup my tsx is the same way potholes all over ny and the alignment was still in spec, just a shave off and that after 20k miles on it. the suspension is different i assume that's why

 

Where do you guys go for an alignment, is there anything unique about the car that would necessitate taking it to an acura dealer or would any shop know how to do it properly?

 

For alignments, the dealer does not necessarily mean you will get a good alignment. There are so many variables that will affect the alignment, including the tires. I prefer a specialized front end shop - they do multiple alignments daily and have the necessary experience to perform a proper alignment for the conditions of your car (this means that: the car will go straight, the steering wheel will be centered, and the tire wear will be in check)