Bad Car Alignment? Look for These 4 Signs

Your Tires Are Unevenly Worn

Your car’s tires experience some wear and tear every time you drive it. Under normal circumstances, the wear happens evenly across the tire. Other than getting them rotated, you don’t need to do anything to give them long lives.

Things change quickly, though, when you have alignment issues. A bad alignment will cause some parts of your tire to come into contact with the ground more. That will cause uneven wear in certain areas of the tire.

When you inspect your tire, look for signs of excessive wear on the shoulder (the curved area that’s next to the tire’s tread). If the shoulder looks worn, but the rest of the tire is fine then you probably have a bad alignment that is causing the shoulder to rub against the road.

Poor alignment can also cause lateral wear in your tires. This one, however, is a bit more difficult to diagnose at home since you have to spin the tire freely without it coming into contact with the road or drive way. If you can do this, then give the tire a spin and pay close attention to the grooves between the tire’s treads. They should move uniformly. If they seem to wiggle or move in a back and forth motion then you almost certainly need a realignment.

The Car Pulls to One Side

The next time you find yourself driving on a straight, even stretch of road without much traffic around you, release your grip on the steering wheel to see whether your car veers to one side. Don’t complete let go of the wheel, of course.

Just lightly put your fingers on it, so you can regain control immediately if you need to.

If your car doesn’t continue driving straight in the lane then you probably need to have your alignment checked. The more the car pulls, the worse your alignment is. Unfortunately, some people let the condition get so bad that their vehicles will drift out of the lane. That’s a sure sign that you need a mechanic to inspect your vehicle as soon as possible.

Strange Vibrations

Bad alignments often create vibrations since the tires are pulling against each other instead of rolling in exactly the same direction. While you have your car out, turn off the stereo and listen closely for any noises. You may also feel your steering wheel vibrate slightly. If anything is shaking, then there is probably a problem. It may not necessarily be your alignment, but it’s still worth having a mechanic diagnose the issue.

The Steering Feels Sloppier Than Usual

A bad alignment can make your steering wheel feel sloppier than usual. It may feel loose in your hands or the car may not respond immediately to turning the wheel. This doesn’t always mean that you need a realignment, but it is a good indication.

Why It’s Important to Get a Bad Alignment Fixed

Perhaps you have already noticed some of these problems, but you haven’t gotten your car’s alignment fixed because you don’t think there’s a need to hurry. Since you probably don’t know how long your alignment has been off, it’s best not to take any chances. Some of the short-term problems created by a bad alignment include:

• Spending more money than usual replacing tires that have worn out prematurely
• Poor fuel efficiency that can cause your car to guzzle gasoline
• Faulty hardware that helps your tires perform safely

Over time, your car will develop even bigger problems that are more expensive to fix. The uneven stress, for instance, can cause your suspension and steering systems from working properly. Eventually, they will give out complete. Those aren’t any cheap solutions to that. Bad alignment can also make it difficult for your brakes to work well. That puts you, your passengers, and other drivers at increased risk on the road. If an alignment can prevent the economic and emotional impact of having an accident, then it is well worth it.

A professional mechanic will inspect your vehicle to determine whether you need a realignment or other services to keep your car in good condition. By getting your bad alignment serviced now, you can avoid expensive problems in the near future.