"Ray O" <rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote in message
news:ab660$45623516$44a4a10d$8405@msgid.meganewsservers.com...[color=blue]
>
> "Big Blue" <aclaritan@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:4h94m21g6ifdncet95vc6oto1ku84ab6hk@4ax.com...[color=green]
>>
>> My wife took our new Camry 2007 SE V6 in for oil change at 5,000 miles
>> and the dealer tries to pressure her into an alignment saying she
>> "needs it everytime she does an oil change." Luckily she gave me a
>> call and I told her no and it's bull that you need it every oil
>> change.
>>
>> However, this does raise an interesting question, how often should I
>> do it? I know the old conventional wisdom is every 10,000 to 15,000
>> miles but someone has told me that you don't need it ever if your car
>> don't steer to the side.
>>
>> Thanks for the replies.
>>[/color]
>
> There is no manufacturer-recommended interval for having the alignment
> checked, and I do not bother with my car unless I notice one or more of
> the following symptoms:
>
> Steering wheel not centered
> Uneven or unusual tread wear (invest in an inexpensive tread depth gauge -
> well worth the $10).
> Vehicle drifting or pulling to one side
>
> In a modern vehicle, when it is time to get an alignment, get a 4 wheel
> alignment, not just a front-end alignment.
> --
>[/color]
I agree with Ray on this one, with a tiny caveat. I think it is okay to
drift slowly to the right because this can come from the crown in the road
sending the car to the lowest side of the pavement. One has to discern if
the drift is caused by the roadway or the suspension, but I give the roadway
some of the credit for the error. The freeway has enough crown to send the
car to the side at an imperceptable rate unless one removes his hands from
the steering wheel to see how straight the car will go.
