Having worked at a couple of dealerships myself, I learned that it is common practice for shop managers to set goals for the number of jobs sold in different categories for the mechanics. Just like a quota even though it is not necessary. One of the most common ones is an alignment and more often than not you don't need it. Unless you notice the steering is off when driving or excessive wear particular to one side of a tyre you don't need an alignment.

 

I can confirm with what Thomasguy said. I had to take my Highlander in for the traction control ECU reflash/recall and the service rep pulled the wheel realignment trick on me. I asked him is it camber or caster and how did the service department know the alignment is out. He told me they have cameras in the service bay and the "computer" determined one of my wheels is out of alignment. Then I asked him out by how much and showed me a pictorial on his screen and said "I'm only telling you what the computer is telling me". Without going further into the details I asked the rep to make a note on my service record but he never did. You can google Toyota dealer wheel alignment and you will see this practice is more common than you think.

 

Possible "marketing" aside, my concern is that the report of the completed four wheel alignment identifies the front left and rear cambers as out of spec (The completed alignment report states: "One or more values are not within specification. Tire wear, handling and safety problems may result."), but being told there is nothing the dealer can do to bring them back into spec ... cannot be adjusted.

This is a 2022 Highlander with less than 9,000 miles of light driving (purchased 3/9/2022) on "normal" roads and highways with the sort of minor bumps and defects normally encountered by drivers. An alignment that can't be brought into specs under that kind of use suggests a design issue.

I have had 5 or so Lexus vehicles from Toyota and never had a problem. I bought the Highlander for a little more space because of Toyota's reputation and my Lexus experience. Not expecting this.

 

If my wheel alignment is out I would go to a alignment specialist and not to the dealer, specialist knows more and that goes for AC and transmission in my book.

 

I agree with this. Tell the dealer you're going to take it to an alignment specialist and see what they say. Tell them you'll contact HQ if it's anything other than what they say it is. Make sure you have the car in your possession when you do this.

 

I have owned 3 Highlander in the past, and I have never had to have any alignments done! Am I just really lucky? I keep my tires rotated every 5000 miles, and I always keep an eye for unusual ware patterns. No pulling and always floats straight as an arrow.

 

Yeah i had a 2020 Limited FWD since Sept 2020 no unusual wear on tires in 25K miles . Very even wear. My dealer has never tried to pull that one. Now that i have a 2022 Platinum AWD we will see wht happens when i pull in for service in a few miles ( 14K on it now ) esp since it has 4 all new Michelins tires .... in correct size and 102V rating. Crap ones toyota tried to sell me were nowhere near as good.

 

We were told we needed an alignment at 5K miles which we agreed to. Now at 18K, we re being told the tires are worn out and need replacing and we need another alignment. Nothing about alignment was mentioned in 2 subsequent visits. Are these cars that bad that you have to have them aligned at every oil change?

 

I’ve been re-aligning mine every six months on average. Most cars I’ve ever owned felt like they needed an alignment often. I don’t judge by tire wear; I get an alignment if the steering wheel becomes off center or if it pulls to one side. Drives me nuts if the car isn’t tracking straight with a dead-centered steering wheel.

 

hey its your car and your money..If I was you , next time I would ask for the before and after readings. That way you will KNOW if you really needed an alignment. If you do this twice in a row and there is no change then you are just wasting money on something that isnt needed. NOW if you or any other driver hits potholes, rocks or curbs then yeah you are gonna need alignment right after. BUT be prepared to have to replace things like tie rod ends, wheels, struts, tires etc.

 

Yes. This has been my experience too. Aftermarket tires of the same make and model as the factory tires last significantly longer. I figure the factory tires must be lower cost OEM versions. I got 26k miles on the factory Bridgeston Alenza Sport tires and just replaced them with Michelin Defender 2s. If past experience is any guide, they should last me ~35k.