Your Car Should Drive Straight

Usually about an hour. It runs longer on vehicles where the adjusters have seized in road salt — common on older Edmonton vehicles — and we will tell you if yours looks like one of those before we start.

Most modern cars and crossovers have adjustable rear suspension and need a four-wheel alignment. Solid rear axle trucks cannot have their rears adjusted, so they get the front set true to the rear thrust line. You do not need to know which yours is — that is our job.

Strongly recommended, and we say that as the shop selling you the tires. New tires on an out-of-spec vehicle inherit the same wear that killed the old set, and wear from misalignment is not covered by tire mileage warranties. Protect the purchase.

Yes — centring the steering wheel is part of a properly done alignment. If the wheel went crooked suddenly after an impact, we inspect for bent parts first, because straightening the wheel over a bent tie rod just hides the problem.

Not every pothole, no. But a hard hit at speed can move the angles or bend a part, and the honest test is simple: if the car drives differently than it did before the bang, get it measured. An alignment check tells you in minutes and costs are applied to the alignment if you need one.