Once is not enough ? certainly when it comes to car alignment.
Many people are of the mindset that once a car is aligned, it remains so for years to come unless the steering wheel pulls to one side. Not true.
Even a pothole can throw a car out of alignment, resulting in worn tires, poor fuel economy and a myriad of safety issues. And a tugging steering wheel might not even come into play until serious damage has occurred.
Consider these ideas from Jeffrey Boone, Ed Kriston and Troy Green, all of the Towson office of AAA Mid-Atlantic, headquartered in Wilmington, Del., to keep your car on the straight and narrow:
» Have the car checked at least once or twice a year at an approved auto repair facility. Driving conditions, such as back roads versus highways or mileage, may affect your car. The more mileage and the rougher rides equal the need for more frequent checks.
» The only way to tell if a car is out of alignment is to have it inspected on a lift. Regularly frequenting one approved auto repair facility will reap benefits, including technicians who are familiar with your car and can quickly spot problems.
» Look at the inside tread of your tires. Most motorists look only at the outside of tires. Wear from poor alignments will often show sooner on the inside portion.
» If you hit a large pothole after a recent alignment, have the car checked again. If you frequent the same repair facility, they may likely do the inspection for free.
» Note that larger cars ? such as sport utility vehicles ? go out of alignment more quickly than small cars. One reason is due to the larger size of the parts.
» If a large-size person ? someone who weighs more than 250 pounds ? is regularly in the car, alert the repair shop. Extra passenger weight will change a car?s alignment so the technician will need to make compensations during the inspection.
» Tires on four-wheel drive vehicles are more sensitive to alignment than other cars. Have them checked frequently.
» Remember that proper alignment will make a car more fuel-efficient. If a car is not aligned, the motor must expend extra energy to keep it moving straight.
More information
For more information on this and other car maintenance issues, go to www.aaa.com.
