Are "Lifetime" alignment specials worth it?

[Al]

Originally Posted By: KGMtech
I don't know if my opinion is worth anything, but in the last 35 years of driving, I've had 2 alignments and those were both more than 20 years ago.

I drive city streets, cottage roads and paths, and try to avoid the potholes if possible. I doubt my driving is so good that I could brag...but my tires have all worn just about even with regular x rotation methods (as allowed, save for directional treads)

Unless you really smack a curb, or have an accident, save your money till you need an alignment.

My experiences are similar.

IMHO 90%+ of all alignments are un-necessary and a waste of money. kind of like the 1500 mile oil change. My wife and I have driven 1.5 million miles with 2 alignments. Those two didn't do any good.

I can't recall tire wear except one ot two times it was due to suspension problems.

So life time alignments?? lol..

 

[Denwad]

firestone's life time alignments are for one set of tires only.

at least thats what their website says

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: Al

My experiences are similar.

IMHO 90%+ of all alignments are un-necessary and a waste of money. kind of like the 1500 mile oil change. My wife and I have driven 1.5 million miles with 2 alignments. Those two didn't do any good.

I can't recall tire wear except one ot two times it was due to suspension problems.

So life time alignments?? lol..


I think it depends on where you live. If you're somewhere that's particularly hard on rubber parts getting an alignment every so often to compensate for worn suspension bushings certainly does help.

I usually ask that they lean the toe in just a touch so as the car rolls down the highway the worn rubber won't cause an older car to default to darty as the speed increases.

 

[danthaman1980]

Originally Posted By: Denwad
firestone's life time alignments are for one set of tires only.

at least thats what their website says


I've had several sets since I bought my lifetime alignment. Haven't bought a tire at Firestone in many years. They've never asked me where I bought the tires, I just show them my receipt from circa 2005 and they do the alignment, no questions, no problems.

Firestone may not be the best one stop shop for automotive maintenance... I have a close relative who worked at one for a while, and he has said repeatedly how mediocre some of the techs were. But they sell a lot of tires and they do a lot of alignments, and about 3 out of 4 of the locations I've used are adequate if not above average. It has been a good investment for me, but YMMV.

 

[artbuc]

I bet over half of the cars leaving Firestone have worse alignment than when they went in.

 

[Olas]

To answer the OP question, it entirely depends on the business.

Some are reputable and have the knowledge and skill to correct geometry.
Others are cowboys who just don't care (or even know) about you or your car.