Who knew? EVs Need A Wheel Alignment Every Year

[Dana3502]

The service shops are desperate to find things to cross sell us on EVs. My primary reason for wanting to get an EV was to get away from the ICE oil changes and all the high pressure cross selling that went along with them.

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[Bobcat17]

Tires rotated probably; aligned for no reason, nah. Even tire rotation maybe. I took my BMW I4 in for service and they told me tire rotation not necessary because car handling somehow adjusts to wear tires evenly. I got a computer recall update and I was on my way.

 

[fkyct]

It’s just a dealer trying to make up for loss revenue that low maintenance EV has.

I scheduled a rotation with Tesla Mobile service. Tech measures all 4 tires for even wear a recommended to not rotate at this time and save the $65 charge. He aired up all my tires and sent me an invoice for $0.

With Tesla you can’t even make an appt for routine maintenance. They cancel it and send a note there is no routine maintenance.

 

[Tim Torres]

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I was also surprised to see the emphasis that this is unique to this type of cars

 

[Bobcat17]

It’s just a dealer trying to make up for loss revenue that low maintenance EV has.

I scheduled a rotation with Tesla Mobile service. Tech measures all 4 tires for even wear a recommended to not rotate at this time and save the $65 charge. He aired up all my tires and sent me an invoice for $0.

With Tesla you can’t even make an appt for routine maintenance. They cancel it and send a note there is no routine maintenance.

Good for the tech on this one. But $65? Sounds like they doubled the price. BMW was $32.

 

[MacherAWD]

Tires rotated probably; aligned for no reason, nah. Even tire rotation maybe. I took my BMW I4 in for service and they told me tire rotation not necessary because car handling somehow adjusts to wear tires evenly. I got a computer recall update and I was on my way.

At my annual inspection this year (Mach-e) (at an independent mechanic), I asked them to rotate. They said my wear was perfectly even and to save my $$. So wasnt needed this year.

 

[4wheeldog]

Huh? I’m 68, have owned over 90 vehicles, a former mechanic, and NEVER heard of a mandatory or recommended wheel alignment every year. Maybe on some high-end fiddly exotic, but seriously?

Agreed. When we bought the MME a year ago I passed my Subaru with 287k miles on it to my DIL. It has never had a wheel alignment (Other than when the struts were replaced) and has never needed one. If the tires wear evenly at the car goes straight, why would you worry about wheel alignment?

 

[IgorKl]

i do alignment every tire rotation (5K or 10K miles).

let me clarify:
1. i bought lifetime alignment at wheel works
2. when I bought new set of tires I bought warranty and rotation included.

as result I do alignment every rotation for free and ... skip majority dealership visits for regular service.

 

[fkyct]

Good for the tech on this one. But $65? Sounds like they doubled the price. BMW was $32.

$65 is cheap for what you get. There isn't much if any profit in it for them. They send a Tesla mobile tech who knows how to properly jack up the car without damage to visit to your house and rotate tires in your driveway while you sip Lemonade.

Tesla travels 30 minutes from the shop. and comes to your house at assigned appt time. They air up all the tires , rotate them and reset the maintenance reminder. All that takes about another 30 minutes.

I can get free rotations at the local tire shop. I've used the free tire rotation with my F-350 and tip teh tech $20 every time. Those are heavy heavy tires. That appointment takes me 1/2 of a day out of my time. I don't trust a kid at the tire shop who has little experience jacking up an EV. Putting an F-130 on a lift is less of a risk.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

Tires rotated probably; aligned for no reason, nah. Even tire rotation maybe. I took my BMW I4 in for service and they told me tire rotation not necessary because car handling somehow adjusts to wear tires evenly. I got a computer recall update and I was on my way.

BMW techs are as dumb as Ford’s.

 

[BMT1071]

Huh? I’m 68, have owned over 90 vehicles, a former mechanic, and NEVER heard of a mandatory or recommended wheel alignment every year. Maybe on some high-end fiddly exotic, but seriously?

Well I guess we went to different schools for our automotive technology degrees.
Every result of this Google search recommends an alignment at least once a year:
https://www.google.com/search?q=how...INDg2MWowajeoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8


AI Overview


You should get a wheel alignment about once a year or every 12,000 to 15,000 miles, though you may need one more frequently if you drive on rough roads, hit potholes, or notice signs of misalignment. Other indicators that you need an alignment include your vehicle pulling to one side, the steering wheel being off-center while driving straight, or uneven tire wear.

 

[WallyS56]

Well I guess we went to different schools for our automotive technology degrees.
Every result of this Google search recommends an alignment at least once a year:
https://www.google.com/search?q=how...INDg2MWowajeoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8


AI Overview


You should get a wheel alignment about once a year or every 12,000 to 15,000 miles, though you may need one more frequently if you drive on rough roads, hit potholes, or notice signs of misalignment. Other indicators that you need an alignment include your vehicle pulling to one side, the steering wheel being off-center while driving straight, or uneven tire wear.

Did you notice that this gleaned info is primarily coming from dealerships who have a vested interest in making money from alignments? I believe the consensus here is that alignments are only necessary if the conditions below the dealer blurb in the link you sent exist.

 

[TheRock]

TL;DR
Of course they don't, but that didn't stop a sketch Hyundai service department from telling my friend's sister that she did...

My friend is a car guy - he loves EVs but does not own one yet. Has a deposit on an Rivian R2 and his sister has a MY22 Ioniq 5 though, so once in a while has EV questions for me on her behalf.

He sent me a text yesterday saying "I have an EV question for you. Have you ever had a wheel alignment on the Mach-E?"

OK, now I'm curious...what did the dealer tell your sister about her Ioniq 5?

Sooo.... on top of charging her $800 for a "brake cleaning", they also insisted she needed a wheel alignment as part of her 24,000 KM EV service. Not only that, her car will need one every year...because it's an EV.

This is where I loose it at bullshit dealers who take any opportunity to fleece their "customers" who don't know any better.

Her best defence is of course to pull up the manual, go to the section on recommended service for each interval and say "You sir, are full of shit. Have a nice day."

Now she knows, and although I'm not sure if she was in the mood to go back and confront the dealer (I sure would have) she has said she'll be looking for a new dealer.

I guess the EV community is not immune from old school shady service department games.

800$ brake cleaning ? I can have it done in Montreal Canada for 220$CAD including taxes !

 

[Guss-E 2021]

Definitely agree. Sounds like "we know we're not going to get any other service from you because this is an EV so we'll still try to convince you to give us money on a regular basis".

This 100%. Of course dealers don't like BEVs. They won't ever get a dime for engine, exhaust or transmission work. And my regular mechanic is perfectly capable of servicing brakes and tires. Even found an excellent private detailing shop at least $100 less on a basic interior detailing.

Sadly I think you're friend's sister is going to be far from the last person to be told "...because it's an EV". Tell her to ask them about what battery chemistry her car has and what the charging curve is. See if the reps at the counter can answer without looking it up. They know nothing about these vehicles because they don't want to sell them in the first place.

 

[rhieb]

Did you notice that this gleaned info is primarily coming from dealerships who have a vested interest in making money from alignments? I believe the consensus here is that alignments are only necessary if the conditions below the dealer blurb in the link you sent exist.

You are correct, lots of shady practices out there.

There are some things that are new and real, like changing your brake fluid. Cabin air filters should be changed, but it's easy, and you should do it yourself.

just now, dropping off my MME for 30k service at large Ford dealership. . It’s only supposed to be tire rotation. And of course, the service department suggested I also change the battery coolant. I told him the recommended mileage is 200,000. He laughed and said definitely don’t wait past 60k. So much misunderstanding and/or deception.

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