A wheel alignment sets the angles of your wheels back to the manufacturer specification so the car tracks straight and the tires wear evenly. AutoTech Clinic aligns foreign and domestic vehicles at our Dearborn shop, usually within the hour.
We inspect the steering and suspension before we align. Setting angles on a car with a worn tie rod end or a loose ball joint gives you numbers on a printout and nothing else, because the joint will move as soon as you drive it.
- How Long
- About 1 hour, longer if seized adjusters have to be freed.
- Same Day
- Usually finished the same day.
- Vehicles
- Foreign and domestic, cars through trucks.
Signs You Need Wheel Alignment
- The car drifts toward one side on a straight, level road
- The steering wheel is not centered when driving straight
- Tires wearing faster on the inside or outside edge
- A feathered or saw tooth pattern you can feel running your hand across the tread
- The car wanders and needs constant small corrections
- You have just fitted new tires or replaced a steering or suspension part
What We Do
- 01
Inspect First
We check tie rods, ball joints, bushings, wheel bearings and tire condition. Any play has to be repaired before alignment can hold.
- 02
Set Tire Pressures
Alignment is measured with the car sitting at its correct ride height, and uneven tire pressures change that. It is a small step that affects the result.
- 03
Measure All Angles
We measure camber, caster, toe and thrust angle on all four wheels and show you the before reading against the specification.
- 04
Adjust to Specification
We adjust what the vehicle allows, and where a car has no factory adjustment we explain what aftermarket options exist.
- 05
Road Test and Print
We road test to confirm the car tracks straight with a centered wheel, and you get a printout showing before and after.
What the Three Angles Actually Do
Toe is whether the wheels point slightly in or out when viewed from above, and it is the angle that destroys tires fastest when it is wrong. Camber is the lean of the wheel in or out at the top, and too much of it wears one edge of the tire. Caster is the tilt of the steering axis, and it controls how the wheel returns to center and how stable the car feels at speed.
A small toe error of a fraction of an inch can scrub thousands of miles off a set of tires. That is why an alignment usually pays for itself in tire life.
Potholes and Winter Damage
Michigan winters leave the roads broken by spring, and a hard pothole hit is the most common cause of a sudden alignment change. The car will often still drive straight, and the damage shows up as uneven tire wear months later.
If you hit a pothole hard enough to make you wince, it is worth having the alignment checked and the wheel inspected for a bend. Catching it early saves the tires.
What Affects the Cost
We quote your vehicle specifically after inspecting it, because these are the things that move the number up or down:
- Two wheel versus four wheel alignment
- Vehicles with seized or rusted adjusters that have to be freed
- Cars that need aftermarket camber or caster hardware to reach specification
- Lifted or lowered vehicles, which take longer to set
- Whether worn parts have to be replaced before the alignment can be done
Call (313) 277-7200 with your year, make and model and we will tell you what to expect before you come in.
Why AutoTech Clinic
AAA Approved
An inspected facility that has to meet AAA standards for equipment and training.
Photos First
You see what we found and approve the price before anything is taken apart.
Same-Day Service
Parts on hand for the vehicles we see most, so you are not waiting on a delivery.