Your BMW is one of the best cars on the road. So, what does it mean when you get a misalignment in your tires? Well, misalignments happen naturally over time for all vehicles, it’s just sadder when it happens to a BMW or a Porsche. There are a few things you can do to self-diagnosis your misalignment, but either way, you’ll still need to bring your car into the shop to have the wheels updated, changed, or realigned. It is important to have the alignment fixed as soon as possible since continued use of the wheels in the wrong position can cause long-term damage and problems down the road.
Signs of Misalignment
The easiest way to find out if you have a misalignment is by letting go of the stirring wheel and watching if the car drifts. Obviously, you shouldn’t be doing this in unsafe areas like on the freeway or a busy street—you also shouldn’t be going the speed limit either, you should be going slow. If your tires are misaligned, your car will drift regardless of speed, so go slow if you test it out this way. No one wants an accident to happen, especially because of misalignment.
You should also pay close attention to what happens after your car hits something like a pole, pothole, or curb. Even light hits can be enough to knock your tires off of their alignment. Pay attention to how your car drives immediately after the event happens. If you have a small drift or substantial trouble keeping the car going straight, chances are it is a misalignment.
You can also spot signs of misalignment without being inside your BMW too. At least once a month you should be doing a quick look over of your car to spot any issues that may have occurred during the last month. One of the things you should check is the wear on the tires. If one or two of your tires are wearing more than the others, this could be from uneven weight distribution, resulting in misalignment. This uneven weight will wear the tires out at different speeds, making it a clear sign that something has gone wrong.
Questions We May Ask
Upon noticing any of the above changes, you should bring your BMX in as soon as possible. As mentioned above, leaving the vehicle misaligned can end up causing bigger problems. Part of the diagnosis for misalignment includes asking you about your driving habits, but it can also include any of the following questions:
When did you first notice the issue? Your answer to this is important because if you’ve just taken it off of a curb or a wooden bike jump, your car may just need a realignment without any other things being checked. However, if you’ve noticed the issues for a long period of time and you are only just bringing it in—that signals to us that we should be checking out more parts of your car than just the misalignment issue.
How often do you notice the problem? If you are able to drive down a flat, straight, freeway, but on certain parts of the drive you notice a drift—it’s probably not your car. Road conditions are just as important as tire conditions, so you may have these signs while just driving on a poorly made road.
When were the tires last rotated or filled with air? If the tires have never been rotated in their life span, or if there is not enough air in the tires, the misalignment signs could be coming from these issues instead of a real misalignment. Meanwhile, if these problems have been addressed recently, you could just have a real misalignment. Pay attention to the servicing of your car and the work that has been done on it, to ensure that these are not the issues.
Shaus Motorsport is your local Aurora answer for everything that has to do with German-made cars. Having served the community for years, we are a trusted part of the culture of Aurora. VWs, BMWs, Audis, and Porsches are some of our favorite cars to fix and work on. By entrusting your car to us, you’re giving your car the best chance possible at a full recovery from any alignment that could be wrong with it. From transmission issues to hoses, misalignments to broken electronics—we are your one-stop shop for car repair. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment with us or read through our blog to learn more about us and the fantastic German cars we care for.