Daily Driver: Do you get wheel alignment after X miles, X years, or when not straight
 

Just wondering how often wheel alignments should be done for a daily driver, no tracks or anything. Is it after X miles, X years, or when the car doesn't seem to drive straight anymore, or when uneven tire wear?
If the car still drives straight and tire wear is even, is there any reason to get a wheel alignment, even if you haven't done one in 2-3 years?

If something feels wrong, hit something, notice strange tire wear, or get new tires.

thanks for the quick reply! replied faster than i could add an edit to my original post

I'm bored at work.

Think of it like a repair (unless you just want to change the alignment to your own settings)

I didn't get my first alignment done until almost 5 yrs after I bought it, and 75K+ miles (no tracking or autoX either). The tires wore evenly & steering wheel didn't shake at highway speeds, so I didn't think there was a need for it. Only once the car started "drifting" ever so slightly to the right when the steering wheel was centered did I get the alignment checked.

I would do mine whenever it doesn't drive straight or I notice uneven wear when I rotate the tires.

That would be wheel balance. steering wheel shake=have your tires re-balanced.

We basically get alignments right off the showroom floor. :) After that, settings should hold for a long time for MOST people, depending on how the car is used and how adjustments are made. Camber bolts can slip depending on how they're installed, the rear toe arm isn't perfect, and sometimes you just hit a big ass pothole.

IMO it's a good idea to check yearly if your car is tracked/autocrossed often OR driven on crap roads. A camber gauge and toe plates aren't too expensive. That's all you need to check an alignment. Alternatively, an alignment shop shouldn't charge much to just put it up on the rack.

Overkill for most people, but I'm anal about alignments.

- Andrew

Racecomp Engineering: and another reason i can think of to change alignment more often - if car is tracked both in (cold) winter & summer, as ideal alignment is different in low-grip situation.

I will have had my 2013 BRZ exactly four years on April 1st, and I just had my first alignment done today while having new tires put on my Limited.

The guy said it was slightly off, but it's perfect now. I probably didn't need to do it, but I wanted it perfect for the new tires.

I would say not to worry about it unless you've hit some really bad bumps or the car is noticeably drifting.