Long-Term Wheel Alignment Contract?

September 24th, 2009

Sucker Move or Genius?

A long time ago, Firestone was willing to align the tires on my car for $50–one shot–OR agree to align them over and over for eternity, for $90. I didn’t take them up on it. Now they ask $70 and $150. What do you think? Should I do it?

I guess the only thing to worry about is whether the contract is transferable to every Firestone.

Wheel alignment is one of those things people don’t pay enough attention to. For the cost of one tire, you can keep four tires running three times as long.

7 Responses to “Long-Term Wheel Alignment Contract?”

  1. km Says:

    I would do it just for the insurance value of the extra few bucks.

  2. Virgil Says:

    If you really use a truck as a “truck” you will be knocking the front end out of line hopping over curbs or backing down bumpy boat ramps or driving down dirt roads. Plus the extra large geometry and components of a large truck tend to wander around on their own over time so I say go for it. My old Suburban EATS front tires and I can never seem to go 7500 miles between rotations without something creeping and the toe in or camber moving and one side or the other of at least one tire wearing out before the others.

  3. Steve H. Says:

    Of COURSE I plan to use it as a real truck! I’ve already used it to go to Starbucks!

  4. Virgil Says:

    I forgot to mention the great quality and good experience I’ve had with Michelin 10 ply radials. They’re worth every penny on a heavy truck that spends most of it’s time on the highway and surface streets.

  5. ErikZ Says:

    You’re talking about a full alignment right?

    How often do you get to do it?

  6. aelfheld Says:

    I once let Sears do a ‘lifetime alignment’.

    After numerous trips back I ended up having to replace the front tires, front struts (twice, once at Sears, once at the Toyota dealership), and front strut mounts – Sears screwed up the originals because their replacement struts weren’t the right ones for my car, and it was easier to ‘modify’ the mounts than, say, order the right struts.

    That’s one of the reasons I won’t shop at Sears.

  7. Steve H. Says:

    I think the limit is every 5,000 miles.