Breaks and wheel alignment in New Orleans is a crucial service to make sure that you are driving safely. It is an important car maintenance service that assures the wheels of your vehicle are at the right angle and direction.
When you bring your vehicle to a professional automotive center that has special tools and equipment to be able to accurately adjust the front wheels of your car, you will feel more confident in driving your vehicle.
How Often Should Wheel Alignment Be Done in New Orleans?
Wheel alignment or car alignment tracking is recommended when you experience difficulties with steering or when you feel that your vehicle is pulling to one side even if you are steering in the right direction.
All cars need regular maintenance, including wheel alignment. Wheel alignment should be a periodic service that you do for your car for your safety. Car experts agree that the recommended schedule for a wheel alignment is every other oil change or approximately every 6,000 miles.
However, not all vehicles and situations are the same. When you change your tires, you can also have them aligned already even if it is not on the schedule. This will ensure that your tires are positioned correctly and that they will last the same length of time.
Another instance where a wheel alignment should not be delayed is when you notice that your vehicle pulls while you are driving or your steering wheels seem off-center. Either way, conduct a wheel alignment or have a professional carry out this service for you regularly to maintain your vehicle’s optimum performance and implore safe driving.
How to Check Wheel Alignment at Home
If you have a background in auto mechanic troubleshooting you can see clearly when your wheels are not aligned. If you don’t have any experience at all, here are symptoms that your vehicle’s wheels are not aligned:
- Your vehicle is pulling to either side when you are driving on a flat parking lot or when you are driving down the center of a vacant road. Keep an eye on how your vehicle responds when you steer.
- A vibrating steering wheel when you are driving at higher speeds can also be a sign that your vehicle’s wheels are not aligned. This can impact how your wheels will wear and may even lead to a flat tire or tire blowout when you don’t have the problem fixed. Worse, your car’s suspension may even be affected.
- Your tires are unevenly wearing out. When you notice that the tire-wear patterns are off-centered or when one tire is more worn than others, this can be caused by misaligned wheels where the tires are not rotating smoothly. Experts say that a tire that is not aligned will cause different wear patterns compared to tires that are aligned. You may notice excessive wear patterns on the inside edge and/or outside edges of your tires instead of in the middle where your tires get in contact with the ground or the road when they are aligned.
Process of Wheel Alignment in New Orleans
The process of aligning your vehicle’s wheels will depend on whether your car will need a 2-wheel or a 4-wheel alignment. The front-wheel alignment will typically take over 30 minutes and covers toe adjustment to the front wheels only. The four-wheel alignment will typically take over 60 minutes and will cover both the front and rear wheels of your car.
A typical wheel alignment in New Orleans will involve the following steps:
- The technicians will check the two front wheels for incorrect alignment, specifically the direction and angle at which your tires are set.
- The steering wheel is locked in the straight-ahead position and the brake pedal depressor is applied.
- The measuring heads to the rear wheels are fitted to the centerline scales to the front wheels. The lasers are lit.
- The number that the laser line hits the scales should read the same on both scales. If not, the rear Toe will need to be adjusted to the correct angle.
- The rear and front axles are adjusted to the corrected settings until the two centerline scales read the same numbers.
Get brakes and wheel alignment in New Orleans from professional automotive centers. This is one way to maintain your vehicle and make sure it is performing at its optimum.