Have the wheel alignment checked every 10,000 km, or roughly once a year, and immediately after any of the following: fitting new tyres, any suspension or steering work, or a hard pothole or kerb impact. Shah Patel & Co. checks alignment on a computerised four-wheel rig in Ahmedabad in 45 to 60 minutes. On Ahmedabad roads the pothole trigger fires more often than the mileage one — a single bad hit can knock the toe out far enough to scrub several thousand kilometres off a set of tyres.
The routine interval, and the real one
Every 10,000 km is the standard advice and it is a reasonable default. But alignment does not drift gradually with mileage — it goes out in an instant, when a wheel hits something hard. That is why the event-based triggers matter more than the odometer.
Get it checked immediately if:
- You have hit a pothole or a kerb hard enough to make you wince.
- You have just had new tyres fitted — there is no point starting a new set misaligned.
- Any suspension or steering component has been replaced.
- The car has been in even a minor collision.
The symptoms that mean it is already out
- The car pulls to one side on a flat, straight road with your hands relaxed.
- The steering wheel sits off-centre when the wheels are pointing straight ahead.
- One edge of a front tyre is wearing visibly faster than the rest of the tread.
- The steering feels vague, or does not self-centre after a turn.
- There is a new squeal from the front tyres on a roundabout.
Uneven wear is the expensive symptom A car that is only slightly out of alignment does not necessarily feel wrong to drive. What it does is scrub one edge off a tyre. By the time the wear is visible you have usually lost a third of the tyre’s life — which costs considerably more than the alignment would have.
What is actually being adjusted
| Angle | What it is | What it does when wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Toe | Whether the wheels point slightly in or out, seen from above | The fastest way to destroy tyres. Feathered wear across the blocks. |
| Camber | Whether the wheel leans in or out at the top | Wears one edge of the tread only. Can cause a pull. |
| Castor | The steering axis angle, seen from the side | Affects straight-line stability and self-centring rather than wear. |
Toe is the one that eats tyres, and it is also the one most easily knocked out by a pothole. A four-wheel alignment measures all three at all four corners, because a rear axle out of alignment makes the car crab and wears the rears in a way no amount of front adjustment will fix.
Alignment or balancing?
They are different jobs and they fix different symptoms, which is worth knowing before you ask for one:
- Pulling to one side, or uneven wear across the tread → alignment.
- Vibration that appears at a particular speed → balancing.
- Both symptoms at once → both jobs. This is common after a bad pothole, because the same impact bends the geometry and shifts a wheel weight.
Common questions
How often should wheel alignment be done?
Every 10,000 km or about once a year as routine, and immediately after new tyres are fitted, after any suspension work, or after a hard pothole or kerb impact. Shah Patel & Co. carries out computerised four-wheel alignment in Ahmedabad in 45 to 60 minutes.
What is the difference between wheel alignment and wheel balancing?
Alignment sets the angles at which the wheels meet the road — toe, camber and castor — and fixes pulling and uneven tread wear. Balancing adds small weights so the wheel and tyre assembly spins without vibration, and fixes a shake that appears at a particular speed. They are separate jobs and a bad pothole often needs both.
Can bad alignment damage my tyres?
Yes, and it is the most common reason a set of tyres wears out early. Incorrect toe scrubs the tread sideways as the car rolls forward and can take a third or more off a tyre’s life, usually before the driver notices anything wrong with the way the car handles.
