Just purchased my 03 MCS and had an alignment done on it at a local tire shop (alignment was so bad, I had to purchase 2 new front tires). Anyway, this shop offers a "lifetime" alignment option for another $60 (which means that I can get it aligned as often as I want/need). Since this is my first MINI and I'm trying to determine if this is a "good value", I was hoping that some of my "MINI Brethren" would have some worthy advice (i.e. does the alignment in your Mini routinely need adjustment?). Thanks in advance!

 

i think it's worth it if you drive through alot of potholes. where i live, the roads are terrible.

 

$60 for lifetime of car? Cheap, I would do it.

 

x2 - definitely at that price. I was expecting maybe a couple hundred when I clicked on your thread. The last tire shop I bought from wanted $59 for a single alignment.

 

Wheel alignment is all labor and involves no parts, so rates vary based on the local cost of living. According to Washington Post columnist Pat Goss, wheel alignment shouldn't be too commonplace, "You actually have to bend steel to affect alignment." Some tire centers recommend having wheels aligned annually or whenever the car starts to pull or drift to one side when steering, or when there is uneven tread wear on the tires. Typical costs:

• A two wheel alignment (such as a front-end alignment) can cost $30-$65 based on the local cost of living.
• A four wheel alignment can cost $50-$95 based on the local cost of living.

I think it means you pay for the alignment first time.

It's another $60 to pay for lifetime program. You pay up front and it is good at their shop only- or if they have multiple shops you show your participation in the program.

Most basic shops have alignment equiptment for 2 or 4 wheel thrust alignment for front wheel drive cars- make sure it is 4 wheel thrust alignment.
There is also a cheaper two wheel thrust alignment-
see http://www.familycar.com/alignment.htm

This will be ok and fine for street use and stock suspension. You get it aligned to factory specs. Most times a basic alignment is about $60-65 each time with warranty for 5000 miles or 6 months basic.

I have a lowered suspension and do not align at a basic shop. I go to a performance brake and alignment shop that handles lowered cars. I ask the shop to set my alignment to a more aggressive setting that isn't in the stock spec range and sometimes make fine tuning on a small scale each time I align.

I do alignment about once per year and with any big change in suspension parts or upgrades and with new tires once a complete set is worn out.
If you have bad roads you can damage your suspension and throw it out of alignment, first gradually then later you can feel a pull to one side while driving or you see your tires or tire worn irregularly.

 

One other thing to consider is the 03 doesn't have rear adjustable control arms, so you can not get a true 4 wheel alignment done. Does the Lifetime deal cover 2 or all 4 wheels? It sounds like a good deal even if it's just once a year. At some point you may need to upgrade the lower rear control arms to get a true 4 wheel alignment. PM me for details on arms.

 

On the other hand, I can't remember the last time I had to have an alignment done... it was at least 20 years ago, and it was on a car that was pretty old at the time.

Why spend the money unless you have to?

 

My Boxster was $240 for an alignment - I had just burst a front tire on a pretty substantial pot-hole at about 75mph so I didn't really want to go without.

 

You mean like mushrooming your strut tops???

 

Im gonna play DA here: I discussed this with my MA and he claims that while those lifetime alignments may be good for other vehicles, alignments on MINIs must be performed under load, meaning that when my dealer does an alignment, all 4 seats are sandbagged (Ive seen them do it) with approx 100 lbs of dead weight. He warned me that independent shop alignments do not do this, therefore the alignment is less accurate under load conditions.

also, a friend of mine fell for one of these "lifetime alignment" deals at a local Firestone with her S2000, and they really messed the car up so bad it had to be taken back to the dealer for further corrections. This was a shop that also rotated her tires--prob is, the rear tires on an S2000 are bigger and wider than the front.

Caveat emptor...

 

I agree with Sequence. Most alignment shops will not weight the car. We've got shops here that ask how many people you drive with and then weight the car accordingly. I had one done on my Miata and they had me in the front seat and the equivalent weight of a passenger in the passenger seat. After that alignment the car was dead on.
I worry a bit about a regular tire shop doing an alignment on the Mini. Isn't the camber fairly aggressive on a Mini? When I was looking to buy my Mini I remember seeing one where the rear tires were dead straight up and down. The dealer was bragging about the alignment. Ran Carfax and the car had been hit. Made me wonder if they had misaligned it during the repair.

 

i wouldnt do it. front alingment is pretty much fixed except for the toe which wouldnt go way off unless if you hit somthing hard. and if you did hit somthing hard, mushroomed the towers or what ever, you probably have alot more to worry about then spending 60 on life time alingment.

 

this is interesting news as i jsut had tires put on at firestone ( dont get me started) anyway they check alignment for free so i had them do it. they showed me the numbers and front and rear were out. So i said ok go ahead and do it. however i was unaware that the car shoud be weighted for this. no i am angry i guess i will go back. also is it true the stock setting is a lil more aggressive?