What you might be noticing
The car drifts to one side when you loosen your grip on a straight road. The steering wheel is crooked even when you’re going straight. One edge of a front tire is wearing faster than the rest. Or you hit a pothole on Innes Road hard enough that something felt different afterward.
Any of those is a reason to have the alignment checked. In Ottawa, the most common cause by far is the roads.
What you can check yourself
On a flat, quiet road where it’s safe to do so, ease your grip on the wheel for a second and see whether the car wanders. Notice where the logo on the steering wheel sits when you’re driving straight. Then, parked, run your hand across the tread of each front tire. If one edge feels worn down or rough compared to the other, mention it when you book. It helps us tell an alignment problem from a worn suspension part.
What we actually do
We put the car on the alignment machine and measure three angles against your manufacturer’s spec. Camber is how much the top of each tire leans in or out. Caster affects how the steering returns to center and how steady it feels. Toe is whether the front of the tires point slightly in or slightly out. When any of them is out of spec, the car pulls, the steering feels off, and the tires wear unevenly.
Then we adjust the steering and suspension to bring all three back to your manufacturer’s numbers. Most alignments don’t need parts. If the machine shows a bent or worn part, like a tie rod end, we call you before going further, because the alignment won’t hold until that’s fixed.
We also check that the car is even side to side. A car can be inside the spec on paper and still pull or wear tires if the left and right are set differently. Getting both sides right is the difference between a proper alignment and a quick adjustment.
How long it takes
A standard wheel alignment usually takes about an hour when the parts underneath are in good shape. If a worn or damaged part turns up, that repair has to come first, and the extra time depends on getting the part.
If you book online, drop the car off by 9:00am. Online booking is open 24/7, so you can book the same night you hit the pothole.
Why this matters more in Ottawa
Every spring, once the snow melts, a winter of freeze and thaw leaves Ottawa roads full of potholes. Hit one hard enough and the wheel can be knocked out of alignment instantly, even if the tire and rim look fine. That’s the biggest reason people need an alignment in early spring, and it’s worth a check after pothole season even if nothing feels wrong.
Driving on a bad alignment wears tires out early, and that costs more than the alignment does. A set of tires that should last several years can wear unevenly and need replacing much sooner.
It usually goes like this. You hit a pothole in March and notice nothing, because the steering feels mostly fine. A month or two later there’s wear on the inside edge of the front tires, or a slight pull on the 417. Checking the alignment right after a hard hit is the cheaper way to go.
What it depends on
Most alignments are just an adjustment back to spec, which keeps the job quick. A wheel alignment starts at $110. If we find a worn or bent part and the car doesn’t pass the check, only half an hour is charged, and any repair is quoted separately before we touch it.
Related to this
If uneven tire wear is what brought you in, our tires page covers what to look for. Alignment problems often get caught during a regular car maintenance visit, and if the pull or the noise turns out to be more than alignment, our auto repair page covers the rest.
Common questions
How often should I get an alignment?
About once a year, and any time the car pulls, the steering wheel is off center, or a tire is wearing unevenly. In Ottawa it's also worth a check after a rough pothole season, even if the car feels fine.
What are camber, caster and toe?
They're the three angles in an alignment. Camber is how much the top of the tire tilts in or out, seen from the front. Caster is the tilt of the steering axis, seen from the side, and it affects how stable the steering feels. Toe is whether the tires point slightly toward or away from each other, seen from above. All three need to be within your manufacturer's spec for the car to track straight and wear tires evenly.
Why do potholes in Ottawa cause so many alignment problems?
Every winter, freeze and thaw breaks up the roads, and by spring they're full of potholes. Hit one hard enough and it can shift steering and suspension parts out of position. March and April, when the snow has cleared enough to show the holes and most haven't been patched yet, are the worst of it.
How do I know if I need an alignment instead of new tires?
Pulling to one side, a crooked steering wheel, or wear on one edge of a tire point to alignment. If the tread is worn evenly across the whole tire, it's more likely just age and kilometres. We can check both while the car is here.
How long does an alignment take?
About an hour if nothing underneath is worn. If the check finds a worn or damaged part, it has to be fixed first or the alignment won't hold, which adds time. If the car doesn't pass that check, only half an hour is charged.
