9 November 2017

Why wheel alignment is important

Ensuring that your vehicle’s wheels are correctly aligned is a very important maintenance item in order to maintain the safety of your vehicle and its passengers.

What exactly is wheel alignment? Wheel alignment is the measurement, analysis and adjustment of your vehicle’s steering and suspension angles to ensure that the wheels of your vehicle are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other.

If the wheels of your vehicle are out of alignment, you will feel that the car seems to be pulling to one side of the road, or your steering wheel is juddering or vibrating. Your wheels can get out of alignment gradually from normal everyday driving, or from any of the following incidents:

  • Driving over pot holes or hitting the kerb, or running into concrete parking stalls
  • Minor accidents
  • Worn runner components as well as worn suspension components – the older your vehicle gets, the more probable it becomes that this will cause a wheel alignment problem

When your wheels are not in alignment, you will increase wear and tear on your tyres and will land up having to replace your tyres long before you would have otherwise needed to. It can also cause unnecessary wear on the suspension components of your vehicle, causing problems with the overall vehicle handling, performance and safety.

You should have your wheel alignment checked whenever you rotate your tyres, and also when you replace them. If you think that your car is not handling correctly, or the steering doesn’t feel right – take your car in to have your wheel alignment checked out.

Suspensions systems of today’s front and wheel wheel drive vehicles require precise wheel alignments that can only be delivered by specialised alignment systems. Also – more cars have special features such as stability controls, dynamic stability controls, active stability management or SAS (Steering Angle Sensors) – all requiring different methods of adjustment to the wheel alignment.

There are 5 factors involved in determining the correct wheel alignment:

 

  • Caster, which is an imaginary line drawn between the centres of the upper and lower ball joints, forming an angle with the true vertical. Caster is important to steering feel and high-speed stability.
  • Camber, which is the inward or outward tilt of the tyre. Camber is important for tyre-to-road contact, and takes into account the changes of force when a vehicle is turning.
  • Toe, which describes whether the fronts of the tyres are closer (toe-in) or further apart (toe-out) than the rears of the tyres. Toe is important to ensure that the tyres roll in parallel when the vehicle is moving.
  • Thrust, which is relevant for solid rear axle vehicles, and the thrust angle alignment allows all four wheels to sit square with each other.
  • Ride height, which is the distance between the chassis and the road, and provides a reference point of all alignment measurements.

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Firstly, understand that getting upset is natural, but taking a deep breath will help you make better decisions. Examine your car thoroughly and document any visible damage, taking multiple photos from different angles, including close-ups of dents, scratches or broken parts, and capturing the surrounding area, such as road signs and markings, for context.

Next, see if you can locate the driver responsible. Sometimes, people leave a note with their contact information and insurance details. If there’s no note, look for witnesses nearby who may have seen what happened. You can also check for CCTV from nearby businesses, homes or on the street, as some areas have coverage. If you’re unsure, consider contacting the local council to find out whether cameras are in place that might have captured the accident.

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If you’re still having a hard time getting a hold of the at-fault driver and therefore cannot claim directly through their car insurer, it’s time to lodge a claim with your own insurance provider, if you have one. Provide them with as much information as possible, including the police report. From there, your insurer can determine whether your coverage, along with the information you have, will cover the damage to your car.

If your car insurer happens to find information about the at-fault driver and is able to have them lodge a claim so the costs of the damage are recoverable, you can contact Carbiz for a replacement car while your car is being repaired or until it’s been deemed a total loss. This ensures you’re not left without a car during this time, giving you peace of mind and the ability to keep your life moving.

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There are different types of write-offs. A total loss write-off is when the car is so badly damaged that repairing it is not financially viable. A repairable write-off is when the car can be fixed, but it requires significant repairs. In either case, the insurance company will usually pay out the car’s value at the time of the accident, minus any applicable excess or deductions.

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