Went to the dealership for warranty work (peeling steering wheel) and I asked the service guy if he can have my alignment checked.... not for any particular reasons, but as a precaution. He told me its gonna cost money either way to check or fix (????) So I opted out... being that I really don't have any symptoms of a bad alignment (car does not veer to any direction, tire treads look the same on all tires after 7500 miles, no uneven wear) later on he calls me up and tells me that the tech recommends an alignment... doesn't an alignment check involve some sort of a machine or do they just look it over visually? ??? I opted out but did have my rear brakes done... it was over due.

How are alignments checked??

 

He is probably just going by age/miles. If you are not getting tire wear and the car is not driving funny, there is no reason to get an alignment. I would seriously avoid shops that don't specialize in alignments and offer to do it for free. I personally would only get an alignment dealer at a specialist or the dealer. Many other places b.s. the measurements by placement of the sensors or don't do a thorough job--especially the freaking chain tire or all-in-one shops.