How often should a four-wheel alignment be done?

There is no fixed time or mileage requirement for wheel alignment. Generally, it is recommended to judge according to the usage conditions of the vehicle. The following are some common reference situations:

- **Driving Mileage**: Usually, for a vehicle, a wheel alignment can be considered every 20,000 to 30,000 kilometers of driving. Within this mileage range, components such as the vehicle's suspension system and tires may undergo some slight changes due to long-term use, which will affect the vehicle's driving performance and tire wear. -

**Occurrence of Abnormal Situations**

- **Abnormal Tire Wear**: If uneven wear such as lateral wear or scallop wear of the tires is found, it is highly likely that there is a problem with the vehicle's four-wheel alignment parameters, and a wheel alignment inspection and adjustment should be carried out in a timely manner.

- **Vehicle Pulling**: When driving on a straight road, if the vehicle shows an obvious phenomenon of pulling to one side, after ruling out factors such as uneven tire pressure, a wheel alignment should be considered. - **Abnormal Steering**: When steering, if you feel that the steering is heavy and unresponsive, or the steering wheel does not return to the normal position properly, and the steering wheel is not in the correct position during driving, these situations may all be related to the wheel alignment and require inspection.

- **Vehicle Collision or Accident**: Even a minor collision may cause deformation of the vehicle's chassis components, affecting the wheel alignment parameters. Therefore, after an accident repair, a four-wheel alignment is generally required.

- **Replacement of Chassis Components**: If components of the suspension system, such as shock absorbers, lower control arms, ball joints, etc., are replaced, in order to ensure the vehicle's driving performance and handling stability, a wheel alignment needs to be carried out again to ensure that the new components can work at the correct position and angle. In addition, if you often drive on roads with poor conditions or the vehicle is used frequently, the inspection cycle for wheel alignment can be appropriately shortened.

The time required for a four-wheel alignment of a car usually ranges from 30 minutes to 2 hours. The specific duration is affected by various factors, which are introduced in detail as follows:

- **Vehicle Model**: Different vehicle models have varying degrees of structural complexity. Generally speaking, small cars have a relatively simple structure, and the four-wheel alignment operation is relatively easy, taking a relatively short time, approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour. However, for some large vehicles such as SUVs, MPVs, or luxury models, due to their complex chassis structures and a large number of components, it may take 1 to 2 hours to complete the four-wheel alignment.

- **Equipment and Technology**: Professional four-wheel alignment equipment can quickly and accurately measure and adjust the vehicle's alignment parameters. If the repair shop uses advanced equipment and the technicians are experienced and skilled in operation, the whole process will be relatively efficient, usually able to be completed in about 1 hour. Conversely, if the equipment is outdated or the technicians are not proficient in operation, it may prolong the time for the four-wheel alignment.

- **Vehicle Condition**: If the vehicle has relatively serious chassis problems, such as chassis deformation, damaged suspension components, etc., these problems need to be repaired first before performing the four-wheel alignment. This will add additional time, and it may extend the entire four-wheel alignment process to 2 hours or even longer. If the vehicle only requires a routine adjustment of the alignment parameters without other faults, the time required will be relatively short.