If your steering wheel sits crooked when you are driving straight, or the car drifts when you loosen your grip, alignment is the usual suspect. It is one of the cheapest things on a car to put right and one of the most expensive to ignore.
What alignment actually is
Three angles. Toe is whether the wheels point slightly in or out — get this wrong and tyres scrub sideways every metre you drive. Camber is how far the top of the wheel leans in or out, which wears one edge of the tread. Caster affects how the steering self-centres and how stable the car feels at speed.
What throws it out
Potholes, kerbs, and time. Nothing dramatic has to happen. Suspension components wear, bushings soften, and the geometry drifts. Fitting new tyres or replacing suspension parts is always a reason to re-check it.
What it does not fix
A vibration at speed is usually balancing, not alignment — different job, different machine. A pull under braking is usually a caliper or a warped rotor. If someone tells you an alignment will fix a shudder through the brake pedal, get a second opinion.
How to tell it is time
Look at your front tyres. Run your hand across the tread from the inside edge to the outside. If one edge is noticeably lower than the other, or the wear feels feathered rather than smooth, the geometry is off.
Alignments start at $119.99 here, and we will show you the before and after printout rather than just telling you it is done.