Wheel Alignment

This clip contains clear explanations of wheel alignment, toe, camber and caster.

It also recommends that you should get your car aligned after rotating the tires, which makes sense. But if the interval is pretty short (say 7,500 miles) then it's not very practical to keep up with that routine.

The more often a technician touches your car, the more risk there is of human error. And wheel alignment is, in my experience, one of the procedures that has a high chance of not getting done right the first time, resulting in having to bring the car back for corrections. It's hard to get it just right.

So unless the car pulls to one side or is imbalanced, or there is evidence of uneven tire wear I wouldn't worry about getting an alignment each time I rotate the tires. Also, be sure to account for the effects of road crowning when checking alignment.

How to Find A Good Mechanic

The key to finding a good mechanic, as with any professional service is reputation and referrals. If you know someone nearby who is knowledgeable about cars, and has a car similar to yours they’re probably a good source for a referral.

Always try to use a system with feedback to locate good help. It’s no different in concept to ratings on eBay. The key is you need indicators of trust.  Three sites you can use to scour for mechanics are:

Tire Rack. Look for installation shops in your area that have a lot of good ratings and that also do general car care.

NPR’s (National Public Radio) Car Talk

Yelp’s Automotive section for your area.

Then again, no matter how good the reputation the proof you won’t know for sure until it’s your turn. This reminds me of a vasectomy joke but I digress.

Anyway, just by using one of the above sites should get you several promising service centers. Unless you have a rare or specialized vehicle you should be set. It’s not necessary to go to the dealer unless warranty work is being performed.