"Stan Dowiat" > wrote in message
...
> My chosen garage seems to have done a very good job aligning my car
> and for only for $49. I've done some checking around and there are
> a lot of BMW owners who have work done at this location. Do you
> think that aligning wheels on a BMW is so complicated that it
> warrants over three time the cost? I think not.

Stepping in here, I would say; it depends. The only real alignment
"adjustment" on your car is the front toe-in. They can usually get
that right OK. In fact I usually do this myself (after suspension or
steering work) and can get it "close enough" with fishing line and a
ruler.

The other angles that they need to check occasionally and make sure
are within tolerances are front and rear caster, camber and rear toe
angle. All of these checks need to be made with a certain "preload"
as that is how the engineers at BMW specified them. If they are out
they can be fixed by replacing bushings or other suspension and/or
steering parts.

I have never known a tire shop to go the extra distance to perform the
checks this way. It means having the correct weight sandbags on hand
to simulate the driver and passengers in the seats. Without the
weights you can get things close but it will not be exactly correct.

>
> I expect my cars to go at least 200k with no major problems. If I
> didn't then I'd buy American and pay much less than I do for Honda/
> Acura or BMW.

That's fine, and that car probably will do that, but I think it also
depends; What do you consider "major" and how conscientious are you
at performing preventive maintenance? If you consider probl;ems with
the peripherals or the cooling system major, I doubt you will take
this car past the double century mark without one of these type of
problems. Also, making sure the full service schedule is observed is
cheap insurance IMO to ensure its longevity. I have never owned a
Japanese car, but my understanding is that you can get away with
almost no maintenance beyond oil changes now and then and they still
run up the miles.

Good Luck with your new wheels.

YMMV,
-Fred W