Hey all,

I'm wondering if anyone has any insights on how easy (or difficult) it is to knock a Mini (mine's an R57) out if alignment?

The reason I ask is that as I was entering a freeway tonight, I nailed a pretty big pothole. It was dark, rainy, below an overpass, and I just plain couldn't see it.

I've knocked my VW Passat out of align on similar hits, and having only about $1k miles on the tires, I'm not eager to see them wear down prematurely. The balance seems fine & the wheel seems straight, but I know from experience that it doesn't take much to start getting uneven wear on the tires.

Most of our roads in California have seen better days.

 

That's a good general question - Curious what others experience has been with getting alignment checks and what the results were as to whether they really needed it or not.

I drive into Wash,DC every day and besides hitting pot holes elsewhere, I seem to hit them (sometimes the same ones) going on the bridge into the DC area and some of them are doozies. I now have 12+K miles and closing in on bringing my MINI in for an annual inspection. I have occassionally checked the tires for any noticeable wear or uneven wear but so far, the tires seem fine. But I am considering getting a wheel alignment when I bring it in.

My thought is that if you only have 1000 miles and hit a big time pot hole, it is possible that your alignment has been thrown off a bit but there is no way I would bring it in every time I hit a big pot hole. If I did that, it would wind up costing me a fortune for all the alignments I would need to get. My thought is that once a year is probably an overkill even if suffering a number of pot hole events. But given that many experience rather short tire wear life on these MINIs, once a year may be warranted. I guess if after the first time bringing it in and getting an alignment check results in alignment adjustments needed...well then perhaps I would consider it each year...but that still seems an overkill based on other cars I have owned. I guess time will tell. The thing is that if you wind up getting the dealer to do the alignment check, I think other shave reported a pretty hefty charge for it. Even if done by a local tire shop...What is that these days ....~ $80. I guess you would have to weigh just how fast a tire could wear faster with a somewhat off alignment vs the cost of replacing tires perhaps a bit early. The tires definitely are expensive but...if frequently going in for alignment checks...that could be expensive as well.

Let me give a recent example: On my Prelude which I used for commuting the past 11 years, at one point when getting enw tires, I purchased the tire road hazard warranty (10% of the cost of each tire at NTB) because of pinching tires between rim and road hitting potholes going to work. In a recent 2 year period, I hit potholes severe enough to cause a bulge in the sidewall. I have had 3 tires replaced under that warranty. Twice it occured, just 2 weeks apart, hitting the same pothole on the bridge and same driver's side front tire had to be replaced. The second time it happened, I asked the NTB rep if he thought the tire really needed to be replaced since the bulge was barely visible but you could feel it in the sidewall. He just indicated that since I had the road hazard warranty...he would just replace it and not think about it at all. As far as wheel alignments...I probably got wheel alignments on that car...perhaps every 2-3 years or so. That means at about the same time I bought new tires all around and maybe sometimes one addl time in-between getting new tires. Over the life of my Prelude, tire life probably ranged about ~40K miles before new tires needed (except for new one replaced under the tire warranty). The Prelude also has low profile tires but tire pressure was more in the range of 30-32 psi vs for the present MINI tires - 38 psi. So...maybe that is one reason, the MINI tires have not had same issue as I experienced with my Prelude...hopefully that day is not coming...but I did get the MINI tire/rim warranty (not for wear - for hazards).

So what do the rest of you think ??

 

If the pothole made your bones rattle, odds are you messed it up a little. If your car naturally wants to turn left or right you need an alignment. It's not a life a death issue for the car, but it improves you tire life and vehicle maneuverability.

 

I bent 2 of my 18" rims already and replaced 2 tires because of the bubles (I blame this on the tires being too soft-Yokohama S-Drives) and still didn't align it. It drives straight and there are no issues with tire wear. I'll do it when I am done with this set of tires.

 

I've accidentally hit some big potholes too but the alignment has always felt fine. When I recently took my car in for service I was told an alignment was recommended every 10,000 miles ($350). I told them the car felt fine and they said in a Mini you can't tell when your alignment is out because only the camber is adjustable. So you wouldn't feel the car pull to the side, instead your tires would just wear on the inside or outside. I didn't get the alignment but you all think there's any truth to that?

 

My Passat is the same way with the camber; straight steering wheel, no pull, yet the tires can wear down very quickly if you don't catch it in time. Everything seems fine with the Mini so far; the wheel is centered, and it stays straight when braking hard. Seems just fine at freeway speeds, too. I'll just keep an eye on those tires for now.

On a related note, when entering the same ramp today, I saw that Caltrans had filled the pothole. The thing was massive; about 2 feet square.

 

I just moved from VA to KS -- and I haveta say, VA seems to take PRIDE in the size of their potholes!!! I just about lost the MINI in one on the way home to south of Richmond from DC. I managed to find a 3" gash in my runflats, too. Needless to say, I was a very pissed off camper. (But it reaffirmed my faith in runflats.) Anyway, even after the pothole adventures of VA, I needed only one alignment, and that was because I got free one due to buying such a NICE expensive runflat tire replacement. So to answer your question, no, I don't think it'll knock it that far out of alignment. I WOULD suggest you keep your eyes on such wear and tear, though, and periodically see if your car pulls one way or another. Panic THEN, not now.

Now, not to highjack a thread or anything, but I feel a tangent is worthwhile... Knowing I came from the Pothole State, I have periodically heard a very odd hollow thunking noise in/near the outside side of the driver's footwell whenever I hit bumps or road-seams. At first I thought it was because my wheels were loose (from, of course, all the #$(*%% potholes) - I once sweet-talked somebody with an impact wrench to tighten the lugs for me, and the noise went away. Now it's back. I took it back to the Goodyear dealer to again double check the lugs before we drove out here, and they confirmed everything was as tight as they could get... the noise seems to be getting more and more frequent!! I suspect the inhuman windchill temps and insanely crusty salt covering my poor car out here in KS don't make it better, but.... what else could it be!?!? I have to find the nearest MINI dealer, but i'd like to go in armed with questions if I could! (Again, sorry for highjacking!)

 

Augh. Well, another trip into San Francisco, another Pothole.

I hit this one today going about 25 mph (under the speed limit) in the right lane, going down Van Ness. There was a loud BAM, and the entire car shuddered. My kids were a little scared in back. When I pulled over to check for damage, I could see a small, but distinct bulge in the sidewall of the runflat.

I'm frustrated that I'm now in a position where I have to pay for a new tire because the city can't maintain it's streets. Anyone know what a 17" Dunlop performance runflat costs?

 

Sorry to hear that. Mine have cost anywhere between $190-220 ea, depending on where you are. But you may luck out better at a Sams Club or COSTCO... Good luck.

 

Go to an alignment shop like bridgestone and buy their lifetime alignment. it's like $180. it'll pay over time. Get it checked every 5K at no additional cost!.

 

Living in NYC, getting an alignment is like an exercise in futility.
The only alignment I ever got, was on my vette cause it was free.
Unless you are pulling to one side or the other, or you are getting steering shudder while braking, I wouldn't bother. I have yet to show any signs of abnormal tire wear on any of my vehicles.

 

To this I have to say, "Lies!" You definitely will feel the pull and you would certainly notice the pull if you left your hands off the wheel for a few moments with your alignment out of whack.

 

Please name this stealership. They need to be outed so that others can avoid the thieves.

An alignment at some specified mileage interval? Complete and utter BS. $350 for an alignment? Are they on crack?? A good alignment from a well-qualified shop should cost less than $100. And that line about not being able to tell you need an alignment? I'll buy that some subtle misalignment might not be detected by some drivers, but his premise is more BS.

This kind of thievery makes my head explode.

 

You're right $350 is beyond BS. I live in CT, and I too just purchased Bridgestone's "life time" alignment package and paid $139. I did this when I changed out the original RF's. My plan, baring any special event, is to have the tires rotated, and have the alignment done every 5k miles. I'm frugal, but I think this was a worthwhile expenditure.

 

You Californians have my sympathy. It's not just SF, the entire state can't afford to maintain its roads. When I was a kid growing up there, California roads were the best in the country, bar none. Recently some trucking association group ranked the nation's roadways by state. California ranked 50th. I'm not surprised.. every time I venture back into SoCal, it's like driving in a 3rd world country.

There are downsides to living out here in Phoenix - 100+ days of triple-digit temperatures was a huge adjustment when I moved here 6 years ago. But one positive tradeoff is the roads - they're like pool tables, with rubberized asphalt on all of the major freeways (for longer wear and quieter ride/neighborhood noise). Even the secondary roads are well-maintained. Now if we just had more twisty bits nearby...

 

On the 1st gen MINIs the only adjustment is toe-in. All else is done with parts replacement. I would think it is a waste of time and $$ if the handling seems ok. The front end is pretty strong and it would take I lot to bend anything. I wouldn't be surprised if the 2nd gen MINI are the same- anyone know? I have had my subframe dissassembled on my1st gen and there is no place for adjustment other than tie rod ends as the book states, but I think there actually is a little wiggle room when bolting down the rear bushings, but when the frame is installed you cannot get to the the bolts so I find it hard to believe it is adjustable! On my 2nd gen Clubman I hit a pretty good pothole and it seems fine.

 

Well, here's an update onthe pothole/alignment thing to add to the knowledge base:

The second pothole did in fact kill one of my runflats. The side bulge didn't look big, but when it was finally off, you could see that it's structural integrity was compromised. Since I drive my kids around in it almost every day, I'm glad I had it replaced, even if the tire alone was over $300.

The alignment was also off. The fronts had been knocked significantly out of range. The rears weren't as bad, but were still out of range & needed adjustment. That cost me about another $200 right there. For the record, you can't tell just by "feel" whether these cars are in align or not; mine felt fine and drove perfectly straight.

I rotated my tires, so the new one is now in back. The only thing i'm not crazy about is the fact that I now have 3 tires with about 2,000 miles on them, and one starting at zero. The difference isn't big enough to set off the warning system, but....... well, whatever, I'm **** and I know it's there.

Anyway, moral of the story: these cars are pothole-sensitive, and yeah, one of those lifetime alignment plans from a trusted, reputable source would be a good investment if you drive under similar conditions.

 

Oh, and I forgot to mention kudos to the black star bullet rims for being able to take this degree of a hit and come out fine.

 

So you're out over $500 for one tire and an alignment? That's criminal.

 

Yeah, I can't say I'm thrilled about shelling out that kind of bread for a chunk of rubber, and some time on an imaging machine. What's really criminal is the city's lack of attention to their roads. The pothole in question could have been fixed for much less than my repair costs, and I'm letting them know that. I'll try to recover my costs, but I don't have high expectations.

As for the fairness of the repair costs, it's within reason for where I am and what I needed. I shopped around. The performance runflat is an expensive tire. The lowest price I could find them for was around $245 on eBay, but that didn't include shipping. Other sources ranged up to $340. As for the alignment, it was about 25% lower than what the local dealers charge. It's a local place that's been in business for 50 years. They only do tires, brakes, suspension and alignments, and it's all precision work. His prices are still better than other shops within a reasonable drive.

I guess until they come out with knobby off-road tires for the JCW, I'll just use that handling ability to veer around the local craters.

 

Lose the runflats when they wear out. That cost is absurd. Carry a goo+inflation kit and a cellphone, and you'll be ready for a flat tire emergency.

Anything approaching $100 is too much for an alignment. None of the "real" alignment guys charge that much.. only stealerships charge hideous fees for alignments, and in my experience, they screw them up more often than not. Next time you need one, seek out a real frame & alignment shop, or tire shop, in your area. You should easily be able to find one for less than $100.

The best guy in my old hometown of Huntington Beach charged me $45 about 8 years ago. Here in Phoenix, I think I paid around $75 for another shop that's very highly recommended.

 

I have a 2006 Cooper S. I purchased the lifetime alignment from Firestone but they ended up refunding my money because they don't have the tools to properly align the mini. They said it requires weights in the back and other specialty tools that they don't have. I was speaking with their district manager. Mini in Annapolis want's $160 for an alignment. Anyone know a good place in the DC metro area for a Mini alignnment??

 

Very timely thread. I just hit a massive pothole yesterday on the freeway (at freeway speed). The low pressure light came on almost immediately. I was able to drive it in to work but the tire only had 10lbs of pressure when I pulled into the parking garage. Coincidentally, I had a service visit scheduled for yesterday so I added some air and took the car in.

I ended up replacing the passenger side front wheel (webspoke $490, installed). The tire was fine. They also want to replace the rear wheel and do an alignment. There is some bulging around the strut housing that needs to be fixed. Yeah, I hit it THAT hard!!

I'll let you know how it goes with the alignment.

The lucky thing is, my insurance covers road hazard and everything (including the alignment) is covered. $250 deductible kinda sucks though. I'd pay $250 more in taxes each year, if they'd just fix the roads!!

 

Bent/Broken/Worn parts are the cause of alignment issues. There is no reliable way based on steering wheel position or vehicle tracking to tell if something got put out-of-whack. The only true way to determine if anyting is wrong is a visual inspection of suspension and steering components in combination with the use of professional alignemnt equipment.

As to how easy it is to knock a MINI out of alignment, any vehicle is susceptible depending on how/what you hit.

 

X 2 .......... I would have so replaced all 4 tires...... Oh wait I did when the MINI and runflats were new - see my sig for some great tires.