I have an '04 with 40K. I haven't noticed any unusual wear but I don't want to get to the point where I noticed it to late and now I have to buy a set of tires. Just looking for preventive maintenance.

 

You'll know when you're out of alignment if your car drifts to the left or right when it should normally be going straight....or if you've got a vibration in the steering wheel. Otherwise, just keeping an eye out for early signs of uneven wear should help you avoid unnecessary wear.

 

Most times if you have symptoms as mentioned that is a good time.

Also when you do any ride height changes such as adding coilovers or if adding any upgrades that affect front or rear camber (front camber plates or rear lower control arms) then it's usually necessary to do an alignment.

Lowering springs will change ride height some but some owners don't do aligment if their ride quality is not adversely affected.

If it's been several years and you have 40K miles then it's not a bad idea to do an alignment anyway. Sometimes hitting a bad pothole can knock toe settings out of sync right vs left.

Checking tire tread pattern wear and keeping tire pressures up are always good practices and tend to reveal early alignment problems.

 

Plus an alignment at the dealer is just $99.

 

Price do vary with each shop or region.

In my area if you have a stock MINI and don't change camber, just toe settings front and rear then that is a four wheel thrust alignment and is done in about one hour and costs about $74.

If you have upgraded suspension and need changes to both toe and camber settings front and rear (front camber plates and rear lower control arms added) then it takes about 90-100 minutes and costs about $90 to $100.

Roughly 90 day warranty for each alignment.

Realistically with daily street driving I'd say the alignment usually lasts about 1 to 2 years then something starts to get worn out. Depends how you drive and your road conditions.

 

The guys where I am going to take it in SoCal, says it doesn't need a four wheel alignment, according to his books. So I figured I am going to tell them to do toe settings front and rear.
What do you think, or should I go elsewhere?

 

I thought if I could take my hands off the wheel and all was straight then no problem. but my local tire shop (who are excellent) say with an alignment problem you could actually drive straighter. This was after I went for a wheel change (summer to winter) and found inside wear so bad on one wheel that the tire is toast. My local MINI dealer says that with wheel changes an alignment is needed. .... who knows?

 

That can be true. In general, if your settings are the same on both sides (even if they're both incorrect), the car will still track straight if you take your hands off the wheel. In particular, if you have a little too much toe-in on both sides, the car will track straight *and* be very stable when doing so.

Likewise, camber problems won't necessarily cause your car to pull to one side or the other - you'll get accelerated wear on either the inside or outside edge of the tire.

That's why it's best to look for signs of "pulling" *and* check your treadwear frequently.