lcmhouston

Hi, we are new to this. I need some answers for a recent
incident. We noticed on Sunday that steering was heavy
and were dismayed to find a nail smack in the center of
our front left (driver side) tire. We brought it to a Costco
being the weekend and were told they would not repair
it because of uneven wearing near the sides and hazardous
for them to just fix. Later on, we also saw the right front
also had some wear to the sides, that could be attributed
to the short distance we drove to a friend's house to have
our spare one placed (<5miles). We are also about 300
miles before the 15000 mile service time.
When we brought it to the dealer and they saw the tire
and said it is not necessary to replace it, even if the sides
were worn. The dealer told us to simply have the tire
repaired and rotated, balanced and aligned. They even
said the service is not needed as yet and would not
recommend it at all (no filter change, brake check etc
unless service light came on, as manual suggested).
The question is: given the know FWD and likelihood for
more wear in the front, who is right?
Should we rely on the sensors and service lights completely
and not press ahead with service.
Another thing, our friend strongly advised us against
alignment, because he thinks this will throw off the factory
settings. What can you tell us?
Thanks,
LCM

AcuraTL

Alignment is needed if you hit a major pothole, hit a curb, been in an accident or just basic wear and tear. I am assuming that your vehicle is not lowered. If the tires are worn only on one side, then it is an alignment issue. If the tires are worn one spot here and there, then it could be a balance issue. Either way, you should just bring it to a place to fix the nail but if your tires are too worn, get new tires and an alignment done. Most places will have a printout of before and after spec. sheet for you to review.

lcmhouston

I will let the tech in Acura take a look and
see if they determine alignment is needed.
It did look like uneven wear, but not sure was
it because of the flat we had or from the
daily usage.
LCM

AcuraTL

It will take a lot longer than a few days/weeks with a flat for uneven wear to show.

GenXer

If I read correctly, both driver and passenger sides have wear on the sides of the tires.
IMHO it is probably either:
someone consistently taking corners too fast
or a possible alignment issue (toe-in or camber)

Just because the car is fairly new doesn't mean it couldn't have issues, especially if you have smacked a curb or something else. I agree with the above, that wear from a low tire would take longer to show up. Also, If a dealer aligns it, they will verify and set it back to factory settings, if necessary. When you are driving on a level road does the car have a tendancy to pull to one side?

Consider that Costco was trying to sell a tire you didn't need. A nail in the center shouldn't have anything to do with wear on the sides unless it's really shredded, and they didn't want liability issues.

lcmhouston

There was an alignment problem, and my wife
had to have it re-aligned. And yes, she does
take sharp corners, but mainly because she
feels so comfortable doing it with the TL compared
with her previous cars. We are going to pick it
up tomorrow and will update if any new info.
I have always told her to decelerate *before*
going into a curve, especially down slope; not
simultaneously while she is in the corner.
Hope this will change her habits.
Thanks again,
LCM

AcuraTL

Taking a corner fast will not throw off the alignment, but will wear out the tires faster.