Hello All,

I have a 2016 XC90 T8 Hybrid Plug-In with 30,000 miles. It is time to replace the tires. My local Volvo dealer has offered to replace all for tires with original Pirellis tires for $1,400 plus. Part of this would include the alignment. I was told by the service writer, that any driver can do the "mechanical alignment" but the electrical motors that control the power steering must also be calibrated and that requires access to Volvo's VIDA data base which is proprietary. Independent alignment shops do not have that access, therefore they cannot do a wheel alignment correctly. If I should replace the tires at independent shop with their "mechanical alignment" and not have the alignment done properly at the Volvo dealership where the electric motors that power the power steering are calibrated, I will prematurely wear out my tires. The service writer said these proprietary information needed for a proper wheel alignment is also required for other European brands such as BMW, Audi and M-B.

My questions are:

1) Is this true?

2) Can I just have the wheel alignment done at an independent shop, where they mechanicalyl adjust the alignment alone and not bother with the electric motors?

3). This is more a statement than a question. It doesn't seem right that manufacturers can prevent independent shops from properly performing wheel alignments. It in essence gives dealers a "monopoly". Which of course can be exploited.

Thanks to all who reply.

Hugh

On its face I agree that when an alignment is performed that it's important that the output of the steering angle sensor is properly calibrated to reflect the actual steering angle of the wheels. That's important for the electronic stability control to be able to do its job.

But the same applies to the old school version of the steering angle sensor (the wheel in front of the driver) and yaw control (driver inputs). Go out and get a bad alignment and your wheel will be off center as you go down a straight road. You can adjust to that, but the computer will wonder what's going on; steering says we're going in a circle, but wheel speed says we're going straight. If the discrepancy is slight, then the computer will think there's a lot of slip angle happening between the wheel/tire/surface of the road (something it has to account for anyway). If things are too badly out of whack a threshold will be crossed where ABS and stability control functions will be compromised so badly that warning lights will start flashing (at that point you will have long since noticed your crooked steering wheel).

I assume that a modern electric steering system works in much the same way as a conventional one. That is, there's a sensor on the steering column that goes to a "rack" and then there's either a motor for both wheels or a motor for each wheel to independently control ackerman angle. Either way, the toe adjustment is made at a tie rod end between the motor and the wheel. There's no adjustment ever made between the motor(s) and the angle sensor. So you can't screw that up, right? The only advantage to using Volvo's vida is that you can read the zero position of the wheels based on the motors and the sensor. This gives you a perfect starting point for your alignment and also would flag any wear in the system between the those parts.

So...if my assumptions are correct then I believe the answer to your question 2 is yes, you can get your alignment done at a good independent shop. That would be my advice for the following reasons:
1. Your 30k mile car is unlikely to need any significant adjustment.
2. A good alignment tech isn't going to screw it up so bad as to make difference in the performance of the car.
3. There has got to be better tire options out there, ones that will last more than 30k miles.

Then, again, I have NEVER had a wheel alignment done after getting 4 new tires. Unless the car has been fitted with new wheels with an offset change, the suspension geometry should not be altered.

I also agree with the cost of the tires and the wear rate. The dealers seldom give you a good 'deal', nor do they take into consideration the driver's driving habits. I always go to TireRack.com and check for tires that fit my needs: noise, grip in wet, and wear. The last consideration is price, which is always much less than the dealer.
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Keeping it running is better than buying new

Electronic adjustments are required. Most new cars have electric power steering, steering wheel angle sensors, and a long list of other electronic sensors which are effected by physical wheel alignment.

This PDF is a good read:

http://amra.org/uploads/publishing/large/2-Alignment_Electronics.pdf


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Keeping it running is better than buying new

I also just had a new set of tires installed, aligned by my tire shop.

A week later I had my dealer do maintenance and I asked my service writer about your question.

He told me that the electronics had to be adjusted to allow the skid and yaw control to work properly - they performed that check/adjustment and did not charge me.

Of course, I paid Volvo bucks for the service!