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Tires are one of the most important parts of your vehicle. Poorly maintained tires can lead to dangerous or deadly accidents at worst and a negative impact on your vehicle’s handling at best. It’s important for every driver to regularly inspect their tires for proper inflation, tread depth, and sidewall condition. Performing this quick, regular check can help you stay safe on the road.   Step One: Check Your Tread Depth   This step is probably one you know. Worn out tread on your tires can pr...

If you’ve ever taken a car in to be serviced, you’ve probably been asked by the mechanic, “What type of oil are you getting?” If you’re like most people, you probably just say “Whatever it takes,” or “Whatever you recommend!” Depending on your vehicle, the mechanic may recommend one of four types of motor oil: full synthetic, synthetic blend, conventional, or high mileage. Each type of oil has a specific chemical makeup and purpose it is best suited for:   Conventional Motor Oil: Conve...

If possible, when replacing one tire, you should always try to purchase as close as possible to the existing tires on your vehicle. A matching tire will have the same tread pattern, construction, and size as your existing tires. We never recommend you use mismatched tires unless specifically recommended by the manufacturer of your vehicle.   A few ways drivers will mismatch tires include: using tires with different tread patterns, using tires made by different manufacturers, using tires made fo...

Finding that fluid which is leaking from your car can be alarming. It is possible fluid leaking from your car could be normal, but other times leaking fluids are a symptom of a bigger problem with your vehicle. Before you panic, there are two questions you need to ask: 1) “Where is the fluid coming from?” and 2) “What does the fluid look like?”   When determining where the fluid is coming from, first find out for certain whether the fluid is even coming for your vehicle and not the vehicle ...

These days, cars are getting better gas mileage than ever before. You don’t even have to buy a hybrid anymore to own a vehicle averaging 30 or 40 MPG. Many car owners notice that after a while, their MPG starts to wane. It’s easy to brush this off if you are still getting decent mileage, but this decrease in performance is often a symptom of bigger issues with your vehicle.    These are the most common reasons for a decrease in gas mileage:   Bad Fuel Injectors: Fuel injectors are what puts f...

Few things are more inconvenient than a flat tire on your way to work or an important event. No one ever expects it to happen, but people get flats and find themselves stranded every day of the year for various reasons. These are a few of the top reasons people find themselves with a flat:   Extreme Temperature: If you’ve ever experienced a steep drop in temperature overnight, you may have noticed the “low pressure” light on your dash the morning after. For every 10 degrees Fahrenheit the te...

Alignment Center needs your help in a big way, and it will only take you a small amount of effort. We need your reviews - SELECT THE IMAGE TO REVIEW US! Yes, we know every online giant is badgering you for reviews day and night, but Alignment Center is different. As a local company located right in the heart of Anchorage, we are dedicated to helping the residents of our city keep their cars, trucks, and SUVs safe and reliable. While you may never meet anyone from the giant online store you just...

Every Technician in The Shop at Alignment Center is ASE Certified. People hear this term thrown around but hardly know its meaning or why it is essential. ASE Certification, which stands for "Automotive Service Excellence," essentially means that your mechanic has gone to automotive service school, learned the material, and passed a rigorous course of system-specific examinations earning the equivalent of a diploma in automotive repair. It's like having a doctor for your ...

There are so many tire designs on the road -- all-season, high performance, touring, light truck -- and even within a specific tire design, there may be several choices of tread patterns. What differentiates them, and what are the pros and cons of each tread design?    -- Directional tread has a pattern of grooves and chevron shapes, all pointed in one direction. This design makes it easy to direct water away from the tire's contact patch and prevent hydroplaning in wet weather, and also offers...

Fall weather in many areas can bring a large fluctuation in temperatures between daytime and nighttime. These changes in temperature can cause your tires to lose pressure as the air inside them expands and contracts. This triggers the “Check Tire Pressure” light on your dashboard. This light is known as the TPMS, or Tire-Pressure Monitoring System. For many of us, this light can be an alarming surprise. However, there is no need to panic. The light does not necessarily mean your tires are lea...