# Alignment? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [March 19, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alignment/27988 "2009-03-19T15:12:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![redtag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@redtag](https://community.cartalk.com/u/redtag)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alignment/27988/21 "2009-03-21T02:42:10Z")
A talented and knowledgeable person doing a proper alignment can take the time to align the steering wheel, perfectly capable of doing so if other things aren’t worn. A sloppy or uninformed tech often makes this error, aligns the car but forgets the need to align the steering wheel first…Often a really good shop will even put a weight in the drivers seat equivalent to driver to get things right, but hard to find these guys anymore. And the wheel can be removed and recentered but that is unusual and not the real answer. ---
**Author:** ![redtag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@redtag](https://community.cartalk.com/u/redtag)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2009, 2:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alignment/27988/22 "2009-03-21T02:45:11Z")
Caster is not always an adjustable setting, unlike camber, and toe-in and toe out. The factory decides the proper caster for the car and unless the car has been in an accident, isn’t adjusted. ---
**Author:** ![betsyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@betsyr](https://community.cartalk.com/u/betsyr)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alignment/27988/23 "2009-03-24T15:08:11Z")
READY::::: It was both lower ball joints. Thanks to all. My steering perfect now. I really got a better understanding of how the whole steering system worked by all of your comments. THANKS!!! ---
**Author:** ![hellokit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hellokit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hellokit)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alignment/27988/24 "2009-03-24T16:19:14Z")
“Caster” is an alignment spec. It’s measurable; but, on some cars it may not be adjustable. Ask your specialist. ---
**Author:** ![MrPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@MrPhil](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MrPhil)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alignment/27988/25 "2009-03-24T20:28:04Z")
And the wheel can be removed and recentered but that is unusual and not the real answer. Correct. That’s the wrong way to do it, because while you end up with a centered wheel, your steering mechanism has fewer turns to lock on one side than the other. Not good – the alignment shop needs to find out why the wheel is turned yet the car goes straight. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alignment/27988.md?page=1)