Fix It and keep it

I am the proud owner of a 1995 Ford Taurus LX station wagon. Even with all of the recalls I still like it because, overall, it is a well built U.S. made car.

It was one of the first front-wheel drive cars I have owned and learning that the rear wheels needed alignment was a different experience for me. When the car was around two years old I began to notice a shimmy coming from the back wheels at around sixty miles per hour and it would just get worse the faster I went. I pulled over thinking that something was seriously wrong with the car, but nothing was obvious so I continued where I was going only keeping the speed below sixty.

The rear tires were also making a buzzing noise, much like you would hear coming from a large four-wheel drive truck. Tire rotations were completed on schedule so the cause of the cupping on the tires that caused the noise was puzzling. I took the car in to the tire store where I usually do business and the mechanic told me that he felt that the rear wheel alignment was out so I had him check it out and sure enough the alignment was out around twenty degrees which, I am told, is significant on that car. I had then re-align the rear, as well as the front and replaced the cupped tires. After that the car went silently down the road at any speed with no shimmy at all.

At the time it wasn't about saving money that I didn't have the car aligned, it was just because I never thought it needed it. Now I have the alignment checked once a year whether it needs it or not, doing that is much cheaper than buying new tires due to cupping.

Bob Crane is the author of http://www.allfordtaurus.com - a site that helps many find what they need for their Taurus'.