Expert: Barry Smith - 6/19/2007

Question
My 2005 BMW M3 was rear-ended the day I first got it. It took me some time to save up the money so I drove it as it was. I noticed my tires wore unevenly and I replaced them and got a new alignment. This happened 3 times within 5 months for the rear tires. I was told that I had to get the body repaired to avoid the problem. I did so but the problem occured again. Now they've realigned my tires so they are positioned more to the outside. They wear more evenly but in the middle, and still abnormally fast (about 1 month). This wearing seems to happen after excessive speeds, but is continuous thereafter regardless of speed.

Answer
Reggie,

You still have an alignment problem.  You need to go somewhere else because they either aren't filling you in on the details - or they aren't doing a good job.

1)  BMW's are noted for their agressive camber.  This leads to wear on the inside shoulders, but increased camber improves handling.

2)  Once a tire developes a wear pattern, you can't put rubber back on the tire, so the wear pattern doesn't correct itself.

3)  Most alignment specs are too wide.  The vehicle needs to be within the innermost half of the tolerance.