When I switched to my winter tires last fall, i was due for a tire rotation on my all-seasons (stock). But when I put them back on this spring, the shop put them back on randomly (I guess?) because now the car's handling is all messed up as it's obvious there's something uneven in the wear of the tires. I have to force a bit on the wheel to keep it straight and above 110 km/h it's dangerous to drive as it's not as stable as usual.

Question: isn't it standard for shops to mark the tire's original placement (Front left, right, etc) when removing them? If I go back to get it fixed and they didn't do this, how can they fix the problem? Will a simple alignment fix it? I just don't know how they can figure out which tire was at which place on my car originally so they can rotate them now.

Is the blame here on me for not mentioning this to them or should they have placed the tires as they were originally using markings?

 

I don't think the xS has staggered or directional tires so it doesn't really matter how they are put back on. It does seem like your alignment/toe may be out of whack. Have the shop check it.

I have a separate set of winter wheels/tires and have the Eibach Prokit. I just went with the 'lifetime' alignment program so I can get it done at a number of local shops when the need arises.

 

If you're rotating your tires, they need to be balanced, first. If they didn't balance them, and just put them on randomly... that could be your issue.

 

I am mostly worried about the wear of the tires. If the wear is uneven after 15k KM of use, is it dangerous even if they are aligned? (in the long run)

If I didn't change my rims I don't need to balance right? Just re-align ?

 

It wouldn't matter which wheel/tire was at which corner of the car for xs. Normally, if you just take off the wheels/tires and place them back without dismounting tires, everything should be okay. If the shop dismounted the tires or deflated them, you might need to get it rebalanced. If you are experiencing vibration, it will be a balance inssue. If you are experiencing a pull towards one side, it will be an alignment issue.

 

ok guess it is alignment, thanks

So is this their fault at all or should I have make them do an alignment from the get go when switching back to stock tires? I'd like to know if I should blame them for it or not

 

Alignment usually does not get affected when just switching out the wheels/tires. The alignment goes out of spec if you alter suspension or hit a big pothole or something.