Hi, this is Bo, an auto expert on RepairPal's Car Genius team!
Ah, changing tie rods and then watching your new tires disappear faster than free pizza at a party – that's a tough spot, and I get trying to save a few bucks. When you replace tie rods, you're directly messing with the "toe" alignment, which is how much your front wheels point in or out. Get that wrong, and yep, your tires will wear out incredibly fast.
Now, can you do an alignment yourself? Well, people have been doing rudimentary alignments with string and measuring tapes since the horse and buggy days, mostly to get the toe somewhat close. You can find methods online for this. However, getting it precise enough on your Avalon to stop that rapid tire wear without professional equipment is a bit like trying to perform surgery with a butter knife – possible in theory, but the results are rarely what you want. Modern alignment machines measure toe, camber, and caster to very fine degrees.
Honestly, the cost of one alignment is almost certainly less than what you're spending on those rapidly wearing tires, not to mention the impact on handling and safety. It's one of those jobs where the professional touch usually saves you money and headaches in the long run.
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