Rack on the floor

Secure vehicle on rack.
Leave transmission in park or 1st gear on manual transmission cars.
Level and lock steering wheel with a holder.
Perform a simple bounce test. Check for excessive bounce and noise.

Underhood inspection

Check engine mounts and struts by rocking the vehicle fore and aft. Inspecting these items can reveal possible cradle damage.
Check the power steering components. If these components are malfunctioning, it could cause a hard-to-steer complaint.
Inspect the upper control arm bushings if visible from under the hood.
Check the upper shock and/or strut mount bushings for signs of damage.

Raise the rack waist high

Perform a preliminary tie rod inspection. Grab the wheels at the 3:00 and 9:00 positions and shake.
Check the ride height with tape measurer by measuring the bottom of rim to top of wheel opening. Some alignment heads have a feature that can simplify this process.

Raise rack eye level, tires on turnplates

Inspect the power steering gear for leaks and play in the mounting bushings. When inspecting the steering gear, level the steering wheel and observe the position of the front tires. If both front wheels are turned left or right, check the engine cradle alignment. On most vehicles, you can verify that the hole in the engine subframe lines up with the hole in the unibody. Inspect the steering gear's sector shaft for twisted splines. If equipped w...