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About to get new tires. Where do you guys get your wheel alignment? Do only the dealers know how to do it? I am in Southern Cali.
I first tried a Pep Boys and they said they couldn't do it. I went to dealer, test drove a couple of cars while waiting and had the alignment done for $200
A local tire place (Sullivan Tire) has done it, as well as the dealer. I normally go to the dealer for tires and alignment as they match TireRack, but I had a nail in my rear tire and there was no time to wait for a slot at the dealer.
I go to America's Tire for my daily cars. I am not sure I would trust them for my AM. I think you can get the dealer to do it properly. Or just order from Tire Rack and ship it to the dealer and have them mount it. They are probably more experienced anyways.
West End Alignment in Gardena is top notch. Chill father & son team, who are artisans when it comes to wheel alignment. Amazing how passionate they are about getting alignments dialed in properly.
I go to America's Tire for my daily cars. I am not sure I would trust them for my AM. I think you can get the dealer to do it properly. Or just order from Tire Rack and ship it to the dealer and have them mount it. They are probably more experienced anyways.
No dealer that I know does wheel alignment, they all send it out to alignment shops with the proper equipment.
Does the brand of the alignment machine matter? Or as long as they have your make model in the system, they are ok?
I am wondering why the dealer charges $499 and different alignment shops charge anywhere from $120-$250 for laser or infrared. Is the dealer’s machine more precise than these Indy stores?
Last edited by irvineboy; Oct 11, 2019 at 10:29 AM.
Does the brand of the alignment machine matter? Or as long as they have your make model in the system, they are ok?
I am wondering why the dealer charges $499 and different alignment shops charge anywhere from $120-$250 for laser or infrared. Is the dealer’s machine more precise than these Indy stores?
The machine matters from I am told and that is not to say the indy has a lesser machine; could be the opposite since they are doing more alignments per month and that is their core business. A major factor is the tech who is doing the alignment. There is a bit of art to doing the alignment and how much time they are going to spend dialing on it all. $499 sounds like a lot of money. Also, having every setting dead center may not be the alignment you want. Knowing how those settings alter the ride and setting to how you want the car to drive from where it was is part of the equation.
A cheap alignment is just checking it and setting the toe-in on the front and maybe the rear. A full 4-wheel with adjustment to camber/caster/toe on the front and camber/toe on the rear raises the time and cost. Also the dealer would calibrate the steering angle sensor low $ shops cannot calibrate the SAS. So if you get a FULL alignment done anywhere ask if the SAS can be calibrated, or have a dealer do it afterwards.
A cheap alignment is just checking it and setting the toe-in on the front and maybe the rear. A full 4-wheel with adjustment to camber/caster/toe on the front and camber/toe on the rear raises the time and cost. Also the dealer would calibrate the steering angle sensor low $ shops cannot calibrate the SAS. So if you get a FULL alignment done anywhere ask if the SAS can be calibrated, or have a dealer do it afterwards.
The cheaper places adjust the camber/caster/toe. I’m not sure about the steering angle sensor. Didn’t even know what that was something they adjust for a couple hundred dollar alignment. $499 sounds steep.
