Wheel alignment is important and should be performed on your vehicle on a regular basis. Properly aligning your wheels will align the tire angles so that your tires are parallel to each other. This will increase your tire life and improve performance on the road.
After wheel alignment, steering will become easier as your car travels straighter, your reaction time will be faster and you will immediately see the results while driving. Poor wheel alignment will cause your car to drift to one side of the road whenever you don’t have your hands on the steering wheel. If you neglect wheel alignment, the tread on your tires will wear out faster. If that happens, you’ll have to buy new tires much sooner than if you had your wheels aligned regularly. Luckily, the cost of these services is usually not that high, so it can actually save you money in the long run.
Wheel alignment costs
Wheel alignments aren’t that expensive. Prices usually vary slightly depending on the make and model of your car and the price charged by the repair shop or dealer.
An average wheel alignment will cost between $100 and $200 for all four wheels. If you’re just getting the two front wheels aligned, it will cost you between $50 and $100 on average.
Some tire dealers offer extended warranties for an additional $100, but it’s not necessary. Overall, the prices aren’t too high and most people should be able to afford them.
When do I need a wheel alignment?
It’s easy to tell when you need a wheel alignment. First, your car will start to vibrate while driving. It also has a tendency to pull from side to side while driving. A good way to test this is while you are driving on a straight, flat road with no traffic.
Slowly let go of the steering wheel while driving and make sure your car continues to drive straight in its lane. If your steering wheel bends slightly and your car drifts to one side, you definitely need to have a wheel alignment done.
In severe cases, your tires may squeal while driving straight. If you notice symptoms of poor wheel alignment, don’t take any chances.
This is one of those cases where spending a little more money at your local car dealer’s service shop isn’t such a bad idea. They know the correct angles for your particular vehicle better than any other general service shop.
Wheel balancing cost
Wheel balancing is an important maintenance procedure for tires. It is similar to wheel alignment, but there are some slight differences. Any imperfections or damage to the tire or rim can cause the tire to be out of balance. This could be because these imperfections cause one rim or tire to be slightly heavier than the other. As a result, you may experience slight vibrations or the tire may wobble or bounce while riding.
In this case, you need to correct these imperfections and balance the wheel so that all tires and rims are the same weight. An unbalanced wheel can eventually cause damage to the shocks, bearings and wheel assembly. The average cost of wheel balancing is only about $10 to $15 per wheel, with a total of $40 to $60 to balance all four wheels and tires.
The cost may vary slightly depending on where you get your wheels balanced – a tire shop, alignment shop, general auto repair shop, or car dealership. It can cost up to $80, but that’s still a reasonable price considering the value of this service. The price of this service is mainly determined by the workshop’s wages. This service does not require any car parts other than a small glue weight. Of course, the repair shop you go to may try to pressure you to get a tire change and wheel alignment in addition to this service.
If not, worry about the cost of balancing your wheels. When you buy new tires from Discount Tire or Les Schwab, they often offer free wheel balancing. Balancing is usually free when you buy new tires, so ask if that’s not the case. Wheel balancing will most likely cost less than $100, making it one of the least expensive maintenance tasks for your car.