Any good deals on wheel alignment?

Nobbie1967

Someone hit my old Boxster and I had to replace the rear drivers side subframe, so all the alignment will be out on that corner. It’s likely that only that corner needs adjusting, so I’m really looking for deals where you pay for each adjustment rather than one price for adjusting everything as it was pretty much spot on before. Anyone got any recent experience?

motorguy

I would find a facebook group for motoring enthusiasts in your area.  Someone having "a deal" here could be at the other end of the country to you.

Also, i think the guys who are good at this sort of stuff and do it properly, dont need to be bothered with someone wanting to cut corners and just get one corner "aligned".

motorman99

motorguy said:

I would find a facebook group for motoring enthusiasts in your area.  Someone having "a deal" here could be at the other end of the country to you.

Also, i think the guys who are good at this sort of stuff and do it properly, dont need to be bothered with someone wanting to cut corners and just get one corner "aligned".

Spot on. 

Do it properly for gods sake. 

MikeJXE

Never heard of one corner realignment for me it was alway 4 wheels

How can you be sure the other 3 corners are still ok 

Bigwheels1111

Align my car. £60-£80.

Nobbie1967

MikeJXE said:

Never heard of one corner realignment for me it was alway 4 wheels

How can you be sure the other 3 corners are still ok 

They will still set it up on the alignment jig and check everything. Mine had a full alignment done recently and has barely moved since, so I doubt much else needs touching so don’t want to pay for the possibility of adjusting everything when it’s not needed.

HillStreetBlues

Anyone willing to align  one wheel  is a place to avoid.

Totally agree with others, get it done correctly.

MikeJXE

Nobbie1967 said:

MikeJXE said:

Never heard of one corner realignment for me it was alway 4 wheels

How can you be sure the other 3 corners are still ok 

They will still set it up on the alignment jig and check everything. Mine had a full alignment done recently and has barely moved since, so I doubt much else needs touching so don’t want to pay for the possibility of adjusting everything when it’s not needed.

Obviously set up on a jig to align all 4 wheels, if none need adjusting they won't adjust them but that doesn't mean you won't pay a set price.

Mildly_Miffed

When you take a car in for alignment, you aren't simply paying them to turn a spanner a few times on one adjuster or another.

You're paying for them to put the car on a VERY expensive laser jig, look the details up in the computer, then get the computer to check which way all four wheels are pointing in relation to each other... THEN turn whichever adjusters do or don't need to be turned, while continuing to check the results and how each wheel sits relative to the others.

If they only measure one wheel, how do they know where straight should be?

Adjustment never moves, though, except through outside forces - like impacts with kerbs, potholes, other vehicles...

Nobbie1967

Mildly_Miffed said:

When you take a car in for alignment, you aren't simply paying them to turn a spanner a few times on one adjuster or another.

You're paying for them to put the car on a VERY expensive laser jig, look the details up in the computer, then get the computer to check which way all four wheels are pointing in relation to each other... THEN turn whichever adjusters do or don't need to be turned, while continuing to check the results and how each wheel sits relative to the others.

If they only measure one wheel, how do they know where straight should be?

Adjustment never moves, though, except through outside forces - like impacts with kerbs, potholes, other vehicles...

Thanks, but I’m fully aware of how alignment works which is why I want to pay for the work actually needed, rather than the potential for all adjustments. From the comments on here, you’d think I was asking for something bizarre, but it is pretty common at alignment places to have a pricing scheme based on number of adjustments needed. Given the lack of useful advice on here, I asked at Wilmslow Performance Tyres about alignment, and guess what? They charge by the number of adjustments needed and the car is going to be booked in for next week.

Any comments from all the alignment ‘experts’ on here? Are these cowboys that don’t know what they’re doing?

motorman99

Nobbie1967 said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

When you take a car in for alignment, you aren't simply paying them to turn a spanner a few times on one adjuster or another.

You're paying for them to put the car on a VERY expensive laser jig, look the details up in the computer, then get the computer to check which way all four wheels are pointing in relation to each other... THEN turn whichever adjusters do or don't need to be turned, while continuing to check the results and how each wheel sits relative to the others.

If they only measure one wheel, how do they know where straight should be?

Adjustment never moves, though, except through outside forces - like impacts with kerbs, potholes, other vehicles...

Thanks, but I’m fully aware of how alignment works which is why I want to pay for the work actually needed, rather than the potential for all adjustments. From the comments on here, you’d think I was asking for something bizarre, but it is pretty common at alignment places to have a pricing scheme based on number of adjustments needed. Given the lack of useful advice on here, I asked at Wilmslow Performance Tyres about alignment, and guess what? They charge by the number of adjustments needed and the car is going to be booked in for next week.

Any comments from all the alignment ‘experts’ on here? Are these cowboys that don’t know what they’re doing?

Yes, but they’ll still be CHECKING all 4 wheels won’t they? Which rather makes it odd when you only wanted one checked earlier on.