I started getting a steering wobbling at 55-65MPH on my 2001 I30 recently after an oil change at a dealership. I took it back and the guy at the dealership said the tires need balancing and alignment and it's $79.99 just for balancing 4 tires!! Am planning to change the tires in about 5000 miles and I think $79.99 is a waste to spend right now.

Do you guys think I could get the alignment+balancing done at a store like Tires Plus? They have coupons on their website for $20 for balancing+$99 for lifetime alignment! Or is it better to get the dealer to do these things?

 

Tires Plus did both my alignment and balancing via that special. They did a very, good job, but since Tires Plus store is a franchise and independently owned, the quality of the work may vary from one store to another. A lot has to do with the store manager -- if he or she is trustworthy, knowledgeable and courteous, then the rest of the staff should also be that way. What is interesting is that even within a store, the level of service from the manager can very.

For example, the Tires Plus where I take my car, the day manager, Ken, always bends over backwards to get my car in and out of the shop ASAP. Also, he always gives me price breaks on stuff The night manager is another story -- to him, I am nobody special.

I recommend checking out your local Tires Plus places first. Observe the mechanics as they work. See if they are really working hard, or just cruising by. Maybe, talk to others who have taken their cars there.

I bought my Fuzion tires from them and the service has always been good...as are the tires.

BTW, the tires come with lifetime balacing and road hazard warranty.

 

You're getting yanked to begin with by having the dealer do the oil changes.

If you're going to change out the tires in 5k miles anyway (and you want to spend less money), just rotate the tires first. In this case, you probably dont need to put the left-front on the right-rear, just change them front to back and see if that makes a difference. if it goes away, you're probably good for the next 6 months or 5k miles.

If you're not mechanically savvy and/or have no garage, it's no more difficult than changing a tire. I would equate it to the difficulty and level of intelligence required in fixing the flapper thing in a household toilet. If you can do that instead of calling a plumber, you can do this.

First, I strongly reccommend going to Wal-mart or an auto parts store and getting a set of $12-$15 jack stands. You'll use them over and over once you get used to doing these simple things.

Next, use the jack that came with the car and jack up the rear tire. Put the jack stand beside the car jack and lower the car onto the jack stand. Repeat for the front.

Move the front tire to the rear and the rear to the front.

While you're at it, look at the inside of each cast aluminum wheel and look for wads of tar and other debris that has adhered itself to the inside of the wheel. A few shots of wheel cleaner and some scrubbing (Scotchbrite pad) will make them like new and (might) also assist with your wobble problem if there was a lot of stuff in there. (I've had to use a metal scraper to get the stuck tar and stuff off of them.) Just be carefull not to scratch the wheel up.

As you put each wheel back on, tighten each lug nut by hand first, then (using the wrench that came with the car is fine) tighten each nut in a cris-cross or "star" patern.

Tighten each lug nut down until it is about as tight as the effort that was requird to remove it. You can practice by tightening and removing a couple if needed. The important things are to tighten in the star pattern and not to "spot" tighten it.

(Spot tightening it means you tighten it until you see spots.)

Now...in the text above I indicated that you could just move tires "front to rear". However, true rotating means the left-front goes on the right-rear. If you want to do that, that's fine too. Either one will have a good chance of fixing the wobble and getting you by for 5k miles.

Next, let's see if we can keep the dealer from stealing your hard-earned bacon every 3000 miles.

It sounds like you'll not really need to worry about it for 3000 miles from now anyway so get your jack stands and check back on this forum for more info on how to do it, spending only about $12 on each oil change instead of $30-40 at the dealer. You'll also get more familiar/comfortable with your sweet ride (and be able to brag to friends).

The issue of alignment is more of a "take it in" thing. I also recently purchased a lifetime alignment package from a national retailer. (Because I'm definately keeping the car for awhile.) If it needs an alignment, you might also have an issue when hard braking in that the steering wheel will pull to the right or left and (if severe) may not drive straight on a level road.

Close examination of each front tire might also show more tread wear on the insides or outsides of the tread. This being said, rotating may solve the problem as indicated above but be sure the $ is spent for the alignment when you get the new tires or they'll wear the same way and the steering wheel will eventually begin to "pull" again. Again...rotating the tire is just a band-aid fix in this case, if the alignment is off.

 

I tend to stay away from dealers because of their high prices. You can usually get better service (marginally) from a dealer as opposed to franchised places because the mechanics are usually better and higher payed. $99 for lifetime alignment seems like a good deal, especially if you are going to replace your tires soon. If I were you I'd go with that special since I don't think balancing and alignment is too difficult so you are less likely to have problems. And yeah, at least get your oil changed at a cheaper place since that is about as simple as it gets.