Where do you guys get wheel alignment & balancing etc done in London/Surrey/South East??

[oneafrikan]

So I’ve been to 3 Kwik Fits this afternoon.
3!!!!!!
And none of them were interested, all looked tired & stressed.
So now I’m at a 4th in Southfields the chap here genuinely looks interested / willing to help.

So let’s see - will share if it’s good.

But where does everyone else go around South??

 

[karl2000]

Make sure they select exactly the right variant of LC on their computer

 

[oneafrikan]

Thanks.
Not going to go back there - the guy was doing 3 jobs at the same time so took over 90 mins just to get the "wheels balanced".
They ended off by saying the tyres were "old" (8 yrs) and probably hardened (anyone heard of that? what is the typical lifespan of a tyre? I've got Falken Wildpeaks AT atm), and that I should get them changed... When I asked about 4 wheel alignment they said it wasn't necessary...

I didn't pay in the end, so hopefully the lead they put on the wheel won't do any damage - but lesson learn't - I will go into Surrey next time and find someone who does 4x4's more often...

 

[karl2000]

why did you want a 4 wheel alignment in the first place? have you had work done, is it pulling to one side, is the steering off etc?

if you use kwik fit and book it online you can get a specific time and select the site that has the correct equipment. Kwikfit use the Hunter kit for 4 wheel alighnment, which gives good results as long as its used correctly...

Other places use John Bean / Snapon kit to do the same job. For both systems its imperative that exactly the right variant of LC is selected on the computer - and typically the operators (not surprisingly) arent familiar with all the different versions of LC, so be prepared to "guide" them.

 

[karl2000]

PS yep tyres do deteriorate after several years, even if theres not many miles on them

 

[oneafrikan]

@karl2000 when I was driving back from Spain last year I was getting a rear wobble at about 66mph on the motorway, so was looking to sort that out.
She also pulls to the left a little, and the steering wheel isn't quite centered - so trying to get the whole thing sorted if I could.

I'm going to try book a kiwi fit online now - as someone who works online, I should have thought of that first! thanks!

Tyres - I'm on at least ~30k miles so far (tyres bought in 2016 2nd hand), and on 190k miles now, so the plan was to put on a set of BFG 285's once the rust & bodywork was done, mainly because I know it can be done most places so not a huge stress, and because I'd like to put the 5th tyre on a rear bar instead of underneath if I can avoid it (maybe I'm being OCD here... -> the spare wheel will need to be re-done too, so thought leaving tyres for after made sense)...

 

[karl2000]

Sounds like the wheels need balancing to me, I wonder if a weight fell off and threw it out of balance?

 

[oneafrikan]

The guy did say that they had to put on a lot of lead (300g) so that implies there wasn't a lot on to begin with... so maybe...?
Will take it for a spin tmrw and see how it goes at 66.

 

[karl2000]

If you know what wheel it is swap it with the spare and see if that sorts it. If it's ok then you know you've got a wheel or tyre problem. Then you can either get the wheel balanced properly or swap the tyres with the spare to 'prove' it's a problem tyre...

If the problem still persists with the spare then the problem lies elsewhere....

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

you can adjust the front tracking and drag links on an 80, if you can get the rod ends to budge, but they'll only be able to measure and report anything else. Front caster can be adjusted with bushes, plates or arms, but that's more involved than any alignment place will be willing to get into.

 

[Tractionman]

As karl2000 says operator of equipment.
All the best, most expensive equipment in the world is redundant if the operator does not understand it properly.
How you find that out is a different matter, unless you have come up against said operator and paid good money for a s**t job.