How much have you paid for wheel alignment?

[gointoscott]

I took my S4 into an Audispecialist to get aligned. It pulled to the left and was wearing the tires bad so I wanted it done right.

The place is called Autobahn auto service. in Milwaukee WI.

They said they did alignments and had to check to make sure the adjustments would loosen up. I said that was fine.

He called back later that day saying that he was able to get the adjustments loose and everything was tight so he could do the alignment. I thought great!

I get the car back and get the bill: $367!

What! he said 105 for loosening rear adjustments, 105 for loosening front adjustments. then 130 for alignment then tax.

He didnt tell me ahead of time he just loosens everything up then sends the car to a shop to have it aligned.
I said that was highway robbery.

It does drive straight now, but that is crazy.

what is the most you have paid just for an alignment, no parts replaced before hand.

[gaspeedracer]

he didnt give you a quote before hand? an alignment job with a tire rotation at NTB only costed me 70 bucks

[AMC]

he didnt give you a quote before hand? an alignment job with a tire rotation at NTB only costed me 70 bucks

lol

[gointoscott]

Well I didnt get a quote before hand. I told him how i had it done in past and the place I took it too charged me 80 bucks. but it pulled to left before hand and after I got it back it still pulled to left. so i wanted to take it to a place that would do it right

i figured it would be more, but was shocked at that price.

So yeah It is my fault for not asking about the price ahead of time.

But he wasnt totally upfront either, when I first asked if he did alignments he said yes, but he didnt specify that he takes it to a different shop to do the actual alignment.

[nateS4]

Free 99. I aligned my slammed S @ my work with the help of a tech. The car was pulling to the right when I braked and or left of the gas. Its fine now, took us about 45 min and all we did was adjust the toe. You got fu*ked cause the only thing that makes this car hard to align is that the tirods are up high.

[gaspeedracer]

lol

i have a "lived in the south for a while" pass i can use for this one haha.

[MikeS4]

last time i got just the front done because in 5k miles my tires were toast. 60 bucks..might have been 65. oh, i think that was with mount balance and install of two new tires.

[zbrock06]

it's only $90 at the dealer

[mholme]

it's only $90 at the dealer

Yeah, 90-120 at the dealer depending on where you live. Whoever does it should know before hand if your car is lowered to avoid any surprises on your bill. And also, the subframe sometimes needs adjustment as well, so make sure a non audi shop is aware of this.

[gointoscott]

i told the guy it was cheaper at the dealer and he said they wouldnt of gone through hassle of doing it right. he said a lot of times they get it close and leave it at that.

[gointoscott]

Yeah My car is lowered, not slammed at all. But is lowered and I told him that upfront as well.

I really should of got an estimate ahead of time, so it is my fualt but still is irritating

[gaspeedracer]

it happens man dont beat yourself up over it. at least its done now and you can suffer from being broke like the rest of us

[xx_s4quattro_xx]

I took my S4 into an Audispecialist to get aligned. It pulled to the left and was wearing the tires bad so I wanted it done right.

They said they did alignments and had to check to make sure the adjustments would loosen up. I said that was fine.

He called back later that day saying that he was able to get the adjustments loose and everything was tight so he could do the alignment. I thought great!

I get the car back and get the bill: $367!

What! he said 105 for loosening rear adjustments, 105 for loosening front adjustments. then 130 for alignment then tax.

He didnt tell me ahead of time he just loosens everything up then sends the car to a shop to have it aligned.
I said that was highway robbery.

It does drive straight now, but that is crazy.

what is the most you have paid just for an alignment, no parts replaced before hand.

Dont do it. Thats fuken expensive i got mines computer aligned all four wheels for only $70. And in six month get to go back for a free alignment. Your getting ripped.

[espo4442]

dude you got raped. the highest around here is 70 some

[Bimmerchop]

I got quoted $275 for a 4-wheel camber & toe alignment for my car lowered on stasis ohlins motorsport suspension from a very reputable shop. The dealership quoted me $200+tax just to do the front subframe alignment.

[2ndEngineS4]

$149 at the stealership and I felt violated.

You know, there are certain times in life when I see someone who got screwed worse that me and it makes me feel a little better.

Thank you for making me feel better. ;-)

[stamps]

i think some places even offer an warranty of sort, where you can come back anytime 6mo-1y to get it re-aligned for free

[OldYella]

I bought a 3 year unlimited alignment package for 150 from NTB/TireKingdom

[gointoscott]

$149 at the stealership and I felt violated.

You know, there are certain times in life when I see someone who got screwed worse that me and it makes me feel a little better.

Thank you for making me feel better. ;-)

I'm glad I made you feel better. I'm always getting the short end of the stick. at least I can brighten someone elses day.

[RedRocketS4]

$150... lifetime alignment at firestone. you can have your car alligned 5 times a day if you want

[alias747]

$150... lifetime alignment at firestone. you can have your car alligned 5 times a day if you want

Something makes me think that if they have to do anything to go out of there way to adjust, like what they did on Scott's car, they will charge you more.

[Doc_S4]

Tell that guy to go f&@k himself. Someone tries charging me $105 to "loosen some bolts" I'll charge him the same amount to not violate him with a louisville slugger.

[Rapter]

$85.00 here, but no warranty

[Grangalan]

My local place had lifetime alignments for 130 bucks, i've taken her in 4 times in a year....gotta take advantage of it.

[Blackrs4]

Fordahl Motorsports did mine I think it was $200 or so. I think I got a good deal, as they were very specific about their specs.


Ming

[mholme]

Tell that guy to go f&@k himself. Someone tries charging me $105 to "loosen some bolts" I'll charge him the same amount to not violate him with a louisville slugger.

It's not uncommon for the better shops, even the dealer, to make sure they can actually do the alignment. If anything adds time(labor) to that, then they will likely charge you for it. So if it takes them an hour to loosen seized, stripped nuts or bolts before they can even start the alignment, they may very well charge you for that. And you may get sent home if you have worn components that won't hold the alignment. There's a Porsche tuner in my area that starts alignments at a 300 dollar base for lowered cars..and it goes up from there...

[gointoscott]

Well as I said ultimately I told him I wanted it done right. That is exactly what he did.

I really should have asked for a rough estimate, I guess I knew most charged between 80-100 so I figured 150 tops.

So it was shocking to see how much they did charge. But at same time I do understand the time charged for freeing things up.

I could of had it done cheaper somewhere else, but I guess I'd rather it be done right instead of taking a chance of wearing the tires bad again prematurely.

[OldYella]

Well as I said ultimately I told him I wanted it done right. That is exactly what he did.

I really should have asked for a rough estimate, I guess I knew most charged between 80-100 so I figured 150 tops.

So it was shocking to see how much they did charge. But at same time I do understand the time charged for freeing things up.

I could of had it done cheaper somewhere else, but I guess I'd rather it be done right instead of taking a chance of wearing the tires bad again prematurely.

Lol there's only one way to get it done. And if you paid half the price youd have a warranty and a job done right.

[nateS4]

It's not uncommon for the better shops, even the dealer, to make sure they can actually do the alignment. If anything adds time(labor) to that, then they will likely charge you for it. So if it takes them an hour to loosen seized, stripped nuts or bolts before they can even start the alignment, they may very well charge you for that. And you may get sent home if you have worn components that won't hold the alignment. There's a Porsche tuner in my area that starts alignments at a 300 dollar base for lowered cars..and it goes up from there...

But that's because we are in the big money area...

And Ming, anyone with a laser alignment machine, ie Hunter, will give you a detailed print out with the before and after specs.

[Doc_S4]

The point is, the shop owner made no mention of prices to the OP prior to starting work on the car. Would you be ok taking your car in for an alignment expecting to pay $100-150 and when you pick it up the bill is $300+? If that's the case I have some land in Florida to sell you!
I agree that if your car has worn components than the shop should inform you of this matter and it would be in your best interest to replace worn parts prior to the alignment. Otherwise your throwing money away.

It's not uncommon for the better shops, even the dealer, to make sure they can actually do the alignment. If anything adds time(labor) to that, then they will likely charge you for it. So if it takes them an hour to loosen seized, stripped nuts or bolts before they can even start the alignment, they may very well charge you for that. And you may get sent home if you have worn components that won't hold the alignment. There's a Porsche tuner in my area that starts alignments at a 300 dollar base for lowered cars..and it goes up from there...

[mholme]

The point is, the shop owner made no mention of prices to the OP prior to starting work on the car. Would you be ok taking your car in for an alignment expecting to pay $100-150 and when you pick it up the bill is $300+?

True, the shop made no mention of price prior to starting the work..including the cost of the alignment. But who do you blame for that, the shop or the customer? Maybe they don't flat rate because they know that it's more often than not, not going to be a straight forward procedure on these cars. I was having trouble getting a pinch bolt out and asked a reputable shop (who shall remain nameless) how much they would charge to get it out for me: "Well...we get 89 dollars an hour...so how ever long it takes to get out.."

I agree that if your car has worn components than the shop should inform you of this matter and it would be in your best interest to replace worn parts prior to the alignment. Otherwise your throwing money away.

Most likely they're going to send you packing if you have worn parts, they'd be wasting their time and your money.

[gointoscott]

Yeah I take responsibility for not asking ahead of time. Like I said I just assumed it was anywhere from 80 to maybe 150. so it is my fault to assume.

He did mention that he woudl have to check it over to make sure that the adjustments are lossened up. But again I should of asked a rough estimate for the charge for that.

[mholme]

Yeah I take responsibility for not asking ahead of time. Like I said I just assumed it was anywhere from 80 to maybe 150. so it is my fault to assume.

He did mention that he woudl have to check it over to make sure that the adjustments are lossened up. But again I should of asked a rough estimate for the charge for that.

Lesson learned. But are you happy with the work and service and would you go back to that shop again?

[changs4]

$45 bucks for 4 wheel alignmnt here in SoCal.

[gointoscott]

Overall I am happy with the service from the shop. I will consider going there again, but I will check more into the pricing before I have any work done instead of going on assumptions. i did want it done right. He showed me the spec sheets so I could see for myself the before and after. So I can't complain there.

[laxman851]

alright, I'm hammered and I have school in la manana, more specifically spanish @ 8:30 so Ill try to keep this short and simple.... I glanced (while drunk) over several posts and then skipped to the bottom. If you're looking for a quick alignment and you dont have CO's (which may require corner balancing) then go for firestone, I would guestimate, but i have numbers like $75 and $140 running through my head, so I guess I really cannot remember but I remember the price was deffinatly within reason. The main point, and reason I'm adding anything at all to this thread is that you can get a life-time deal with Firestone (as long as its the same car) Call them and ask them more information about it.

[00S4Boy]

Any place except for a specialty shop is going to toe and go your alignment. I have seen hundreds of people who know nothing about alignments think toe and go is an alignment. O and i work for Firestone for the most part alignments are toe and go and no one cares. it's really bullshit.

[laxman851]

another thing... with firestone and anyone else, their is an Audi specific tool to adjust your caster, although i've been advised that shouldn't matter to much.

[lonestar22]

i got an alignment today that cost me a bottle of pomagranate arizona tea. then again i work at NTB. our alignments cost $75 and go up from there depending on how long you want it. We also have a forum member discount for auto enthusiasts lol, for those its $45 for an alignment if anyone needs one hehe

[MacDaddy]

I just got an alignment today, $40 for a toe and go. shifting the subframe and everything would have been nice, but this is still alot better than it was before. my camber was out about 1/4 a degree left to right which is still within tolerance.