How Long Does a Wheel Alignment Take?
Wheel alignments are an often overlooked service, but getting them done regularly is crucial not just for safety, but improving tire life and fuel economy. While bringing your vehicle to a shop is inconvenient, you can rest assured that wheel alignments are typically a quick service. The time an alignment will take depends on the type of vehicle you have, and whether you are getting a front-wheel or four-wheel alignment. In this article, we’ll go over the basics of wheel alignments, and how long you can expect to wait when getting one on your vehicle!
What is a Wheel Alignment?
While not the primary focus of this article, a basic understanding of the wheel alignment process is an important thing to know. Simply put, a wheel alignment is an adjustment to the suspension in your car that ensures all four wheels are positioned correctly about each other.
How Do I Know I Need an Alignment?
Unless your alignment is way off, you may not notice anything at all. However, there are a few things to look out for.
- Your car pulls left or right when driving straight
- Premature and uneven tire wear
- The steering wheel appears off-center
- Squealing sound from tires
- You hit a curb, or road hazard, or got in a minor car accident
How Long Does a Wheel Alignment Take?
A two-wheel alignment will normally take around an hour, while a four-wheel alignment can take around two hours to complete. Alignment services are generally pretty quick, but there are a few factors that can impact how long they take.
Type of Vehicle
Any performance-focused vehicle (think sports cars our grand touring vehicles), will take longer to align. This is due to the complex suspension systems these types of cars use to achieve high-performance handling.
Luxury cars and high-end vehicles also utilize complicated suspension systems that require more time to align properly.
Lastly, classic cars, which use shims to adjust certain elements of the suspension, can be very time-consuming to align.
Vehicle Condition
Another important factor is the condition of your vehicle. Older or higher mileage cars can have a lot of rust built up in the suspension system. This can slow down the alignment process significantly since your technician will need extra time to break loose rusted fasteners in order to make the needed adjustments.
Broken Components
This could fall under the vehicle condition category, but any broken suspension component can impact not just the time it takes to get your wheels aligned, but whether or not you can get the alignment done at all. If something critical in the suspension is broken, it may need to be fixed before getting an alignment performed.
Wheel Alignments at Beachlers Vehicle Care and Repair
Beachlers has been committed to helping the Peoria community care for their cars since 1951. Our team of skilled technicians will complete your wheel alignment with unmatched precision, ensuring your car is safe to drive no matter where the road takes you. Give us a call or schedule an appointment today!