How Long does a Wheel Alignment Take? | Expert Guideline

Maintaining vehicles is not problem-free. After a specific time, most cars show a variety of problems, and wheel misalignment is one of the major issues out of them. You don’t want to drive a vehicle with bad wheel alignment as it may cause accidents. If you are stressing yourself about how long does a wheel alignment take? then don’t worry. It takes less time to fix than other common car problems.

Do you know why your car tires need an alignment? Due to deterioration in several suspension components, tire angles often get changed. When you drive your car on bumpy roads, it hits potholes and changes tire alignment. It is compulsory to check the condition of alignment when you change any essential parts in the steering or suspension system —the same goes for oil changes too.

Want to know how long does an alignment take? Stay through the end.

Negative Effect of Poor Alignment Wheel

We can’t deny the importance of knowing how long does tire alignment take, but it is more crucial to understand what would happen if you drive your vehicle with misaligned wheels. You could face dangerous accidents, which can even take your life.

When you use poor alignment wheels for a prolonged time, it affects your overall handling performance. Additionally, it reduces the lifespan of your tires and doesn’t provide precise stability.

It poses the risk of accidents due to pulling on one side. Your car shock absorbers gets immense pressure because of this problem. Make sure to inspect the brakes and suspension if the wheels make any shrieking sound while turning it. In fact, driving with misaligned tires for expanded time may damage several suspension components.

What’s more, you can experience uneven wear for tires and raise fuel cost per mile—it could lead to a blowout of your lumpy wheels. Also, the wheels may not work according to your steering wheel's instruction, and you will need to hold it continuously & tightly to keep driving straight.

Many drivers don’t care about wheel alignment precisely, and they often miss the service of car alignment time. It mainly happens due to a lack of knowledge about the devastating effects.

Why is Wheel Alignment Important?

A standard alignment for your vehicle will prevent abnormal wear on your brakes, wheels, suspension, and steering. Also, it provides precise stability while driving and improves your controlling power. It will ensure your steering wheel stays in a straight position while driving on even roads.

Aside from that, you will not experience any unstable or loose handling whether you are driving straight or turning around. And a perfect alignment allows drivers to return to the center point after completing a turn.

Though you can’t resist the average decline in handling capacity, you can at least ensure a fair tread life, responsive steering, and fuel efficiency by aligning your wheel regularly. To ensure comfortable and risk-free riding, you should regularly do the maintenance work.

How long does a wheel alignment take?

So, how long does a car alignment take? Positioning wheels' alignment in the right direction will ensure a smooth drive without facing any difficulty with wheels.

Whether you are doing four wheel alignment or 2 wheel alignment, it typically takes 1 hour for normal circumstances. Few shops may claim they will do the wheel alignment within 30 to 40 minutes, more expert technician can do this.

The latest and advanced models need less time than old version cars. However, the amount of time requires for wheel alignment may vary based on your vehicle’s lifespan, usability, current condition, and style.

Also, the duration may extend if your vehicle has rusty internal parts or you often expose your car to an uncomfortable level of humidity. On top of that, many shop owners may don’t have the latest wheel alignment equipment, which could help them do the job faster.

How much is the wheel alignment cost?

There are many service centers like Precision Tire & Alignment available for wheel alignment, and they charge differently based on their quality of service and the type of car you own. For a single alignment, it may cost around $70 to $80. But if you want an extended warranty with precise tire alignment, it may cost up to $200. You will get free alignment service if anything happens to wheel alignment during the warranty period.

How to do an alignment?

If you are not professional, you can’t align your vehicle wheels precisely with a portable jack. You may even damage some components. That’s why it is best to take it to a mechanic shop or service center to make the job done. First of all, they will inspect your vehicle's condition and how good your tires and suspension are.

Then, they will test all the tires of your vehicle and start the alignment process. After repairing all the necessary things correctly, they will keep the steering wheel in the center position. Also, they will ensure a front end alignment to adjust the suspension parts to correct angles. At last, they will do a test drive to verify a proper alignment.

Warning Signs of Misaligned Wheels

• Screeching tires

• Abnormal tire's relative wear rate

• Off-center steering wheel

• Cars drifting to the right or left side

• Vibration of the steering wheel

• Loose steering wheel

How Long Does an Alignment Last?

You have already known the importance of the tire alignment and how long does it takes. But still, a crucial question left; how long does an alignment last?

No one can answer this question better than you —it depends on the type of road you drive, how you use your car daily, and the current condition of your suspension components and vehicle tires. Wheel alignment is likely to be damaged for driving on potholed roads at higher speeds.

Final Words

You should have a good idea by now about How long does a tire alignment take? Regular maintenance work is the best solution to drive cars smoothly and comfortably. Aligning wheels is another maintenance work, which you should never ignore.

Keep an open eye for wheel alignment and align your vehicle's tires every time you change the oil or drive more than 6,000 miles. Hopefully, the question of how long does a wheel alignment take is already faded away, and you know the importance of car alignment.