Fabio Corsi

Today I went to 3 different places (CarX, NTB and Midas) and they were not able to offer a wheel alignment because none of them have the software with the settings for my 2013 S4.
Does anyone know where I can take my car for a simple tire rotation, balancing and alignment other than the dealership in Austin or anywhere in central TX ?

DrGP

And you don't want to go back to the dealer because??? And why do you think you need an alignment and balance?

Fabio Corsi

I do rotation, balancing (if needed) and alignment every 5k miles.

I was not satisfied with their alignment the last 2 times I took my car for service... And for less than what they charge I can get a lifetime alignment in any of the places I mentioned in my post.

Just spoke with Audi and they confirmed no other place will be able to perform alignment due to all electronic and systems resets that are needed.... Which confirms what NTB guy told me.

DrGP

I have never had to do an alignment on any of my cars. All the tires have worn evenly. But I understand that it is sometimes necessary. But every 5K? Yes I rotate my tires evry 5k but don't balance them as long as there ate no vibrations . But if I felt I need to balance or align, I would only use a shop with Hunter GSP equipment. You can goole that and they will give you locations that have that equipment.

snagitseven

IMO, every 5k miles for an alignment would be excessive and unnecessary. The only time I would pay for an alignment check is if I hit a deep pothole hard enough to damage a wheel or tire and felt the car pulling to one side or if I were to notice any uneven tread wear. Otherwise, at $150-$200 for a properly performed 4-wheel alignment, it would be a waste of money. The only time in 13 years and four Audis that I had the alignment checked ($150 5 years ago) was after I had to replace a severely damaged wheel and it was to spec.

As to balancing, most any Audi service center has a Hunter Force Balencer these days. My dealer charges about the same as my local tire shops that have the machine, about $25 per wheel. It's key the machine be propely calibrated and the operator trained to do it right. I've been on both sides of that coin.

safetywork

Just got a new set of tires on my '13 and was thinking about doing an alignment. The car is not pulling to one side or another. The OE tires wore on the outer two ribs of the tires. This is my first AWD car and figured the AWD system may hide alignment issues.

RickFLS4

I don't think an alignment with new tires is unreasonable but an alignment every 5K miles in the absence of an issue seems excessive and a waste of money. Even if they could do it, I'd be concerned NTB, Midas, etc. would screw it up if someone gave them that many opportunities as well.

DrGP

If you notice uneven wear on the current tires, then an alignment definitely in order. If they wore evenly, I personally would not bother.