CXspeed

I apologize if this information was posted, but I did some searching through the forum and found older info. I was hoping with newer tires and pricing I could get more accurate information.

So Question 1 is: The dealership I go to wants to charge $130 plus tax for an alignment. I thought that was a bit excessive. So my question is, am I getting ripped off for this service and if so what should it roughly cost? This mechanic I go to and trust does not have the machinery to do an alignment, but he thought that was high.

Question 2: My tire measurements are as follows:

Front Drivers: 6/32 - Edges 7/32
Front Passenger: 8/32 - Edges 6/32
Rear Drivers: 5/32 - edges 2/32
Rear Passenger - 3/32 - edges 1/32

They had recommended I replace all 4 tires as it is an AWD vehicle. My front passenger is pretty new (had to replace it because of a nail in it)

Based on this information, should I replace two or all four?

Also, I recall reading something about replacing with the same brand and model if I am replacing two only. Is that accurate?

I really appreciate any help in advance!

Thank you!

Eduskator

Hi.

Tires usually get out of the factory with 9-10/32nd of thread. 2/32nd is (where I live) the minimum you can have to stay legal.

AWD systems requires the tire to be roughly the same diameter and from what I remember, 2/32nd of difference between tires is the max you can go without harming anything, but you have a difference of 5/32nd between the best and the worst tire, which is really a big gap.

How old are the tires?

If you are buying 2 new tires, you might end up having the same issue since 2 of them will be @ 9-10/32nd while the other ones will be at 8 and 6. That being said, it would make sens for me to change all of them. TireRack has some great prices - you can even buy used ones for cheap. I do this all the time for my winter tires and I have saved a few hundreds. Some people here say it's stupid to buy used tire, I think you just need to make sure they are all used equally and not old (lifespan is usually 4-5 years).

Alignments are recommended at 20k miles I believe. When was the last time? 130$ seems a bit expensive to me, you can get it done for 60$ if you do some research. Just make sure to bring it to a competent workshop.

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

My local dealership charges $79.99 for a 4-wheel alignment. Seem high to me.

MWIS350

Lexus Dealer by me charge $90.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

There's a lot of smoke blown around about replacing all 4 tires at once on AWD cars. That's what differentials are for. The same flawed logic would admonish you not to go round any corners in your car!