Wheel Alignment - recommendations in Sydney West

[Arien Member Find all posts View Profile Close Arien]

Hi,

Bought the kakadu last March and have noticed that the steering wheel vibrates when travelling/cruising at 110+ kph. I think a wheel alignment is in order.....any recommendation on your trusted wheel aligner/suspension specialist please? preferrably in Sydney west....don't mind travelling an hour or so as long as the job is done properly

Thanks in advance PPers.

Arnold

[RyanIAm Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close RyanIAm]

Could also need a balance - missing wheel weights perhaps?

I would recommend wholesale suspension at Penrith - great guys.

[ravenhard Member Find all posts View Profile Close ravenhard]

Big city tyre on the hwy at Girraween. I'm really picky with wheel balance and alignments and over the years used lots of different places. Now always use these guys

[Arien Member Find all posts View Profile Close Arien]

Thank you Gents, will check those...may i ask what is the ballpark figure for wheel alignment ?

[ravenhard Member Find all posts View Profile Close ravenhard]

From memory they charge bout $60 for a 4wd wheel alignment and bout $12.50 per wheel for balance

[Arien Member Find all posts View Profile Close Arien]

From memory they charge bout $60 for a 4wd wheel alignment and bout $12.50 per wheel for balance

Cheers mate, appreciate it.

[Symo Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Symo]

I've noticed the 2014 models onwards have a different alignment spec than pre 2014. Mine from new had heavy off centre feel, tracked dead straight and returned to centre well. By the first service at $10k it had lost some alignment and the steering wheel was slightly off centre.

Toyota did the alignment for me (for free) and it was just like new again.

By the second serve nothing had changed but I decided to get the tyre shop near the office to do a five wheel rotation and balance and alignment. It was straight and smooth but the off centre feel was gone. It was totally vague, I couldn't hold a straight line properly because there was no return to centre feel, there was no centre!

I put up with it until the next service and again asked Toyota to align and balance the wheels and they fixed it, heavy off centre feel, centred by itself and didn't wonder with out you feeling the pull.

I know Toyota said there was revised damper and steering geometry on the update, so I'm guessing some tyre places wouldn't check for this and just align a prado as any Prado.


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[Riv39 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Riv39]

I've noticed the 2014 models onwards have a different alignment spec than pre 2014. Mine from new had heavy off centre feel, tracked dead straight and returned to centre well. By the first service at $10k it had lost some alignment and the steering wheel was slightly off centre.

Toyota did the alignment for me (for free) and it was just like new again.

By the second serve nothing had changed but I decided to get the tyre shop near the office to do a five wheel rotation and balance and alignment. It was straight and smooth but the off centre feel was gone. It was totally vague, I couldn't hold a straight line properly because there was no return to centre feel, there was no centre!

I put up with it until the next service and again asked Toyota to align and balance the wheels and they fixed it, heavy off centre feel, centred by itself and didn't wonder with out you feeling the pull.

I know Toyota said there was revised damper and steering geometry on the update, so I'm guessing some tyre places wouldn't check for this and just align a prado as any Prado.


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Hey Symo, that's interesting. I reckon mine feels like its always pulling slightly to the left but I always put that down to the slight angle on a road for drainage (it's noticeable on freeways as well). Had the car aligned several times over the years by Jax and all is supposed to be good. Now I'm wondering......

[wilatwom Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close wilatwom]

Hi, just thought you may be interested in my wheel alignment experience in July. When the adjustments to correct the alignment needed to be made the bolts were so rusted into the arms that the wrench they were using snapped in half. The alignment could not happen. Had to replace the Front Lower Control Arm Assembly and new camber and Caster bolts...All up it cost $2950 ( Toyota quoted more).
The new bolts were dipped into some hi tech anti rust solution to try and reduce the chances of it happening again...(we live on the coast but the vehicle has never been driven on beaches or in salt water). The discussion about how to avoid this happening again also suggested that when I put it in for alignment in the future that I ask the mechanic to rotate the bolts and return them to the correct setting, even if they don't require adjustment to try and keep them freed up...Anybody have any other ideas about how to avoid this happening again?...$2950 was quite a shock when I expected $60

[AussieAndy Find all posts View Profile Close AussieAndy]

Wow, usually you can just rebush the lower control arms with aftermarket bushes and replace the adjuster cams and bolts, should come in at less then that. It isn't completely uncommon, more common on ones that get used off-road a lot and don't get many wheel alignments.