Four-wheel alignment in Helsinki

Caster angle adjustment is not included in the 79 € price of a normal four-wheel alignment. On most cars the caster angle cannot be adjusted, or a separate adjustment is not normally needed.

If the customer wants the caster angle adjusted and the car’s design allows it, the price estimate is approx. 42.50 €. The final price depends on the scope of the work.

The 79 € price applies to a normal four-wheel alignment to the car manufacturer’s standard values. Priced separately are, for example, individual coilover settings, heavily lowered cars, special settings for racing and hobby cars and wheel angles requested by the customer that differ from the manufacturer’s standard values. In these cases the price of the work is estimated separately.

The result of a four-wheel alignment can be affected by, for example, play in ball joints, worn tie rod ends, play in the inner tie rods, damaged or loose bushings, significant play in wheel bearings, broken springs and damaged or bent suspension parts.

If faults like these are found, it is worth repairing them before the final alignment.

In Finnish conditions, suspension adjustment bolts and other fasteners can rust and seize badly. The wheel angles can usually be measured, but if an adjustment bolt or mechanism does not move or its range of travel is not enough, it may not be possible to adjust to the desired value.

In that case it may be necessary to free or remove the adjustment joint, replace an adjustment bolt, cut a rusted bolt or replace a bushing or control arm. Extra work and the necessary parts are charged separately.

You can find out the condition of the adjustment bolts in advance with an extended chassis inspection (30 €): we open the adjustment bolts and nuts and check that they move. Liability for breaking parts ↑

On Volkswagen, Škoda, SEAT and Audi and some Fords (for example the Focus), the rear axle adjustment bolts often rust into the inner sleeve of the control arm bushing. The bolt turns with the bushing, and the rear wheel alignment cannot then be adjusted properly.

The solution is to cut the bolts and replace the control arms completely – new control arms are usually sold as a set with adjustment bolts. The work takes about 2 hours, sometimes more depending on the car’s design and access. The average labour price is 170–212.50 €, a pair of control arms approx. 120–130 €. A four-wheel alignment is done after the replacement.

Depending on the car’s design, adjustable values can include front toe, rear toe, front camber and rear camber.

Not every measurable angle can be adjusted with the original adjustment parts on every car. If a value is outside the range allowed by the manufacturer but the car has no adjustment for that angle, the cause may be, for example, suspension wear, a damaged or bent part or the car’s design. In that case a further inspection or repair may be needed.

A car pulling to one side is not always caused by incorrect wheel angles. The cause may be a suspension or steering fault, the condition of a tyre or damage to it, a braking system fault, a bent suspension or body part, the camber of the road or another technical fault.

If the cause of the car pulling to one side is not known, we recommend first finding the cause of the problem and then doing the necessary repair or adjustment.

If the steering wheel is off-centre when driving on a straight road, one possible cause is incorrect toe adjustment. During a four-wheel alignment the steering wheel is locked in the centre position and the wheel angles are adjusted within the limits allowed by the car’s design.

On some cars the steering system and suspension structures can have relatively large normal play by design. Because of this, a perfectly straight steering wheel is not always achieved with the first adjustment, and a small further correction may sometimes be needed. If you notice after the work that the steering wheel is clearly off-centre when driving on a straight road, please contact us.

After the four-wheel alignment, the customer receives a measurement report showing the wheel angle values before and after the adjustment. The report shows which values were outside the manufacturer’s range before the adjustment and to which values they were adjusted.

The four-wheel alignment measurement report of a lowered car can be used in the modification inspection if needed. That is why it is worth keeping the measurement report after adjusting a lowered car.

A four-wheel alignment determines and adjusts the car’s wheel angles at the time the work is done. We do not give a long-term guarantee on even tyre wear based on the alignment alone, because many other factors affect wear: the design and condition of the tyres, tyre pressures, the condition of the suspension and shock absorbers, the car’s load, driving style and operating conditions, and hitting potholes or kerbs.

If there is reason to suspect after the alignment that the wheel angles are not right, we can measure them again and find out what is going on.

A four-wheel alignment is essential after replacing an outer tie rod end, an inner tie rod or the steering rack. After other suspension repairs, the need for an alignment depends on the car’s design and which parts were removed or replaced during the work.

After fitting lowering springs, coilovers or another ride height change, the wheel angles should be checked, because changing the ride height affects the suspension geometry.