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Wheel Alignment in San Francisco | Pat's Garage

San Francisco Wheel Alignment

Pat’s Garage is a full-service auto repair shop, and our offer includes San Francisco wheel alignment service. Your vehicle can easily get out of alignment given the sorry state of San Francisco streets. Likewise, if you just purchased a new set of tires and want them to last, wheel alignment is the way to go.  Just hitting a pothole, or a curb – easy to do in the City - will likely necessitate wheel alignment. Rest assured our technicians have the skills and state-of-the-art computerized wheel alignment equipment to detect and correct even most subtle alignment problems. 

So what’s the big deal about wheel alignment?

Driving with wheels out of alignment has a number of negative consequences, most obvious being decreased tire life. As tire prices continue to go up, extending tire life can mean significant savings. Another problem caused by out of alignment tires is vibration. It not only makes the ride noisier, but severe misalignment can actually impact the handling of the car. 

Below we list a few signs that indicate that alignment is in order. So if you notice any of these signs, bring your vehicle to our San Francisco auto repair shop, and we will use our computerized alignment machine to properly align your vehicle’s wheels. One more benefit of correctly aligned tires is increased mileage. 

Alignment check should be performed if any of the following symptoms manifest: 

  • You have vehicle handling problems
  • The vehicle pulls to the left or right
  • Tires are wearing out unevenly
  • The steering wheel is not straight when driving on a straight roadway

Even if you do not notice any major alignment symptoms, we recommend an alignment check every six months or when tires are replaced. Bay Area roads are full of potholes, and San Francisco, with its continuing road work and dug up streets is full of “opportunities” to knock the wheels out of alignment. 

For your convenience, you can ask us to do an alignment check during your next oil service. It is particularly important if you notice symptoms – because some of the symptoms commonly associated with misalignment can be caused by other problems.  We will inspect your vehicle and let you know its overall state of health. 

Steps We Take when Performing Wheel Alignment

 Because the human eye cannot detect more subtle misalignment, special machines were invented, which can detect even a hundredth of a degree misalignment. At Pat’s Garage we use such computerized alignment equipment to detect and correct wheel alignment problems. 

At Pat’s Garage wheel alignment is a process that includes several steps. 

  • We compare tire alignment to manufacturer’s guidelines
  • We do an overall assessment of the steering system and suspension
  • We check tire inflation/pressure
  • We look for uneven tire tread wear – a sure sign of alignment problems 
  • Perform calibration or reset of Electronic steering (code link calibration)
  • Finally, we perform wheel alignment on our computerized alignment machine

If you feel that your car does not handle “quite right”, or have any concerns about tire wear or wheel alignment, bring your vehicle to our San Francisco repair shop. We will have our nationally ASE certified technicians inspect your vehicle, and if wheel alignment is needed,  they will perform professional wheel alignment using our computerized alignment machine.  As we mentioned before, proper alignment improves ride comfort, extends tire life, increases mileage, and generally benefits your car.  Call today for appointment or make an appointment online.

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