Does Walmart Do Wheel Alignments? (Cost + More)

Do you know if Walmart does wheel alignments? Well, you are at the perfect place to find the answer to such a question.

Is your car strangely pulling to one side, or have you noticed that your tires are unevenly worn? If so, it sounds like you need your car wheels aligned. Perhaps you are now thinking about a convenient and cost-effective way to get this done and whether Walmart can help?

Walmart used to do both front only and 4-wheel alignments, but no longer offers these services at its Auto Care Centers. Walmart stopped offering wheel alignment services in 2021 due to liability issues.

In this article, I explain how you can tell if your car wheels need to be realigned, describe the difference between wheel alignment and tire balancing, and explore how you can get a wheel alignment done, even though Walmart no longer provides this service. I’ll also tell you the cost you can expect to pay for a wheel alignment.

Table of Contents

Can I Get Car Wheel Alignment Done At A Walmart Store?

It seems that Walmart no longer provides wheel alignment services at its Auto Care Centers. That’s a shame as the cost of a Walmart wheel balancing was pretty competitive.

If you look at the typical list of services currently offered at a Walmart Auto Care Center you’ll not see wheel alignment listed there.

Auto Care Center Services – Walmart.com

Walmart Auto Care Centers used to charge around $30 to $65 to get your car’s front wheels aligned, and between $50 to $95 to get a four-wheel alignment done.

The exact price would depend on your car’s make, model, and year.

Where Can I Get Wheel Alignment Done?

Even though Walmart Auto Care Centers no longer do wheel alignment, there are plenty of other options available for you to explore.

Indicative prices are given below, and the price range depends on how many wheels need to be aligned and the chosen warranty period. Here are some suggestions:

Firestone Complete Car Care: $95
Goodyear Car Services: $89-$189
Jiffy Lube: $90-$180
Just Tires: $120-$189
Sears Car Center: $100-$130
Pep Boys: $100-$190
Midas: $119-$169 per axle
Big O Tires: $79
Mavis Tire: $90

What Is Wheel Alignment?

Wheels and tires are one of the most critical safety components of a car, so it makes sense to ensure these are operating properly.

A wheel alignment will ensure that all four tires are correctly centered, and your wheels are pointing straight ahead.

Cars with misaligned wheels will tend to pull or drift to one side when you are driving. Misaligned wheels are often caused when your car hits a curb or a pothole, from incorrect tire pressure, or due to parts wear and tear.

Wheel alignment involves adjusting the ‘toe’, ‘camber’, and sometimes the ‘caster’ angles of the car wheels, but what do these technical terms mean?

Toe relates to whether the tires are angled towards or away from the car centerline i.e. whether the front of a tire is closer, or further apart, than the rear of the tire. If the toe is out, your car will pull to one side.
Camber describes the inward or outward vertical tilt of the tire. If you look at both front tires they should sit on all of the tire tread. Poor camber results in the car relying more on the inner or the outer part of the tire.
Caster is more difficult to understand but relates to the tire’s exact position within the wheel well. A wheel that is slightly further back than the other wheel on the same axle can cause rubbing when the car is turning.

What Are the Tell-Tale Signs That My Car Needs Wheel Alignment?

There are three main problems when your car’s wheels are misaligned:

Pulling to one side or another is a likely sign that your wheels are misaligned. If your wheels aren’t working properly together, they will pull your car slightly off-center.
A squealing tire noise because your wheels are rubbing against the wheel well.
Poor gas mileage – misaligned wheels are working against each other and making your car work harder resulting in a small reduction in gas efficiency.

Benefits of Wheel Alignment

There are many benefits to getting your wheels aligned, including:

Better gas efficiency
You’ll get a smoother and a quieter ride
Improved vehicle handling and steering
The tires are evenly worn
You’ll get a longer tire lifespan

Wheel Alignment Versus Tire Balancing

Understandably, many drivers are unsure of the difference between wheel alignment and tire balancing, so let’s quickly explore the differences between the two.

Wheel alignment ensures that all of the car wheels are positioned correctly and parallel to each other, and to the road surface.

In effect, it’s about resetting the wheel positions and making sure that all of the wheels are working perfectly in sync with each other.

Tire balancing focuses on the distribution of weight around the wheels, ensuring that weight is distributed evenly across the tires.

Conclusion

Wheels and tires are one of the most critical safety components of a car, so it makes sense to ensure these are operating properly.

A wheel alignment will ensure that all four tires are correctly centered and that your wheels are pointing straight ahead.

There are many benefits to getting your wheels aligned, including improved gas efficiency, a smoother and a quieter ride, improved vehicle handling, and steering, evenly worn tires, and you’ll get a longer tire lifespan.

Walmart stopped providing wheel alignment services in 2021 due to liability issues. However, there are still many cost-effective service providers available where you can get wheel alignments done. Prices vary, so it’s best to call around to find the best deal.

When choosing the right wheel alignment package always consider the length of the warranty period provided.

References

https://www.walmart.com/cp/auto-care-center-services/2686220