When to Balance Wheels

When I take my car in to have an oil change/checkup the garage tells me my wheels need to be balanced. However I do not have any indication that I need wheel balancing. The tires do not show unusual wear, there is no shaking while driving in the city, nor when on an expressway driving from 40 to 70 MPH.

Is it possible I really need to balance the wheels? Tx, Uncle Dewey

It's pretty hard to tell from here. What did the garage guy say when you told him that they look good and don't shimmy, and why does he say you need it?

Good Question, but I just turned it down at the time. Will have to find the two receipts and see what the manager has to say.

When and if I find out I'll let you know. Thanks a bunch, Uncle Dewey

Good Question, but I just turned it down at the time. Will have to find the two receipts and see what the manager has to say.

When and if I find out I'll let you know. Thanks a bunch, Uncle Dewey

it is possible they saw that some weights had fallen off. the hammer type will leave marks, the stick on will leave adhesive.

it is very possible that a few fell off but you still have no issues ....If the tires look good, worn even and tread looks normal forget it...

If you need a balance, you will "feel" it....

You should balance your tires every 3rd or 4th oil change.

Since I work as a tech, I can balance my tires every week if I want to.

But since that overkill, I do it every 3 oil changes. And yes, they are always out of balance by at least .25oz .

You won't FEEL a out of balance tire until its too late. By then, a wear pattern has been placed on the tire, and all your doing after a balance is buying time.

I have gone over 80k on the tires on my truck by doing the balance every 3 oil changes.
Trust me, it helps.

Best of luck.

You should balance your tires every 3rd or 4th oil change.

Since I work as a tech, I can balance my tires every week if I want to.

But since that overkill, I do it every 3 oil changes. And yes, they are always out of balance by at least .25oz .



You won't FEEL a out of balance tire until its too late. By then, a wear pattern has been placed on the tire, and all your doing after a balance is buying time.

I have gone over 80k on the tires on my truck by doing the balance every 3 oil changes.
Trust me, it helps. Best of luck.



I am just saying that ,,,,, The wheel balance should not be done until the new tires are installed.. If anyone needs to have their tires balanced before they wear out then , this means that the person installing the weights or the vehicle has a defect.

since I do my own alignments , the only time this is in need of adjusting is when a steering component is worn. last time I did my alignment was 8 years ago when the tie rod was worn [inner right pass side]..the new tires installed at that time . now this is 70K miles and 8 year later the AT tires are 60% worn. every tire is the same since I rotate the tires 15K miles. I just did a trip 1500 miles and at speeds of 80 MPH at times and it was very smooth.

The first OEM set of tires 90K miles 30% tread left. I did the alignment @1500miles. some of the hammer on weights fell off... I do not use hammer on weights nor recommend them..

most quality tire shops will do this re-balancing for free if they screw up or the weights fall off since this is their defect...in most all cases...

if you do not rotate your tires or have a trained tech of your vehicle check out the steering components before any new tires are installed you can have tire wear issues that will cause a balancing issue.

I agree......you can balance your tires every week, if you want to.....

More important, is to rotate the tires......I do it usually, every 7500 miles.....generally, If you throw a weight, you will notice it right away.....cars that don't do tire rotations, are susceptible to cupping and uneven tire wear, which will cause an imbalance without losing a weight....with proper rotation and air pressure, my tires last a min of 60K, and generally do not need balancing due to even tire wear.....

Ever since cars have gone to 150K coolant, and 100K transmission services, and 100K tuneups, garages have lost a lot of maintenance work, and have to dream up new scheduled maintenance items, that don't seem to be listed in the owners manual......injector cleaning at 30K? Brake fluid exchange at 50K? Lubing brake components at 30K?

I'm sorry guys...I should have mentioned that as well.

I balance my tires every 3rd oil change....AND....I rotate my tires at every oil change.

Overkill....you better bet your ass.

Why do I do it?

Because I can.

The repair shops/dealerships do this type stuff because of the new vehicles requiring much less maintenance. even oil changes using the synthetics that most all require owners go 7-15K miles. steering components have no greasing now as well.

just last year family member brought vehicle in for oil change they said $1100 for replacing the driver side O2 sensors Toyota 4 runner. cost of the O2/AF sensors $150... I put them in ... woman esp. have to be careful with this....

then you have the brakes .. they demand that the complete brake assy need replacing . cost for front or rear $800 $1200... so if you go 40K miles and have the shop do the brakes this is what happens. they will say the rotors have rust ...calipers also ...

Yes, brakes are a good one......they don't want to turn rotors anymore.....they replace them......unscrupulous shops buy the $20 dollar Chinese cheapos, and charge OEM prices......in some cases they will even want to replace the calipers.....

When getting new tires, this "chain" said I need a front brake job.....I asked for a price, he already had it priced out....$400.....

I asked to look at the front pads....still had a good gap on the wear indicator, and the inside pad had the same thickness......I said, "It looks like I have a ways to go on those pads." Yes, but have you had there pads replaced yet? No....well, there are 65K on them and they are due....I said the reason why there is still pad on them, is because it is all highway driving, and there is no pulsation at all when applying the brakes......then I did something I shouldn't have done, being a former tech myself....I asked the Tech, would you replace these Pads? He hesitated, looked at the SM, and said yes....not only the pads but replace the rotors too......so, you think the pads AND rotors need replacement? The SM chimed in, yes....I asked how close the rotors were to the discard spec? Oh, we don't measure them, we just replace them....

And you are correct, when it comes to the female gender.....they are at a huge disadvantage when facing a service writer or manager.....they are told whatever they write up has to be done right away for your safety, and they will usually cave in......

Back in the day, tires did not last long, unless they were Michelins(when they were actually Michelins).......you did COMPLETE tuneups every other year.....coolant flushes every other year....transmission services every 30K...oil changes every 3K, and recommended rotations every other oil change....

That maintenance gravy train is gone......Techs now do minimal maintenance....if not for recalls, the shops would be dead.....the CE light is their savior......shops only make money, when cars break down, now....

I've been in the tech shoes many times. The customer comes put, then asked me if they need to have this or that replaced....and with the service writer standing right next to him....you kinda have to agree with the SW.

I hate doing it, and have left several places of employment because of that practice.

I say this many time, and its true as can be : IF I WASN'T A MECHANIC, I COULDN'T AFFORD ONE !!

Last year, my moms 07 Lexus 350 needed brakes. She got a quote, and when I saw it, I was shocked. $1,200 for front and rear pads, and turning the rotors.

I took her car to work the next day, miked the rotors....they were still good...and the pads were down to the squealer tab on the front, and the back pads were soon to be replaced.

So, while they were correct in telling her she needed brakes....$1200 is not chump change.

I ended up putting on new rotors (mom insisted) and upgraded her pads to EBC Green Stuff for better stopping and less fade. Total price....$358.

And her homemade lasagna.

If I wasn't here to help her..she would have gotten taken for 1200 smackers.

Unfortunately, that happens especially with women......

I tell all my friends, get a second opinion.....and get a a quote with labor time, labor rate, and parts.....and let your fingers do the walking......

One of the things that gets me is, this lack of refinishing rotors.....they just don't want to do it, because they don't make money on it.......they can double the price of the rotor, and save on the maintenance of their lathe, if in fact they even have one.....GM had a one cut brake lathe(Accu Turn)......you pull the wheel, mic that rotor, and if ok, get both sides of the hub clean and on the lathe....while it is cutting, you remove the other wheel, clean the rotor, and that cut should almost be done, and you put the other one on....in the meantime you are cleaning/lubing the sliding pins, any contact surfaces on the calipers, cleaning the bearing hub contact surface, and you are ready to reassemble with new pads....there is almost no time lost for cutting rotors......and believe me, sometimes a resurfaced rotor will last you much longer than those new cheap chinese rotors will....