| mybo98 |
I took in my 2003 MDX for its 15K service last week and did a road trip over the weekend.
Unfortunately, I noticed a steering wheel shimmy at about 75-80 mph. This did not exist prior to the 15K service.
I took it back to the Acura dealer and the service adviser said he suspected that the shimmy is due to wheel balance, and continued to explain that it is a "common" problem after tire rotations.
After spending $200 for the 15K service last week, I was surprised that there is a $40 charge for balancing.
I tried to look for MDX tire balance schedules, but could not find information on when they should be performed. Are there guidelines available?
My gripes:
1. I spent $200 for 15K service which resulted in a shimmy that they now want another $40 to fix.
2. The service advisor stated that tire balance is a "common” problem after tire rotations - so why is balancing not included with rotations?
3. My MDX will be in the shop for another day.
This just does not feel right…I feel like I’m being ripped off. Or should I just bite the bullet and pay to get the tires balanced? Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks in advance. |
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| Mr. Mom |
| They should balance the tires if they do the rotation, only common sense. I also had a shimmy in the front tires after my 15K service, but I was already on the freeway with heavy traffic before I found this out. I stopped at my regular tire man near where I live and they checked them out and found the rims caked with dirt and of course they said the dealer should have cleaned them up before balancing. They cleaned the rims up for free which solved the vibration. I E-mailed the Acura dealer who gave me a free oil change. Still, if one goes to the dealer, one would expect quality service. |
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| Northern_MDX |
A balanced wheel should work well no matter which location
it is installed on the car, unless it's unevenly worn. When they rotate they should always re-check the balance, in case there are something wrong.
I suspect that (based on my conspiracy theory :D)
1. The wheel on the front now that causes shimmy WAS NOT balanced to begin with. It was not causing noticible shimmy because it was on the rear.
2. The shimmy is caused by something else. Sure they can always
re-balance the wheel to make it better, but that approach
may not address the real problem.
I would argue that the shimmy problem only occurs after
their "service", and therefore they should be responsible
for the problem. Also, given that your car is 15K new,
the shimmy problem should be fixed for free, UNLESS they can prove
that you have hit a curb hard and cause the wheel to be inbalanced.....
Just my $0.02 |
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| G. COLTON |
I would be most surprised if you needed to balance wheels after rotation. This would only be required if there was a problem with the disks on the vehicle.
After over 45 years of owning and and rotating wheels I have never had occasion to have them balanced after rotation.
If the wheels were balanced with mud on them this would be a problem. Did they do a static or dynamic balance?
Don't let them blow smoke at you. Reblance only after it is proven that there is a problem. This is NOT a routinely required action.
George |
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| DaleB |
Having had both balance and alignment out before 20K miles (to my surprise) I was also pleasantly surprised at the improvement in ride and handling quality upon completion of adjustments.
Unless you have a weight fall off the wheel, you are not likely to notice a difference, it is fairly subtle, until you do a 'before/after' comparison.
I only have balance and alignment done at a shop that does not charge to 'check' alignment, only to adjust for it, as needed.
They use the best equipment for all their work, plus are very knowledgeable about tires, brakes, wheels, etc.
I had an alignment done at around 19K and will probably have it checked again at double that mileage. And certainly before putting new tires on the X.
I would never use dealerships for tires, brakes, alignments, etc. unless it is a warranty issue. |
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| JeffK |
Sorry to hear about your problems.
If you do a thread search you will find that most of us paid less than $100 for the 15k service.
Re-balancing: First the disc have absolutely nothing to do with balancing the tires.
If the tires were in balance before rotation, they should still be in balance.
Either one of two things happened - assuming there is no mud or dirt on the wheels:
1) A weight fell off when they rotated the tires.
2) One rear tire was out of balance. When it was put on the front you felt it.
Suggested solution: Balance the front tires.
JeffK |
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| dmz |
| My experience with tire rotation is that you almost always have to re-balance your tire or you will get some vibration on your steering wheel. The reason for this is because the front tire usually wear at a different pattern than the rear tires due to the different suspension settings and one end being the driven wheel which also causes different tire wear. I think the dealership tried to save time and skip the re-balancing. Now that your car is out it would take them more time to put your car in the lift and take your wheels off again so they want to make you pay for it. I think for $200 you should demand them to re-balance the tires for free. |
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| G. COLTON |
Jeff, you are correct. Discs have nothing to do with balancing the wheels. However, they do have an effect on the system balance. Assuming that the wheels (they balance the whole wheel, not just the tires) were dynamically balanced on the vehicle then the balance included all rotating parts, of which the discs are a part.
If there was an out of balance disc this would be corrected with a on the vehicle dynamic balance. If the wheels are now rotated this unbalanced disc is now paired with a wheel that was not balanced to match that disc.
Obviously this is highly unlikely with modern disc brake systems. It was much more a problem in older vehicles that had drum brakes. You would frequently find drums with weights welded to them.
With the MDX's suspension system it is probably just as likely that an unbalanced rear wheel will cause just as much problem as a front wheel.
G |
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| G. COLTON |
| dmz, if you are getting enough tire wear difference to cause a steering wheel vibration you have a bigger problem than wheel balance. You need to have your alignment checked. How long do you go between rotations? Are your shocks in good shape. Do you keep the air pressure within the correct operating range? People tend to blame wheel balance for many ills simply because it is the easiest thing. |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by G. COLTON
Jeff, you are correct. Discs have nothing to do with balancing the wheels. However, they do have an effect on the system balance. Assuming that the wheels (they balance the whole wheel, not just the tires) were dynamically balanced on the vehicle then the balance included all rotating parts, of which the discs are a part.
G
I believe this is the case only when wheels are balanced ON the car. If the wheel/tire assembly is in balance off the car, the disk (or drum) will still be out of balance.
There was a trend to balance wheels on the car (and it can still be done using a strobe system) as front wheel drive cars became more common, and even some rear engine, rear drive only, like older Porsches, etc.
But I think now that is a very uncommon practice. And as stated, the advent of 4 wheel disks is probably a good reason.
Considering all 4 tires are losing some minimal balance as they wear, an occasional rebalance like every other rotation, etc. might well show an improvement in ride quality. The degradation is slight with normal wear, but an improvement can be easily noticed. At least that has been my experience on a variety of cars. |
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| dmz |
I usually balance my tires once a year. I do the tire rotation myself and I always have to bring it in to re-balance the tires to get rid ot the steering wheel vibration. I check my tire pressure every month. No car have the same toe and camber setting in front and back even when your alignment is within spec. I don't have any visible uneven wear on any of my tires but it takes very little uneven wear to make the steering whee vibrate. I guess I am just very sensitive to it because most people who drives my car does not feel the steering vibration that I can feel.
quote:
Originally posted by G. COLTON
dmz, if you are getting enough tire wear difference to cause a steering wheel vibration you have a bigger problem than wheel balance. You need to have your alignment checked. How long do you go between rotations? Are your shocks in good shape. Do you keep the air pressure within the correct operating range? People tend to blame wheel balance for many ills simply because it is the easiest thing.
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| msu79gt82 |
... you may want to consider buying a Lifetime contract at a tire place like Discount Tire.
PS: Shouldn' this thread be in Maintenance?? |
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| G. COLTON |
DMZ, if you are only rotating your wheels once per year, you are either waiting too long or driving too little.
G |
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