Wheel balancing place, recomendation? Preston-ish.

[AANDYY]

Hi, could anyone recommend a good/professional wheel balancing place near me or the Preston area?
I always suspect the Kwik Fit type outfits don't calibrate their equipment regularly.

 

[markjay]

In my opinion Tony Bones from WIM (Wheels-In-Motion) is the best in the land...:

http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk/wheels-alignment.php

He's in Bucks so not really near Preston, but if you take wheel alignment seriously that it well worth the drive.

 

[markjay]

Alternatively, if you call or email him, he will be able to tell you if there is a 'trusted' wheel alignment garage in your area.

 

[brian c200]

hi andyy google thistlewaites in bolton i had a w203 done there about 12 months ago by a chap called johnny explained everything he did and gave me a print-out etc hope this helps.:bannana:

 

[AANDYY]

Thanks for the recommendation Brian but I went to Thistlewaites today and now the vibration is worse , I asked them to use adaptor plates for the wheel balance machine so as not to use the centre hole, because 'Wheels in motion' said that sometimes the centre hole is not centralised, so best to balance via the 5 stud holes.

Going back on Friday for them to sort it out.

 

[T7RY B]

Drury Lane Manchester
Link http://www.drurylaneservices.com/geometry.htm

 

[wheels-inmotion]

Drury Lane Manchester
Link Drury Lane Services, Oldham.. Repairs, Servicing, MOT, Diagnostics - Geometry & Alignment Page

I contacted Drury lane for AANDYY but they didn't have the type of balancer we needed.

 

[wheels-inmotion]

Thanks for the recommendation Brian but I went to Thistlewaites today and now the vibration is worse , I asked them to use adaptor plates for the wheel balance machine so as not to use the centre hole, because 'Wheels in motion' said that sometimes the centre hole is not centralised, so best to balance via the 5 stud holes.

Going back on Friday for them to sort it out.

What a shame....... and pain in the ****.

The alloy depth of the MB wheel can be subject to an error if the balance dye is used to centre the wheel on the balancer, hence the reason to use a studded plate to mount the wheel.

This has nothing to do with how "hub centric" the wheel is. I would ask them to measure the wheel in both formats and also question the machines calibration certificate, although this is said as pure speculation because i don't even know the company.

 

[raymont]

In my opinion Tony Bones from WIM (Wheels-In-Motion) is the best in the land...:

Wheel Alignment Experts Chesham | Car Tyres Fitting and Wheel Alignment Specialists

He's in Bucks so not really near Preston, but if you take wheel alignment seriously that it well worth the drive.

I took the trouble to drive there.

Balance not good, wrong torque on wheel bolts. Subsequently had balance done by local dealer and everything fine.

 

[wheels-inmotion]

I took the trouble to drive there.

Balance not good, wrong torque on wheel bolts. Subsequently had balance done by local dealer and everything fine.

Horrified.... Please tell me more!! If we are wrong i will refund every penny but i need to know what went wrong and in particular the torque settings.

 

[brian c200]

hi andyy sorry about your problem lets hope they sort it friday just going of the service i got when i went once again sorry for that

 

[wheels-inmotion]

PM'd raymont and offered a refund for the work we did.... still a little unsure how the error of the torque setting evolved since our paperwork is correct, but nevertheless i tip my cap and apologize.

I would like to stand up and say no person or company is immune from a complaint or error, we all know that! What matters is how this "issue" is dealt with....

 

[joe1984]

Rosco tyres in St Helens is the best tyre place I have ever ussed. Looks like a shack but their knowledge is second to none.

Bit of a drive but well worth it and they are stupidly cheap!

 

[AANDYY]

Update!


Went back this morning for them to sort it, they have but it's only back to how it was before they tried and they did it the normal way, blaming my wheels for 'being out of true', isn't this what wheel balancing is also suppose to balance out?
Before they started he mentioned that the balance wasn't right maybe because of their equipment, when I asked for them to balance the wheels with the adaptor plates, so their fault! I asked for a partial refund, he said they'd see what they could do, when they had finished re-balancing the wheels, refund refused, blaming my out of true wheels.
I have in the past had them balanced OK, had the car for 2 years and I've not damaged the wheels.

So, no recommendation for Thistlewaites Bolton from me.