Does Costco do tire alignment? How often should tires be aligned? These are all common questions car owners tend to ask themselves whenever they need essential car maintenance done.
If you want to know what Costco can do for your car, be sure to read this article as we are going to explain everything there is to explain about wheel alignment, and how does Costco fit in that picture.
Does Costco Do Tire Alignment?
There are plenty of wholesalers and retailers out there that are as large as Costco, but Costco differs from most of them because Costco is determined to be the one-stop shop when it comes to car maintenance.
However, Costco does not offer wheel alignment services because wheel alignment services aren’t necessarily associated with car maintenance, but rather car repairs. Either way, in this article, we will tell you why that is, how much it costs to align your wheels, how often you need to do it, and where you should do it.
Why Doesn’t Costco Offer Wheel Alignment?
- Wheel alignment machinery is expensive to buy and upkeep
- Wheel alignment requires trained technicians
- It isn’t financially feasible for Costco
What Are The Costs Associated With Offering Wheel Alignment Services?
Wheel alignment can’t be done with just a hammer and an anvil because wheel alignment machines are really precise pieces of delicate machinery that require quite a bit of tender love and care. These machines are designed to measure toe, camber, ride height, caster, and a few other parameters that decide at which angle the tire meets the road.
Evidently, these machines are bulky and require a few technicians to operate them at all times for the best possible result. All of this means that they cost quite a bit of money to buy and even more money to keep in satisfactory condition. As such, Costco, a wholesaler who primarily deals in passed down savings and bulk buys simply isn’t a mechanical workshop.
Does Performing Wheel Alignment Require Lots Of Expertise?
You know what they say: “If you can do it, why pay someone else to do it?” This makes a lot of sense in regards to most services you can enjoy at Costco because replacing a battery, a set of windshields, or rotating your tires is rather easy and does not require any special tools. Wheel alignment on the other hand is the exact opposite of that because it requires knowledge, experience, precision, and dedicated tools.
All of this means that Costco would have to thoroughly train their employees to learn how to use wheel alignment machines before they can approach doing so professionally. We already mentioned that these machines are also fairly expensive to maintain which is why Costco would either have to pay for third-party maintenance or educate their employees instead. Either way, it costs money.
What Is The Main Reason Costco Does Not Do Wheel Alignment?
The main reason why Costco does not do wheel alignment is that it isn’t financially feasible, at least not for Costco. Costco’s profit margin mostly consists of membership fees and various profits from merchandise, both of which are directly tied to how Costco tends to operate in all stages of the business.
Given the fact that wheel alignment requires heavy machines, experience, advanced employee training, high upkeep costs, and many other unforeseen costs such as repairs, it simply isn’t financially feasible for Costco to do so. It goes against Costco’s entire business philosophy which is likely why we will never see Costco technicians performing a wheel alignment.
How Much Does It Cost To Perform A Wheel Alignment?
It depends on which type of alignment your car needs. If you only do a front-end alignment, chances are that you will not be paying more than $80 altogether. On the other hand, if you do an all-four/thrust alignment, you could be paying up to $250. Sometimes it costs less, sometimes it costs more as the labor included is not the same across all types of cars.
How Often Should I Do Wheel Alignment?
You should try and look for info regarding your car in the owner’s manual. If you can’t find any or you don’t have access to an owner’s manual, you should ask your dealership. Either way, most mechanics will tell you to align your wheels every 2-3 years maximum, but you should be able to test the car for wheel misalignment yourself and do so whenever it is necessary.
Where Can I Do Wheel Alignment?
Even though Costco does not offer wheel alignment services, many other reputable maintenance and repair facilities sure do. As such, be sure to include these the next time you go for wheel alignment shopping.
- Pep Boys – Pep Boys is also a place where many people take their cars to do wheel alignment. They will typically charge you around $85 for a standard alignment, and they also back that up with a 3-month warranty.
- Walmart – Believe it or not, Walmart is a place that can do anything. As such, they are also able to perform wheel alignment in some facilities, and the standard price is $75, but they don’t offer any warranties.
- Firestone Complete Auto Care – Firestone is one of the most popular places where when it comes to complete car maintenance which means that they will also do wheel alignment for an $80 price + a 1-year warranty.
- Sears – Sears is also a place where you can take your car for a wheel alignment. The price is $85 while the warranty lasts 6 months.
- Goodyear – Goodyear will also do your wheel alignment for $100, and they will also offer you a 6-month warranty.
Conclusion
Does Costco Do Tire Alignment ? No, they do not. There are many reasons why Costco does not do wheel alignment, most of them are tied to costs and how Costco tends to do business. First of all, wheel alignment requires heavy machines, advanced employee training, expensive upkeep costs, and a bunch of other unforeseen costs such as repairs or injuries at work.
Furthermore, Costco is mostly interested in offering maintenance-related services, they aren’t really interested in messing with delicate car mechanics as these involve a lot more risk. Thankfully, there are many different places out there where you can do your wheel alignment, many of which are as reputable as Costco.
