I need to do an alignment on our 04 LS Sport (vibration on highway; wheels have been balanced) - should the car go to a dealer or will any wheel or general repair shop do the same thing?

Is a 4-wheel alignment needed or just 2-wheel?

Thanks

Because of the independent suspension the need for a 4-wheel alignment is even more important. I personally prefer a tire store specialist for the alignment, price around. Not all dealers, and general repair shops, have the newest and up to date equipment.

An alignment generally wont give you a vibration. This sounds like a worn part issue more then an alignment issue and yes a general auto shop should be able to do this for you, they will also "shake down" the frontend. And that will tell you what is wrong and why it is vibrating. Please support youre local shops and try not to go to the stealership. Signed local mechanic guy.

Agreed on both counts. Four wheel alignment, and have it done by a local shop. Many have computerized alignment these days and is as good as the dealer, with the exceptions of the added TLC they provide to your car considering their name is on the door of the establishment and the lowered cost due to the lack of franchise fees.

Had the car in for an oil change today and asked the tech to check the front suspension. They said everything was tight (tie rods, ball joints, etc) so not sure now if it's an alignment or if I lost a weight on a rim and now out of balance.

What would be the difference in symptoms between an unbalanced wheel(s) versus alignment issue?

I decided to try and balance the front wheels again (done in May when the Yokohama YK520s were mounted) before spending bigger bucks. Ended up doing all 4 wheels anyway and the vibration went away. I guess some wheel weights fell off? Car rolls nicely now.

Thanks for the input all!

Ended up doing all 4 wheels anyway and the vibration went away. I guess some wheel weights fell off?
It happens every now and then. The LS's suspension is very sensitive to wheel balance; when my '04 threw a weight, the vibration was very noticeable.

Turns out the vibration is back even after another balancing and new sway bar end links. Not ssure what's wrong with it.

Turns out the vibration is back even after another balancing and new sway bar end links. Not ssure what's wrong with it.

You've got a bent rim. It may be slight but thats enough to do it. I had the same problem on my car. I went through 3 sets of new, completely different brands and models of tires before Discount caught it. That whole time we thought it was the tires.

I agree bent 4 rims in 5 months hitting pot holes in winter months in Chicago each time made entire car shake but if you looked at tire and rim you couldn't notice it.