When the car starts to judder on the A38 dual carriageway out of Longbridge towards Lydiate Ash, the van brings its wheel balancer to the station, the town centre or a Rednal drive.
Longbridge sits where the A38 opens into dual carriageway, with M5 J4 and then M42 J1 at Lickey End a short run beyond Rubery. Those quicker stretches expose a wheel out of balance: a tremor through the steering or a hum in the seat that the town centre roads never reveal. The new kerbs round the redeveloped works site are a common reason, knocking weights off alloys as drivers turn in towards the shops.
Four moments call for a rebalance. A new tyre always needs one. So does a tread repair done from inside, because the tyre came off the rim. A weight that has dropped off, leaving a clean patch on the alloy, is a third. The fourth is a solid hit on a Longbridge island kerb or a Lickey Road pothole. Blotchy wear on the tread can also hint that a wheel has been out of balance for a while.
Driveways in Austin Village and Rednal, a marked bay in the Longbridge town centre car parks with time left on the ticket, or the park-and-ride at the station. The A38 dual carriageway itself is never a place to stop for this.
| Near | Longbridge station, Longbridge town centre, the former Rover works site |
|---|---|
| Typical arrival | A long run from London: allow 2 to 3 hours |
About wheel balancing nationwide → · Wheel balancing on the Longbridge page
Once the car is up on a level surface in Austin Village or a town centre bay, the fitter removes the wheel you describe and spins it on the machine in the van. The readout shows the light spot, and weights go on the inner rim, and then the wheel is bolted up to its specified torque. Balancing is not alignment. A car drifting towards the kerb on the A38 needs tracking at a garage, which we do not offer.
Balancer, weights and fitter come to Longbridge, and the shake off the A38 goes.
