Hello all. Sorry for the long post but...

Visited my car at my local garage this morning where it's having a general fixing up.

Required 4 new tyres as all four were worn on the inside. Whilst they were aligning the tyres, it's washed out that the back axle seems to be bent.

According the guys there, the rear axle is not adjustable but on the driver side rear, the wheel is at 1.51deg (should be 1.50deg) where as on the passenger side rear, the wheel is at 2.01deg (should also be 1.50deg).

They've seen this happen with Passats before where the axle has just bent over time (no heavy impacts involved) and I don't think this car was damaged (all panels were straight and it was HPI clear when I bought it). Incidentally, the Superb axle has a BIG sticker on it saying, do not jack the car up under the axle.

1. Anyone got any experience of this?

2. Is there any fix short of replacing the axle?

I'm just a bit worried that the Irish MOT (the NCT) will pick out this fairly significant wheel misalignment and fail my lovely Superb...

The most probable cause of this is something you have already touched on, I would probably imagine the back end of your car has been jacked up using the rear axle bending it, I know there is a big sticker on it saying do not jack but it didnt stop the bloody idiots doing it when I had 2 rear tyres replaced on my car!

Edited 12 April, 200917 yr by DGW
OP quote deleted.

I never let a car anywhere near a tyre shop - I always take loose wheels.

I appreciate this is difficult if you have no alternative transport, but the quality of labour is so poor in these shops that vehicle damage is almost inevitable.

Over the years, I have never regretted this policy.

rotodiesel.

Hangon, I think you are being fibbed to mate, the Superb is heavy on tyres at the best of times, but even allowing for that it could be wearing wheel bearings allowing the wheels to run slightly wobbly, how bad is the wear, is it that you have an almost new outside and a shot inside, or is it just the inside goes before the last 2mm of the rest of the tyre?

If this is the case that jacking on the axle beam has caused it to bend then surely it would happen with a hell of a lot more VAG cars being the same underneath the majority of them as i'm sure it's not just a few garages jacking on rear axle beams, in my experience it would be something more at fault with the car as oppose to somebody jacking it two or three times in the last 4years, do you know what i'm saying?

I never let a car anywhere near a tyre shop - I always take loose wheels.

I appreciate this is difficult if you have no alternative transport, but the quality of labour is so poor in these shops that vehicle damage is almost inevitable.

Over the years, I have never regretted this policy.

rotodiesel.

Quite slanderous to suggest that all tyre shops have poor quality of labour really isn't it??? How can a garage damage your vehicle by jacking up the car on the jacking points just like....you?!

I'll also hazard a guess that you stand over the tyre fitters and watch they don't mark your wheels? It would be foolish to leave the wheels with them afterall!

I use steel wheels only.

I comment on what I find.

rotodiesel.

What has happened before though? I do not understand how somebody jacking a car on the sill on the jacking point can be any differant to you doing it.

back axle seems to be bent.

half a degree out does not make it bent:confused: probably means either they haven't measured it properly or they aren't measuring it in the right place

I never let a car anywhere near a tyre shop - I always take loose wheels.

I appreciate this is difficult if you have no alternative transport, but the quality of labour is so poor in these shops that vehicle damage is almost inevitable.

Over the years, I have never regretted this policy. rotodiesel.

Maybe not too strangely, I also avoid tyre places taking the wheels off, though it must be said that my local Costco only ever use "wheels free" lift things - no exceptions, and lightly retighten the wheels, then drop the lift to about 6 inches off the ground before pushing in a sort of gripper wedge to stop the wheel moving and use a torque wrench to complete the job on each removed wheel.

What has happened before though? I do not understand how somebody jacking a car on the sill on the jacking point can be any differant to you doing it.

But, he is probably a bit fussy like me and avoids using any exposed bits like the sill for jacking on - there are strong areas under the car for using a trolley jack on. While on this subject, I've seen plenty damage (chassis rail deformations) on my Fords from different main dealer not getting the positioning of the "wheels free" lift quite right. I've never questioned it as I know all I'll get is "it does not make any difference" - what they are meaning is "F**k off we know what we are doing and why are you looking under there". Customer experience is what counts when giving garages a good or bad name.

half a degree out does not make it bent:confused: probably means either they haven't measured it properly or they aren't measuring it in the right place

There is always these aftermarket "wedged shims" - if they are useful with that car. Is this not just a case of the normal "B5" front tyre wear, followed by these fronts being passed on to the rear - so now after so time they are all worn down on the inside. It was handy that you picked a tyre place that had the kit to carry out a four wheel alignment check, or have they just checked the "toeing" on the rear? Oops, sorry I'm assuming you meant main dealer by the term "local garage" - so they would have this kit!

Edited 5 April, 200917 yr by rum4mo

What has happened before though? I do not understand how somebody jacking a car on the sill on the jacking point can be any differant to you doing it.

The problem is that many don't use the correct jacking points or the correct jack pad.

I have had sills damaged and (believe it or not) the spare wheel well dented in by garages using incorrect jacking points.

I've had alloys scarred by those hopeless idiots at Kwik-Sh!t.

I now only ever use one tyre place that i trust to not damage my car or wheels.

You have to ask why VAG see it as neccesary to fit a big sticker to the middle of the beam...

Thanks for all the help so far.

First off, to answer some of the other posts... the garage I took the car too belongs to a rally driver mate of mine so I'm not worried about being taken for a ride. He wanted me to hold onto one of the tyres which wasn't badly worn but I went for new boots all round to make sure I'm even all over.

Having worked in the engineering side of the car industry, I'd be fairly confident about an inherent problem with the axle. Car manufacturers don't put any warnings on their products unless they really really need to be there.

I'd also be fairly confident with the report I got from the tyre centre. They've got a laser tracking systems and the report shows what you can actually see from behind the car - the passenger rear wheel (when compared with the drivers rear wheel) doesn't sit completely flat on the ground. The drivers wheel is within 0.01deg of what it should be where as the passenger wheel has an extra 0.5deg.

I guess there's no quick fix to this which means that if it ever does come up as a test failure, it may come to replacing the axle. Hopefully not, will keep the post updated.

If anyone else has any nuggets of information, please don't hesitate to add on here!

yeah but that assumes the front subframe is lined up right too, to measure it properly you need the jig with the pins in that locates in the bottom of the chassis...

...if you can see 0.5 deg by eye then that is pretty good going

A bent stub axle can cause camber issues, found this out myself on the Fabia.