I've just had the front console bushes done on my vRS (04-plate, 17,500k :eek:) under an extended Skoda-approved warranty (:eek:) and now the tracking seems out, as with the steering wheel in the dead ahead position, the car creeps ever-so-slowly to the left (though the effect is more pronounced the quicker I drive ).

Question is, could this creep be directly attributable to the bushes having been done, as I thought the steering geometry would not have changed?

Thanks in advance.

id say yes

but don't forget all VRS's pull/drift to the left

id say yes

So would I.

However, I did a search and found some info to the contrary.

Need to know one way or the other if I'm going to take it back to the garage to be sorted.

but don't forget all VRS's pull/drift to the left

Really?!

How so?

If this is the case, then every vRS driver whose tracking is bang on will be sitting with the steering wheel turned a degree or two to the right just to keep the car going in a straight line on a straight, uncambered, road?

Can any other vRS owners testify to this?

I have to do this now, but I didn't before the bushes were done.

Mine has always pulled to the left, even with full lazer geometry setup it does it, annoying but have just accepted it as a quirk.

Maybe your new bushes have amplified it now since everything has been held tight?

If it was me though, i would still return to the garage and ask they did an alignment, plead ignorant and tell them it never did it before.

If this is the case, then every vRS driver whose tracking is bang on will be sitting with the steering wheel turned a degree or two to the right just to keep the car going in a straight line on a straight, uncambered, road?

Can any other vRS owners testify to this?

I done a laser alignment myself on my vRS after fitting new console bushes (and springs) and while it helped the pull to the left, it is still there...

I remember Basil posting something about this too. The rear axle on a vrs has more rear toe-in, helping reduce understeer, but at the same time, making it more camber sensitive, and pulls more

Pretty much what he said /\

I'm surprised the alignment WASN'T done TBH - the suspension's been taken apart after all, and with the best will in the world, I can't see any mechanic putting it back together exactly right by eye...

We always do it here

When we fitted mine we did too

It was out a mile

Me and my fella did mine......I remember it well :(

Sarah

When VW dealer replaced the ARB on my wife's Polo 9N it came back with the steering wheel off-set, but I just thought the usual (dealers are sloppy f--k wits) - there was no line entry on the bill for carrying out a full four wheel re-alignment - and left it then got the TCA rear bushes changed to Cupra ones 6 months later - and the indie did a full four wheel re-alignment - then the steering wheel was central and no pulling to one side. Alas, this only lasted until the next MOT 9.5K miles 14 months later when the VW dealer discovered that the new front tyres were trashed after 9.5K due to alignment problems - I got them to do a full four wheel re-alignment - I'm scared to check the front tyre inside wear until nearer the MOT, just in case they was been trashed again. Great front suspension system these car have - well its cheap and cheery I suppose!

My Fabia was fine?

Mine follows the camber of the road too.... The main dealer I purchased it from had the tracking checked twice before I picked it up. ( I never saw a print out though )

mine is an 56 plate...always pulled straight.....had koni fsd's/eibachs/octy full brake conversion/jabba arb/strut brace and still pulls straight...

99% certain tracking will need doing after front bushes.

Had mine adjusted recently, print out shows its bang on, yet still occasionally its very marginally off to the left... might be road camber related, who knows!

was straight standard

since fitting rear arb, new wishbone bushes and coilovers pulls left badly.

had alignment done, no difference really

First off, thanks for all the helpful/informative responses, promptly posted.

Secondly, my Furbatron was at the local Skoda dealership today (although they took it elsewhere to be looked at) and the tracking was indeed found to be out... by a little.

I'd have liked another level of precision, degrees, radians or whatever, but 'a little' was all I got.

Prior to it going in, I tried various experiments to try to eliminate the possibility that the car was following the camber of the road.

I think perhaps the most telling one was done by, on a single carriageway, driving into the adjacent lane (and with an opposite camber) and trying to drive straight with the wheel at dead-ahead.

The result was that the car still tried to get back into its own lane.

I'd like to get a few more miles done and take in some long, straight stretches before I give a final verdict, but, so far, the verge-seeking nature my Furb developed after its bush job seems to have been eliminated.

Will report back in a wee whiley...

Just remember the term "tracking" is usually used by garages to describe the toeing of the front wheels, after things have been taken apart, its the more expensive four wheel alignment that needs to be checked and maybe adjusted - most garages leave that as a last resort as it will cost you more money than "tracking" - but the problem is that if the four wheel alignment, ie front <> rear alignment and/or camber are out, then playing around by doing some cheap toeing adjustments will just be hit or miss and always lead to some form of uneven tyre wear. The only fix is to sort the other elements of the alignment first.

Good point, well made, that man.

I'll check tomorrow to see what flavour of tracking it was.

Whatever one it was, it cost me 25 Green Queens plus VAT.

At that price I'd say it had to be "toeing" only! I think I ranted about this previously, but anyway, here it is again, my daughter bought a secondhand Ibiza 6K and I asked KwikFit to check the tracking as the steering whell was off-set and we had just replaced all the tyres, when I went back to pick it up the guy said that the problem was not toeing but wheel alignment and pointed out that one side had slight negative camber while the other side had huge posative camber! On his advice I took it to Seat dealer, they said no problem with car its the road camber - I said have another look at the camber of the front wheels, they agreed but said it could not be fixed without spending a lot of money, I pointed out that I was willing to pay so eventually they gave in and sorted it - it ran perfectly after that - it had been out by a mile probably been thumped against the kerb in that car's case.

I had a new wish bone and one side suspension rebuild recently after some damage. My Mechanic had it back to the laser aligners 3 times doing a 4 wheel, bless him! Now it pulls left like it did before.. but if you drive on the wrong side of the road (being stupendously careful of course) It pulls to the right and that made me satisfied it was just a quirk.

One thing I will add is, check your tyre pressures are the same each side. I had a slow leak on the NS wheel, made the pulling left notably worse until pumped back up to match the pressure of the drivers side!

I did wonder about purposefully making the NS wheel a couple of psi above the driver side.. maybe 33NS and 35FS? I haven't done this because I'm sure it's not safe.

OK, so the jury's back and the verdict is... guilty of going STRAIGHT!

W00t!

Even on visibly cambered roads, if I point the Furbatron at a target on the distant horizon and have the steering wheel set at dead-ahead, the car rolls inexorably towards it as the crow flies, deviating neither hither nor dither, one jot or iota.

For once I feel entirely justified in bringing on the :elefant: !!!

I had my superpro console bushes fitted at Jabbasport and they did the 4 wheel alignment for me. They adjusted the front sub frame to cancel out the left pull and it worked brilliantly. I have no pull to the left and the car drives straight and true.

Mine pulled to the left from new. Dealers said they all do a little bit also said if safe to do so try driving on the wrong side of the road and it pulls to the right, Which a mechanic proved, Plus the steering wheel was about 5 degrees out.

Took it to Awesome gti had 4 wheel alignement done and the difference is a lot better it will follow really severe cambers but not as bad as it was before. Not good for new car would think twice about buying another Skoda.

OK, so the jury's back and the verdict is... guilty of going STRAIGHT!

W00t!

Even on visibly cambered roads, if I point the Furbatron at a target on the distant horizon and have the steering wheel set at dead-ahead, the car rolls inexorably towards it as the crow flies, deviating neither hither nor dither, one jot or iota.

For once I feel entirely justified in bringing on the :elefant: !!!

How did you fix it?

At that price I'd say it had to be "toeing" only!

I can confirm that the tracking was of the four-wheel laser variety.

Looks likely my issue was simply with the tracking, whereas the issues all the other Left Pullers on here are having could be a mix of tracking/subframe/rear axle toe-in.

I suppose, at least if you've had your wheels aligned, then this variable can be removed from the equation and a solution can be looked for elsewhere.