i have owned my 2001 Fabia 1.9 tdi pd now for about two weeks, firstly i must say it's the best car i have ever owned and i really enjoy diving it but there is one problem.

while driving at any speed , if i release the steering wheel it go left , if i hold the wheel dead level it go straight and doesnt pull .to try and sort out my problem i have had 4 new tyres,both lower wishbone rear bushes replaced ,all the wheels re-balanced and the traking done but still it remains, i have been told by a local vw/audi specialist that "yeah they do that" ,But surely it didn't drive out the showroom like that so whats going on

please help !!!!!!!

Edited 13 April, 201016 yr by adamrock11

They really do "all do that"; it's a safety feature, to take you away from oncoming traffic if you fall asleep at the wheel.

Edited 13 April, 201016 yr by KenONeill

They really do "all do that"; it's a safety feature, to take you away from oncoming traffic if you fall asleep at the wheel.

Genius!....except it takes me towards the kerb when my attention is lacking!

Although your replies are funny and successfully made me look like a chuckling idiot sat at my desk, this does not aid me in my quest to make my fabia go straight,because at the minuet it's about as straight as the host of supermarket sweep. :p

Edited 13 April, 201016 yr by adamrock11

If you move to the middle of the Road & let go (So the Road Camber is as equall as possible)... Which way does it pull then ??

Dean

Harsh, very harsh.... Mr. Winton does not deserve that kind of treatment! Anyway, as a sensible driver should you not have hold of the wheel at all times? Or are you some sort of daredevil? Mine does pull slightly to the left, but nothing a limp wristed hold of the wheel won't correct!

Although your replies are funny and successfully made me look like a chuckling idiot sat at my desk, this does not aid me in my quest to make my fabia go straight,because at the minuet it's about as straight as the host of supermarket sweep. :p

Nice quote

Fabias do seem to have quite a strong tendency to follow the camber of the road, but if you feel yours is excessive you'll need to get a full four wheel alignment done by a specialist who knows what they're doing. Try www.alignmycar.co.uk to find one in your area.

Edited 13 April, 201016 yr by JulieD

If you move to the middle of the Road & let go (So the Road Camber is as equall as possible)... Which way does it pull then ??

Dean

It will drift off left the instant i let go, on perfectly flet tarmac the wheel will turn approx 7mm(top of wheel) left evan at 5mph.

It will drift off left the instant i let go, on perfectly flet tarmac the wheel will turn approx 7mm(top of wheel) left evan at 5mph.

Hi adam. I was having the exact same problems with my fabia as you. Almost like the steering wheel springs to the left. I will find it hard to narrow down how i fixed it but here goes. First of all my girlfriend haven driven into craters of potholes and created the problem :wonder: So i got fitted two anti rollbar links, ball joint (on left hand side) and the tie rod on the steering rack.(left hand side also). I had a four wheel alignment done after all this and it drives good again. I has a slight pull to the left which is probably the camber on the road nownot a sudden dangerous spring of a turn like before. i reckon all the above problems contributed to it but have your tie rods checked certainly could be the most likely in your case.

And to all those taking the **** this is one seriously annoying problem and you can feel the pull to the left even with two hands on the wheel.

As stated by many above, They do pull to the left slightly ..... Might you have a binding brake ?? Is one side/wheel more dusty then the other & maybe hotter .. Spit on Finger test & Touch ... Sizzle -- Ouch

Dean

Mine never used to, but is now insisting on pulling slightly to the left. Had tyres changed since and 2 alignments done (on 2 separate hunters) and they're both spot on. The second one was done by a company called A-Line in dudley, and they were spot on... spent about 15 minutes with them trying to think of things that may be causing it without much luck though. They gave me several print outs... seems theres only 2 mm difference between the left and right sides of the car

As mentioned I did also notice that my rear handbrake mech was ceasing slightly and not releasing causing the pads to bind slowly cooking my disc on the drivers side! I'd recommend anyone checking this out, its fairly easy. park, hand brake on, hand brake off, get under the back of the car and see if the handbrake mech has let go... I had to manually open mine, cable was free but it the mech was stiff and dirty. Fitted some handbrake release springs from a sharan and it opens fine on its own now

Am living with it for the time being, but its frickin annoying! Mine doesn't sound as pronounced as yours though, I can't feel it pull as such, just if i let go it drifts... within 4-5 seconds i'd be up the gutter on most roads.

It could be that the roll bar has moved over, check the gap between the bar and consoles on each side.

Try swapping over the front tyres and see if it pulls to the right. I had a distorted tyre on one of my other cars gving the same issue

Try swapping over the front tyres and see if it pulls to the right. I had a distorted tyre on one of my other cars gving the same issue

I have had the tyres swapped over all ways, front, back ,left to right, but sadly no difference. I have had it four wheel aligned as well, with nothing showing wrong. I have evan had a new m.o.t and asked the tester to be a thorough as possible on the arms and bushes and they were all perfect. i have had three independent garages check it out but nobody can sort it .i also find the car follows the camber of the road very aggressively, is this just the fabia ? like the dealer said "thats what they do" Am i just going to have to live with it ? :S

Mine did the same

4 wheel alignment cured it .

Mine did the same

4 wheel alignment cured it .

im off the listers for my four wheel alignment now, fingers crossed :yes:

You can fit shims between the rear hub and axle that if set correctly remove even the camber sensitivity.

Basil did a guide once but have no idea where to find it now.

Mine does it like everyone else's. I get it slight exaggerated by the fact that I go around several round abouts on my daily commute and as a result the tyres wear a touch faster on the N/S shoulders. I know it's this because whenever I fit new tyres it goes back to normal for a few thousand miles.