Hi guys

Just wondering if anyone can offer their thoughts, the general feel of steering on my Octavia has declined over the past 6 months, the overall feel is alot looser with quite a bit of play in the steering wheel and it generally feels quite light.

I've sort of perserved with it rather than getting the problem sorted but I've got to the point where it just needs sorting as its got past the niggle stage.

Recently I had the car serviced and asked the guys to check the front ARB bushes as I thought they might be the likely candidate causing the feeling of looseness. Helpful as ever the guys checked them but didn't think they needed changing but pointed out my front tyres were on their way out.

Upon changing the tyres I noticed the inside shoulder of the tyres were pretty much bald. Not quite sure what would likely cause this uneven wear - wishbones, or tie rods?

I've also noticed the tracking is slightly out, but guess its not even worth shelling out on the tracking until sorting out my first problem as this could inevitably throw things and mean the tracking needs to be redone.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

Edited 13 September, 201015 yr by MikeHowarth

I had severe inside shoulder wear on my tyres which turned out to be because I was bumping up and down the kerb every day to get on to our drive and the tyres were catching part of the suspension components. I suppose that can also damage and wear out wishbone bushes and tie rods too.

How do you're shocks feel when you do the bounce test and when you go over speed humps ???

Might be worth going to one of the local tyre places that offer a free wheel alignment check and see if they pick any problems out apart from the tracking, you can then go somewhere else and get the work done. Did this myself and cost me nowt.

Shocks probably look as though they could do with replacing. Looking through the service history this evening I can't even see that they've ever been replaced. At 130K I'd have thought they may have been replaced by now.

I'm sort of guessing its a combination of shot shocks and some of the bushes wishbone bush, ARB or similar.

I've booked it in to the garage on Wednesday so will see what they have to say. Unfortunately they're not exactly forthcoming sometimes so had hoped to generate a few ideas.

Yep it could be the shocks. My steering felt very vague for the 6 months or so before I replaced the shocks with coilovers.

i replaced my shocks all around a couple of years ago, in an attempt to cure some dodgy tyre wear on the rear of my estate, but unfortunately it did not help, and thus I resigned myself to assuming my car has a bent rear beam. The fronts seem to wear ok though.

I suspect that most garages which offer a free alignment check will always tell you that "you need to have a correction made, that will be £40 please sir". :wonder:

Edited 14 September, 201015 yr by mbames

Get the wishbones bushes checked.

As for an alignment check, always ask them what the "rear thrust angle" is; if they can't show you the value, then they've not done a proper alignment check.

Dropped the car off at the garage this morning, and the missus has just picked it up.

Spent a bit of time this morning describing the problem and equipped with some of the advice on this thread talked through what I thought it could be.

They've taken the car out for a drive and then put it on the ramp. He agreed the ride was 'a bit bumpy' but can't see anything that needs replacing. After those pearls of wisdom he said to the missus he'd do any work I wanted him to do.

Sort of defeats the object, I've taken it to him for his professional opinon, I'm not one to throw money at things for the for the sake of it.

Time to take it somewhere else I guess.