Hi,

Is there a fix for the car pulling to the left?

I've had proper 4 wheel alignment done including front and rear camber, toe, castor - you name it.

All is now spot on and it still drifts to the left constantly.

At the front the toe is 100% perfect, front camber is well within spec but ever so slightly more negative camber on the right.

so slightly more negative camber on the right.

Could be cause???????

If tyres are the same and pressures are all ok find a very flat empty road and drive down the middle. Most roads are camered so you are driving on a slope...if you let go of the steering the car will drift to the left anyway! If it still does it then you can get adjustable camber bushes for the console unit (rear bush on front wishbone) made by Superpro...these are offset and can help reduce the "Pull"

http://www.superpro.eu.com/catalogue/16/skoda-fabia-mki-2000-_to-2005/

All vag cars do it!

Something to do with being set up for driving on the continent.... (other side of road)

^^^^As above^^^^. However your alignment guy could fettle the toe in a touch, I know the recommended is Zero degrees but give 1/2degree a go at first and see how straight it goes then. From what I Remember on the all the forums it was rear suspension that causes the problem but a correction at the front is the easiest way out of it.

I've heard the continental setup reasoning before.. but don't buy it myself.. as the Fabia goes straight when on flat, and right when on the other side of the road...

Personally, I think it's the un adjustable rear that does it.. it IS setup to be camber sensitive (to keep you from on coming traffic, is normally given as the reason)..

A member who we don't see very often anymore (Basil) did actually find a shim that you bolt between the rear hub and the rear beam to adjust the alignment.. He said it improved handling and straightened up the cruise line of the car.

Here ya go.. His guide!

Easy solution, sell car, to rid pulling left problem.

Torque steer to left common trait with Fabia VRS MK1 , mine has done this since new some 6+ years ago.

Thanks for the replies.

Its not torque steer giandougl, it does it free-wheeling.

I cant see it been the front camber, they are not identical, but so close it would not cause such pulling.

The back is interesting, but it would only be the toe, not the camber causing such a pull.

It was all green though.

I'll try dig out the results and post them to look at.

ps. Is there anything that can be adjusted to change the front camber?

I know there is officailly nothing, but does anything allow a bit of movement?

ps. Is there anything that can be adjusted to change the front camber?

I know there is officailly nothing, but does anything allow a bit of movement?

No, unless you fit adjustable camber bolts.

Basils guide was the thread I remember about this problem and it is not just Fabias that have this problem, it also affects other VAG cars.

No, unless you fit adjustable camber bolts.

Basils guide was the thread I remember about this problem and it is not just Fabias that have this problem, it also affects other VAG cars.

ISTR camber bolts can't be used on the front end of a Fabia as the strut/hub joint isn't a simple bolt-up job. More that the strut sits in the hub, hence not really adjustable.

J,

There will be some very slight movement on the wishbone mount, lower ball joint and top mount but it will be the toe that affects the drifting. Wind out the passenger side steering arm half a turn or the drivers side in half a turn. That should improve things.

Try swapping the wheels around, left to right side.

I bet the pulling goes away now that you've had the alignment done (Assuming it's been done properly)

And as for VAG cars being set up to veer left - that's absolutely bull**** crap.

All 3 brand new VW golf mk4s I've had never drifted to any side!

Thanks for the replies.

Its not torque steer giandougl, it does it free-wheeling. (You mean out of gear or coasting/ or in gear running down a gradient without power applied ?)

Yeah it does it out of gear.

Both front tyres are brand new - that would have been nice and simple if they werent.

This reminds me - I forgot to try dig out the alignment sheet, I will look tonight.

I would like to present you something what we did with very low fabia VRS. It had fitted coils and Cupra bushes. We actualy had problem to get it on a ramp it was that low. We drove it first, as customer complained about excesive tyre wear plus pull to left side. After we tested, we found it had to much neg camber on right side and to much spread in caster. As this vehicle dont have adjustment and nothing was bent we adjusted cradle. It looked like someone who did bushes installed cradle in wrong place.

I know it will raise a lot of comment about front neg camber but even being out of range it doesnt mean its wrong. BTW... this car belongs to member from this forum. When he left and drove it, he came back to say it was different car. No pull and sterring responce was better.

Im not trying advertise my services here - its not allowed! but I want to point out that when you do alignment you need to think outside the box to be able to sort it and dealers go by what factory tells them or what warranty will accept. Each vehicle is different and it might drives different. Some will be able to align - some dont. As a prove check this print-out.

Hi guys,

I'm the said member whos car Piotr worked on.

Can't recommend these guys highly enough, car hasn't driven as good for ages.

If you are in the Leeds area give these guys a shout, as I will be using them again .

Give Piotr or artur a shout at ABC car service in pudsey

Thanks for the replies.

Its not torque steer giandougl, it does it free-wheeling.

I cant see it been the front camber, they are not identical, but so close it would not cause such pulling.

The back is interesting, but it would only be the toe, not the camber causing such a pull.

It was all green though.

I'll try dig out the results and post them to look at.

fred,

i have just rid my car of a small but persistent pull to the left.

not sure if this is relevant to you

fabia vrs is now at 90k

i got a local (non-skoda) garage to replace the main suspension bushes at about 60k.

these were the ones that were made of the wrong rubber (too soft) and only need replaced once.

i think you have to take the whole steering rack/hubs off to do this job

when it came back it had an annoying pull to the left - small, but persistent and pretty annoying as the precise steering is the best thing about the fabia

after ranting a few times at the guy and getting nowhere i gave up and got used to it

now at 90k and many potholes later my garage informed me at last service that the steering rods were worn (tie rods on one side at wheel end and both track rods at steering rack end).

after replacing both tie rods and both track rods and replacing the damaged tires and doing alignment of wheels the pull left is finally gone.

i think the problem on my car was caused by two things

- one the bad adjustment of the tie/track rods at reassembly after the bushes were fitted

- gradual wear and tear on the steering assembly causing toe out and tyre wear

good luck!

if you are going the route i went then the dealer price repair is not cheap but much cheaper options out there (half price)

bre

Can't recommend these guys highly enough, car hasn't driven as good for ages.

If you are in the Leeds area give these guys a shout, as I will be using them again .

Give Piotr or artur a shout at ABC car service in pudsey

+1

Thanks for the recommendation - I visited today to get my Octavia sorted. They did a great job.

I've added a recommendation in the Tuners and Workshops section in a post "4 wheel alignment in Leeds & Bradford":

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/217475-4-wheel-alignment-in-leeds-bradford-area/page__view__findpost__p__2559340

mine pulls to the left and i just had the right hand track rod end replaced and tracking done after a pot hole broke it. also got some horrible wheel wobble at 68 mph and wobbles when breaking hard at speed. any ideas? going to take it to a garage tomorrow see what the say but needs to be sort before i drive from hastings to cumbria on monday.

Wobbly brakes is normally an unevenly worn disc... but wheel wobble at a set speed is normally an un balanced wheel. I suppose you might get both symptoms from a bent wheel?

Well worn pads can also give wobble when braking, its not always the discs.

mine pulls to the left and i just had the right hand track rod end replaced and tracking done after a pot hole broke it. also got some horrible wheel wobble at 68 mph and wobbles when breaking hard at speed. any ideas? going to take it to a garage tomorrow see what the say but needs to be sort before i drive from hastings to cumbria on monday.

wobble at speed that is wheel balance problem. If you have wobble while braking - then you have warped brake discs - need changing.

I'm going to give ABC a go in a week, if they solve the issue then they are clearly pro.

I thought I'd found an amazing wheel alignment place, but they haven't solved it. If this new company do then I will let you all know and you can bombard him with pulling VAGs. I already have a TT with the same thing that was never resolved as well!!

+1

Thanks for the recommendation - I visited today to get my Octavia sorted. They did a great job.

I've added a recommendation in the Tuners and Workshops section in a post "4 wheel alignment in Leeds & Bradford":

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/217475-4-wheel-alignment-in-leeds-bradford-area/page__view__findpost__p__2559340

Glad to hear Piotr sorted you out, I work across the road from these guys who only have set up about 2 months ago.

I would recommend them to anyone, excellent service, good price and most of all hell of a lot of knowledge.

Glad to hear recommendations work, happy driving, and I'll say a big thanks from you to Piotr and Arthur tomorrow