To the OP: You're saying that the difference is so extreme that effectively your left arm needs to be an inch longer than your right?

If so, then that's a massive mistake. All cars will have a certain quirk of fitment that could be annoying, or at least irritating, but that sounds bloody dangerous.

Have you measured your arms? Seriously though, I'd play with the reach and height adjuster and see how it affects it.

Also, have you actually sat in the dealer's cars and noticed the exact same thing, or are they just telling you that?

I've had some rubbish cars in my time but none of them had the steering wheel angled away from the driver on one side at a 1" bias. Not even the Talbot Horizon :(

I will have to go and check mine (2011) I took it out of the garage today for first time in a week to pop to shops :( I bet it rains now too. Richie just noticed in your infor under avatar says Nova GSi RESPECT! do you have any pics of it?????

I have got a few pics. I'll try to upload them. She's up for sale now though as I just don't have the time to enjoy her. On piston heads, hoping she goes to an enthusiast as there's only 57 left licences on the road last time I checked.

To the OP: You're saying that the difference is so extreme that effectively your left arm needs to be an inch longer than your right?

If so, then that's a massive mistake. All cars will have a certain quirk of fitment that could be annoying, or at least irritating, but that sounds bloody dangerous.

Have you measured your arms? Seriously though, I'd play with the reach and height adjuster and see how it affects it.

Also, have you actually sat in the dealer's cars and noticed the exact same thing, or are they just telling you that?

I've had some rubbish cars in my time but none of them had the steering wheel angled away from the driver on one side at a 1" bias. Not even the Talbot Horizon :(

Yes that's correct. I measured from the seat back to each side of the steering wheel and the left side measured 27" and the right side measured 26". I know it's not an exact distance as the wheel is not in the middle of the seat so the curvature of the seat back affects its slightly.

I have moved the column in and out, up and down and there is no difference. Always angled to the left.

Noticed it a while ago but now my mileage has gone from 10k a year to 21k a year it's really starting to annoy me. I've had 11 cars in the past 15 years (3 Octavias) including a home built kit car and none have been like this. Still waiting to hear from Skoda UK

Forgot to say, didn't look at the cars the garage had in stock, ran out of time as I got there so late after work. Thought asking on here would be the best way to get the bigger picture

Edited 31 May, 201214 yr by RichieJ

I have got a few pics. I'll try to upload them. She's up for sale now though as I just don't have the time to enjoy her. On piston heads, hoping she goes to an enthusiast as there's only 57 left licences on the road last time I checked.

Got a link to the for sale advert?

You're a ****** and I hate you for posting this.

Mine is off to the left too, about 4mm on one side probably about 10mm on the other. Never been in a shunt and I've had the car from new.

I did ask to ahve the steering looked at once upon a time as it was off centre. Never noticed this before or after.

I'll have to sell the car now, I'll be looking down the back of my steering wheel forever

You're a ****** and I hate you for posting this.

Mine is off to the left too, about 4mm on one side probably about 10mm on the other. Never been in a shunt and I've had the car from new.

I did ask to ahve the steering looked at once upon a time as it was off centre. Never noticed this before or after.

I'll have to sell the car now, I'll be looking down the back of my steering wheel forever

Sorry, it is very annoying, if I do hear back from Skoda UK I will post on here what they say. Tempted to go back to the dealers and show them this forum now. They were helpful and i dont want to knock them for service as I do believe they wern't trying to fob me off.

Got a link to the for sale advert?

Here's the link, just reduced the price now http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/classifieds/3922132.htm

You're a ****** and I hate you for posting this.

Mine is off to the left too, about 4mm on one side probably about 10mm on the other. Never been in a shunt and I've had the car from new.

I did ask to ahve the steering looked at once upon a time as it was off centre. Never noticed this before or after.

I'll have to sell the car now, I'll be looking down the back of my steering wheel forever

Agreed. I just checked mine. Slightly to the left by about 3mm. Harumph!

just checked my 11 plate its a few mm to the left

I checked my 11 plate and my brothers 12 plate and both are perfectly central

Checked my 10 plate today and it is central with similar gap either side. Like others if it had been offset it would driven me mad looking.

My 58 plate is 3mm more to the left. How can this possibly be normal? If it is a fault in refuse to pay for it to be corrected.

checked a 09 audi a3 today that was slighty to the left aswell

ooops everyone will be getting paranoid about there cars now!

even though it was fine and has been fine , now they know the boss isnt quite central

Checked mine - dead central - whew!

My 56 plates perfectly aligned , these FLs are slapped together

My 56 plates perfectly aligned , these FLs are slapped together

Mine is an 07!

What I did notice is that the Whole dash is a 3-4mm offset to the left. Drivers door has a bigger gap than passenger (bugger all on passenger side) so it might actually be the dash that's off not the column or a combination of both.

I still curse the OP for having pointed this out

The dash in my car is central so there must be some other reason for the steering wheel being offset.

P.S. I hadn't noticed the steering wheel offset prior to reading this thread and I can't see it affecting my enjoyment of my car.

ooops everyone will be getting paranoid about there cars now!

My passenger side carpet is 0.83 mm thinner than the driver's side AND there are two marks on it.

Finally got a reply from Skoda UK. It did however take 2 furthe emails and a phone call to get there though. This is part of their email they replied with

Our factory liaison has advised that the steering column in your vehicle would have been fitted by a series of robotic machines.

Due to the scale of operations at our factories in Mlada Boleslav and Kvasiny, the vehicle assembly process is heavily automated

with the majority of major components being assembled and fitted on the production line by machines, rather than by more

traditional manual means. I confirm that all of our products are subject to ongoing testing, to ensure the quality of our parts

and vehicles is of the highest standard.

Our quality control testing is designed to ensure that no defects or operational faults are apparent at the time of build. The

position of the steering column having a very small asymmetrical difference does not cause any defect or fault with the

operation of the vehicle, As confirmed previously by Winchester ŠKODA

Not happy with that responce, so I've replied to them with the folllowing

Ben,

Many thanks for your reply,

However as someone who has spent the last 15 years in engineering (6 years in manufacturing, and 9 years in aerospace), I realise that cars these days are built using robots which operate to minuet tolerances. What I cannot understand is that how mine, and many others are offset, when the majority are central to the rest on the binnacle. I know Winchester Skoda said they checked all the cars they had and they were all offset. I however dropped my car off at Sparshatts Skoda in Fareham on Saturday, as there is a unknown fault code on it (which Skoda Assist have been excellent about) and proceeded to look at the Octavias they had in the showroom. All steering columns were perfectly in the middle!

You say in your reply that "having a very small asymmetrical difference does not cause any defect or fault with the operation of the vehicle". I have a difference of over 10mm. This, with the angle of the wheel, as I stated in my original email, makes a difference of 1" (25mm) to the distance from the seat back to each side of the steering wheel. So if my left arm was approximately 1" longer then I would be comfortable in the car. I'm sorry to say, both my arms are of equal length which is causing the issue. 10mm is a massive tolerance in carpentry, the construction industry and especially automotive engineering! If this is the tolerance with which the Octavia is being built with, why are the Fabias, Yetis and Superbs, all of which I have previously driven, being built to a better standard, as I have never driven one with an offset wheel! In fact I think the only other car I have driven with an offset wheel is my 1991 Vauxhall Nova!

I would love for someone from customer services, or the quality control department to come and see my car (when I get it back) and explain to me that they feel this is an acceptable tolerance.

Many Thanks In Anticipation

Richard Jordan EngTech TMIET

Lets see how long it takes and how they respond this time.

What a crap reply skoda came back with. You should gather names start a petition say over 3 months and hit skoda with the list of owners with offsets. They cant ignore a mass complaint offer such an issue. It a health issue as a long drive would put strain on lower back as it be twisted slightly and up to the shoulder on the affected side. Ergonomically this car would and should fail.

Reply is roughly blah blah blah, our cars are fine, we're not listening, iIcan't hear you.

Customer service doesn't seem to be top knotch, which is a shame, because that'll write off all of VAG for the next car change.

i hope some of you guys are now realising the customer service from Skoda is pahtetic at best!

Thats a set standard reply to be honest i highly doubt you will get anywhere with this.

Now my other thought on this is this...

The vehicles with offset steering have they had any issue with the steering rack?? just a possible thought i could be way out on this (bit like the alignment and steering on these cars)

Could it be that the steering mechanism is ok on all of them but it is the dash that is slightly offset? In other words, the relatively large mixture of hard and soft components that make up the entire dash and is in effect wedged between the inside walls of the car - well there is a lot of room for small "non mechanical" variations there surely, whereas the important mechanical structure of the steering column, down to the rack, and relative to the chassis hardware, could be correct regardless of the trim position.

I don't reckon there is anything wrong with the steering set up as Winchester Skoda did say they checked it all. I do believe them. I also don't think it's the position of the dash as this would not put the steering wheel at an angle. As I mentioned in the post and email, there is approximately an inch difference between the distance from each side if the steering wheel and seat back.

Mine is slightly smaller on the left hand side gap too!