Hi all, annoying issue after new tyres and alignment as left me with a steering wheel that is a few mm's turned to the right in order to keep straight on the road. Have they done the tracking correctly?

I have ensured that I test on plenty of roads and allow for camber, but it seems that each time my steering wheel is always slightly to the right. Not that I made a note, but I'm sure it was ok with the Michelin's. I now have Bridgestone Tarunza 001s.

I have alignment pictures, but to me the latest ones look worse than the befores.

Pic one was just a check and before and after (pic 2) the steering wheel was perfectly straight.

Pics 3 was straight after new tyres and pic 4 is how the car is now, with the steering wheel not perfectly straight on a straight road.

They have checked it another 2 times since and still the issue remains. Something they are missing? Perhaps these tires are just more prone to camber?

Cheers for any advice!

They have totally mucked it up. all readings should be green. Get your money back and go to somewhere that knows whay there doing.

Completely agree with the above. Either go back and get them to do it "properly" or demand your money back. That said I personally wouldn't trust them to do it right now if that is what they have let you leave the workshop with

Edited 12 March, 201313 yr by Berniebloke

As others have said,get your money back & go elsewhere as that final print out shows,all is not well with the alignment & they should not of sent the car out like that.

Looks like the only thing they've adjusted is the front toe. The rest is out. As above, money back, go elsewhere.

That must be the worst alignment on a Hunter rig ever!

Just goes to show that having the correct equipment means nothing if an idiot is operating it.

Get your money back and go somewhere else that knows what they are doing.

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Not only should all the readings be green, you want equal toe and camber each side on the same axle, with the readings as close to the centre of the range as possible.

You should have readings of 0.00 for steer ahead and thrust angles.

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From new my steering wheel was slightly to the left. After an alignment check it was spot on but the front tyres wore out on the inner edge in just a few thousand miles. It went for another alignment check and was re-adjusted. This time the wheel was slightly to the right. However, tyres seem to be wearing much more evenly so I'm just living with steering wheel being slightly out; lesser of two evils!

Sarge.

Cheers all. Had it back in to another branch of the same chain in Bristol. The guy was much more enthusiastic and did give the impression he knew what he was doing.

Ended up with:

Front:

Camber:

Left -0.42'

Right -0.42'

Toe:

Left 0.6mm

Right 0.3mm

Rear:

Camber:

Left -1.30'

Right -1.30'

Toe:

Left 0.3mm

Right 0.6mm

Thrust angle - 0.02'

Does feel better though I think the new tires (Bridgestone Tarunza T001) are affected slightly more by the road camber than the Michelin's that were replaced.

Has that straightened up the steering wheel?

Sarge.

Please say that they didn't charge for this the second time? I once took my previous mk1 Octavia for alignment at national tyres as the fronts were wearing unevenly, then drive off to find that the car pulled and the steering wasn't straight- suffice to say I took it to another branch but had to argue that I wanted it done for free as it had not been done correctly and that I was unwilling to let the same idiot have another go. They attempted to suggest that I had hit a kerb driving that day despite there being no kerb marks on the alloys and only about 2 hours after the first attempt with a receipt to prove this.

Ive had several new VAG cars over the last few years; not one of them has had a dead centre steering wheel and hey have all pretty much pulled ever so slightly to the left.

I went to the effort of getting a 4 wheel alignment on one of them at a main dealers and they made it a million times worse, 2nd time car returned pretty much as it was originally. From experience unless you have a major problem (i.e youve hit a pothole or had an accident tp put the alignment well out of whack) i'd just leave it well alone. Youve got to do something pretty bad to really knock the alignment out on one of these, hit a nasty pothole in my Blackline the other day and no damage and no problems at all which was surprising in a positive way.

Nope, no charge at all. Chap was very good, showed me all of the laser alignment gubbins etc. Gave me confidence the car was set up correctly.

He went off on a bit of a tangent saying that after 2000 all cars have to have a slight pull to the left over time, to prevent drivers who've fallen asleep from slamming in to on-coming traffic...sounds plausible, though I've never heard that...

Annoying, since I can't remember the Michelin's doing this (steering wheel needing a slight rotate to the right on most roads), of if they did the wheel was so close to centre it was not noticeable. Those tires wore evenly. Spose I could kick off and see if I can change the tires to another brand, but could be in the same boat with those

It does seem to be the camber, on a slow, as level as you can get road, the steering wheel is straight. It's only slightly off when you're on a motorway or main A road driving at speed.

Cheers all. Had it back in to another branch of the same chain in Bristol. The guy was much more enthusiastic and did give the impression he knew what he was doing.

Ended up with:

Front:

Camber:

Left -0.42'

Right -0.42'

Toe:

Left 0.6mm

Right 0.3mm

Rear:

Camber:

Left -1.30'

Right -1.30'

Toe:

Left 0.3mm

Right 0.6mm

Thrust angle - 0.02'

Does feel better though I think the new tires (Bridgestone Tarunza T001) are affected slightly more by the road camber than the Michelin's that were replaced.

So your camber is now correct, but the toe isn't.

As I said in my previous post these need to be equal each side so you end up with steer ahead and thrust angles of zero.

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Ive had several new VAG cars over the last few years; not one of them has had a dead centre steering wheel and hey have all pretty much pulled ever so slightly to the left.

I went to the effort of getting a 4 wheel alignment on one of them at a main dealers and they made it a million times worse, 2nd time car returned pretty much as it was originally. From experience unless you have a major problem (i.e youve hit a pothole or had an accident tp put the alignment well out of whack) i'd just leave it well alone. Youve got to do something pretty bad to really knock the alignment out on one of these, hit a nasty pothole in my Blackline the other day and no damage and no problems at all which was surprising in a positive way.

They come from the factory out of alignment most of the time.

If anyone else is having this done avoid anywhere that calls it 4 wheel alignment and go somewhere that calls it geometry.

All a 4 wheel alignment will do is align the fronts with the rears. So, if your rears are out, guess what, you have just made it worse.

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Pardon me for being ignorant but I thought the only adjustment that can readily be made is to the front toe angle by adjusting the track rod ends. I thought camber and caster was fixed unless different bushes/spaces are fitted. If camber and caster are out then there's something wrong with the body. Enlightenment will be appreciated.

Teggy, yes, that was what I was told by the first Protyre Branch too...

Pardon me for being ignorant but I thought the only adjustment that can readily be made is to the front toe angle by adjusting the track rod ends. I thought camber and caster was fixed unless different bushes/spaces are fitted. If camber and caster are out then there's something wrong with the body. Enlightenment will be appreciated.

Camber can be adjusted but castor can't.

Pardon me for being ignorant but I thought the only adjustment that can readily be made is to the front toe angle by adjusting the track rod ends. I thought camber and caster was fixed unless different bushes/spaces are fitted. If camber and caster are out then there's something wrong with the body. Enlightenment will be appreciated.

Absolutely incorrect. Camber is adjustable by moving the rack and subframe, as well as there being some give in the mounts for the lower arm. There is also some give in the lower balljoint mounts to fine tune it. Toe is via the track rods once you have the camber sorted. Caster is not adjustable, but will alter slightly once camber and toe are sorted. If everything is in spec but caster is out you have something bent or need new top mounts.

The rear is fully adjustable for toe and camber.

I have had mine adjusted twice now at Drury Lane in Oldham and they have managed to get it absolutely spot on both times, so it is achievable. If you are paying for a geometry check I don't understand why you are coming away with uneven toe measurements and a car that will be crabbing very slightly. Steer ahead and thrust need to be 0.00 or it hasn't been done properly, simples.

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Hi All

Just read through this thread and my 2012 Octavia vrs I picked up yesterday has the steering wheel off centre, over to the left which is dammed annoying. Collected from main dealer would you get them to look at it or leave it alone, they had 2 new tyres fitted to the front but did not touch any alignment?

Thoughts?

Cheers

Ben

Thanks all, just want to say have no,evidence that wheels on the road are not set up right just the wheel in the car! Therefore going to save myself £89 quid and live with the steering wheel 15oC off to the left.

Simon