Hi all,

Can somebody help and suggest what could be causing my car to drift?

Here is a little background and what I have tried so far.

I brought my current Octy II FL TSI used in a private sale after previously owning a FL TDI. During the test drive I noticed the steering wheel was out to the right slightly when going straight on a flat road. It had a virtually bald tyre on the front right so I suspected that the cause. The owner said the reason for the wear is he only changed the near side when that failed the MOT due to having a nail in it. Due to financial reasons and to get it past the MOT he only changed the near side. All else was good so I brought the car. On the drive home I noticed that when the wheel was straight it would drift to the left but thought this consistent with the tyre wear.

Straight away I got two new Avon ZV7 put on the front and took it for a wheel alignment. I asked how much the alignment was out and they said “not much.” However, the steering was still out and the car still drifting to the left with the wheel straight. So I returned it and they checked it and all the suspension parts and said it was fine. But still steering wheel out and drifting.

So I took the car to have a hunter wheel alignment front and rear this time at a local Kwikfit (closest Hunter to me). All was done and set to manufacturer specs. All but the off side camber which was still within tolerances in the green. The technician said the subframe would need removing and was so insignificant it wouldn't be worth the hassle as it doesn't affect steering. I was due to go on a journey up north so didn’t have the time either so didn't have it done. Anyway, car still drifting left with steering wheel straight.

After returning home I returned the car to Kwikfit and they even let me set up the steering wheel myself and so could see it was central. The technician checked it all again and checked all the steering and suspension components. He was baffled by it and sent me to another branch in case their machine was calibrated incorrectly. They checked the work and all the components as well. However car is still drifting left.

My pervious TDI VRS had new shock absorbers and wondered if it was all in my head because of this and the TSI was more sensitive to the road. So I decided to get a second opinion, my Dad drove the car and said it was fine. A mechanic who is also an amatuer Motorsport driver and team owner drove the car and said it is fine (although on local uneven roads) but my father in law agrees with me.I’ve experimented with tyre pressures, seating position and accounted for road camber.

I was just starting to tell myself it was all in my head but spent the majority of a journey to Drayton Manor yesterday with my steering pointed slightly right on straight flat roads.

I am going to take the car back to Kwikfit and asked them to do the front camber no matter how tricky as this is the only thing out. However I am sure I read on here that front camber on the FL can't be adjusted, is this right?

Would the slight camber misalignment be causing a drift to the opposite side?

If not, is there anything else I can check or try bearing in mind a few people have said the suspension and steering components are fine.

Thanks.

Probably first thing to check is are all your brakes clean, free and not binding? Lift the corners up and check you can spin them freely, if not its brake strip/clean/ fettle carriers/grease time.

All VAG cars are camber sensitive and grow more so as they age (probably due to wear in the steering rack combined with total wear in all suspension joints). You can test this if you have access to an empty road and compare the drift when driving on the right vs the left side.

Rear tyres / geometry affects drift. Check those rears tyres for sawtoothing or abnormal wear pattern and swap left/right (unless they are directional tyres which you cant swap, but do check they are correctly installed for rotation). The vehicle may be crabbing.

One last point, if you are a heavy person that drives on your own, you should really check alignment with you or your equivalent weight in the drivers seat, this affects geometry, paricularly camber left/right.

Edited 9 August, 20169 yr by xman

Thanks,

Rear camber and toe was aligned. Was going to give swapping tyres left to right a go. My car is 2010 so would that be in the age bracket to become camber sensitive? My TDI was also 2010 and didn't drift. I have tried driving on opposite road camber and that is the time the car drivers straight with the steering wheel straight so the right side camber counters the pull to the left.

I'm not heavy but logical. Now you mention it, it does seem worse on motorways / A roads. The occassions I have driven on these road the rear of the car has had more persons and luggage in the boot. But figured this to be the higher speeds. Covering more ground so drifting quicker.

You need to check your brakes are completely freed off, my sons octavia got to the stage where all wheels were binding/overheating badly, generating tons of brake dust. Despite regular dealer servicing, this was never addressed, the carriers had a build up of corrosion and brake debris, keeping the pads in constant contact. the dealer had NEVER took the wheels off and cleaned the brakes in 75000 miles!!!! (Bye bye dealer servicing)

When I jacked the car up, it was impossible to move any wheel by hand, some corners were worse than others...

Edited 9 August, 20169 yr by xman

I just had a similar drifting left problem on my van. I put 2 new tyres on the front and it was even worse.

It turned out to be a driver's side CV joint was worn. There were no rotational clicking noises or whining etc that would normally alert me to there being a problem. My mechanic checked it out and discovered the issue. He fitted a new driveshaft and it is much better now. I will also get the alignment checked by a local specialist on his hunter kit just to make sure all is OK.

Edited 9 August, 20169 yr by FatblokeVRS

Here are the two alignment print outs for Kwikfit. The black and white is the first Kwikfit I went to, the colour is the second. I've noticed there is some differences between the two considering I went from one to the other in 20 minutes. I though all in the green.

Does anyone know if front camber can be adjusted and how?