Evening all. My 1.2 dsg Yeti has just had its first service at 5100 miles, by a Skoda dealer.

One problem only, flagged in red, under Wheel Alignment. Total Rear Tow is shown as 0.20° on one side, and 0.00° on the other. The second figure is flagged as being the problem. Can't be sure which side is which, but it doesn't matter I don't think. 

All tyres are worn completely evenly across the tread, in their pairs. 

I am wondering if the car was delivered to me like this, or did the wheel alignment just go out by itself, or could it be caused by a very light brush with a kerb or pothole? It's had an easy life. 

£59.95 would be the cost of rectification. I'm a bit disappointed. Any thoughts, anyone? 

 

If the tyre doesn’t reflect the situation, I would do nothing.

Thanks, Ryeman. I did see similar advice under a slightly different topic, which prompted me to ask. 

If the wheel has only recently gone out of alignment, for whatever reason, that could explain why there is no sign yet of uneven wear on the tyre.

Geometry checks as part of a first service. Is that normal?

If they had gone to the trouble of checking the alignment why didn’t they adjust it there and then,it’s usually only done when mot/tyre centres are looking for business to cover cost of 4wheel tracking systems.

Yes, my thoughts exactly. It could have been done in two minutes. Now I would have to do another 70 mile return trip to take it back in. 

Did the dealer risk losing a star, then, by not contacting you as soon as they found the discrepancy?  Could have been dealt with while they had the car there. 

The tyres tell the story with wear patterns. I had two Hankook fronts fitted last year and depending where I place the tyre depth gauge around the tyre the depth changes slightly so are tyres manufactured to not exacting limits.

On 29/07/2018 at 22:51, PeterKn said:

Evening all. My 1.2 dsg Yeti has just had its first service at 5100 miles, by a Skoda dealer.

One problem only, flagged in red, under Wheel Alignment. Total Rear Tow is shown as 0.20° on one side, and 0.00° on the other. The second figure is flagged as being the problem. Can't be sure which side is which, but it doesn't matter I don't think. 

All tyres are worn completely evenly across the tread, in their pairs. 

I am wondering if the car was delivered to me like this, or did the wheel alignment just go out by itself, or could it be caused by a very light brush with a kerb or pothole? It's had an easy life. 

£59.95 would be the cost of rectification. I'm a bit disappointed. Any thoughts, anyone? 

 

Our car. First service. Same experience exactly. Tyres show no sign of odd wear. Garage said they could rectify the 'problem' for £94, I declined and will wait to see any undue wear. At same time another car owner was told the same thing. One does just wonder....!

I have no obvious uneven wear on mine but slight steering offset so decided to get it checked by my local alignment place.

It was quite a way out, £75 and all now straight again. Just because there is no wear doesn't mean that the alignment is spot on.

" steering offset " - Can you enlarge on that. Steering wheel at an abnormal position when road wheels are dead ahead perhaps? Has it been 'kerbed'? If not what alerted you?

Edited 10 August, 20187 yr by longedge

I'm not saying these dealers are wrong but I'm a little cynical about them getting money out of us for little or no reason.

 

Some examples of money making exercises I've heard of are new wiper blades,new brake discs,aircon regas and tyre tread depths close to illegal.

 

Some genuine but mostly scaremongering and unnecessary. 

24 minutes ago, longedge said:

" steering offset " - Can you enlarge on that. Steering wheel at an abnormal position when road wheels are dead ahead perhaps? Has it been 'kerbed'? If not what alerted you?

Straight on meant the steering was a couple of degrees off centre I have had a few potholes ;( but nothing out of the ordinary 

Ah right, then you initiated the check but the O.P. is saying that as part of a first service the dealer took it on themselves to do a geometry check. My first service certainly didn't include that.