So, quick story….. 

 

I bought my 2018 L&K 272 last August.  The steering / tracking has never felt right.  

 

I sent it back to the original dealer for the tracking to be sorted (amongst a few other things). It was better, but not perfect.  

 

I then paid three times for the tracking to be checked. All three times (🤦‍♂️) I was told it was spot on, but the car didn’t feel right as the wheel kept turning itself very slightly to the left.  I was an unhappy bunny. 

 

Whilst wondering what to do next, I went ahead with my Stage 1 plan through Avon Tuning. It is now a L&K 350 💪🏼 

 

Yesterday was a big day!

 

I took it to Skoda (my local dealer rather than the one I bought it from). 

I said, “I bought this car Used Approved 7 months ago, and there is something wrong with the steering.  Please help me sort it!  PS the suspension is creaking too, and it shouldn’t be at <30k miles”. 

 

Result:

Two new front suspension bushes, steering angle sensor discovered to be 3% out and rectified (the culprit!) and tracking redone. 

 

All sorted under the Used Approved Warranty. 

 

My larger, family-sized, tech and toys-laden ‘Golf R‘ (although probably even faster) now drives as it should and is unbelievable!!   Happy man.

Thank you to Heritage Skoda Weston super Mare!!  You have done an amazing job! 👏🏻👏🏻

 

Nice one and we’ll done for persisting too. 👍🏻
When you say “turning itself very slightly to the left” did that mean you had to constantly apply pressure to the wheel to correct it to the right? 
 

I have an annoyance with the steering wheel, in that it’s aligned to the left and it’d have to be set “between splines” to correct it. The tracking is spot-on so I’m loathed to get it fiddled with and “tracked out”, cos as sure as eggs are eggs, they’ll fe*k it up and I’ll have shredded fronts in 1000 miles. 🙄

27 minutes ago, numskull said:

Nice one and we’ll done for persisting too. 👍🏻
When you say “turning itself very slightly to the left” did that mean you had to constantly apply pressure to the wheel to correct it to the right? 
 

I have an annoyance with the steering wheel, in that it’s aligned to the left and it’d have to be set “between splines” to correct it. The tracking is spot-on so I’m loathed to get it fiddled with and “tracked out”, cos as sure as eggs are eggs, they’ll fe*k it up and I’ll have shredded fronts in 1000 miles. 🙄

The wheel would move slightly to the left every time I let go of it.  If I took hands completely off, it would be pretty much straight, but any bumps etc and it would move slightly left.  The car drove straight. 
 

I knew something wasn’t right beyond the tracking.  It’s possible your steering angle sensor is not correctly set, like mine?  
 

Other things I checked were suspension and steering components and tyres - their wear, whether rotating the right way, change left to right etc.  
 

The old dampers were creaking at slow speeds when I first set off in the morning and over-bouncy.  The new ones are quiet (for how long who knows) and firmer.  
 

Good luck getting to the bottom of it! It is definitely worth persisting! Once it is right, it just feels perfect - tracks straight and turns in well.  

Mine seems also to be a bit out to the left too. 

Do we think the steering angle sensor is something we can rectify through Obd11 after an alignment? 

11 hours ago, Calskil said:

Mine seems also to be a bit out to the left too. 

Do we think the steering angle sensor is something we can rectify through Obd11 after an alignment? 

No idea.  I’m sure someone on here will know though! 

Ohhh mine does the left thing too had it all aligned etc etc and still same. Well mine if I put the wheel straight the car goes right a tad. Straight and the steering wheel is ever so slightly to the left 

3 minutes ago, short1uk said:

Ohhh mine does the left thing too had it all aligned etc etc and still same. Well mine if I put the wheel straight the car goes right a tad. Straight and the steering wheel is ever so slightly to the left 

Maybe worth getting the steering angle sensor checked. 

Of course, most of our roads are cambered, so worth taking it across to the right side of the road (when safe to do so! 🤣) and seeing what effect that has.  On mine, before the fix, I did this and just had to steer even further to the left to keep going straight.  

Same here I always feel my steering wheel is ever so slightly off centre to the left then going straight. Tracks straight so I just accept it. 

Seems a few have wheel slightly to the left….

 

During my 4 alignments, one guy who seemed decent enough, said that in the UK cars are set up to drift slightly left if the driver is no longer steering for any reason (e.g. medical emergency) so head-on collisions are less likely.  And the opposite on the continent.  
 

Wasn’t sure whether he was talking tosh or not.  I would have though natural camber would suffice. 
 

Anyway, I’m not a mechanic.  Perhaps someone else knows more? 

Someone who knows more? Must be another mechanic 😆

 

Many mechanics will (believe they) know more than anyone else and trot out no end of memorable lines like that.

same problem for me too,tracks to the right, is  LHD.

I managed to solve it just by rotating wheels rear to front for winters (16 inches with brand new wredestein tyres)because they are directional tyres. 

Switching to summer wheels 18 the tracking coms back and solved it second time by inverting front wheels,non directional Pirelli P7

Because of soft control arm bushes I found the car being very sensitive to road inclination.

Edited 18 April, 20233 yr by IulianE

1 hour ago, IulianE said:

same problem for me too,tracks to the right, is  LHD.

I managed to solve it just by rotating wheels rear to front for winters (16 inches with brand new wredestein tyres)because they are directional tyres. 

Switching to summer wheels 18 the tracking coms back and solved it second time by inverting front wheels,non directional Pirelli P7

Because of soft control arm bushes I found the car being very sensitive to road inclination.

Interesting and in particular your last point. 
 

There is no doubt the Superb is sensitive to the road camber / inclination.  

On 13/04/2023 at 10:00, numskull said:

I have an annoyance with the steering wheel, in that it’s aligned to the left and it’d have to be set “between splines” to correct it.

You need to get the tie-rods adjusted equally but opposite (one lengthened, one shortened) so that the rack is centred while the wheel alignment stays the same. This happens because most garages won't do more than adjust one tie-rod to get the toe-in correct, which leaves the rack off-centre.