Possible problem? vRS

[Petey099]

Hey guys, this might be me being paranoid or imagination but the past couple of days the car feels slightly "wobbly" at high speed 70/80..

Not 100% of the time just occasionaly, Feels like your driving on a really windy day.

Now it could be its windy outside but hasnt felt especialy so...

Ive checked the tyre tread which looks ok and the tyres dont look down at all.

Is there any common problems which this sounds like or ?

Thanks

Pete

[dstev2000]

My Octavia has been the same, feels very unsettled at motorway speeds, it feels like it's wandering across road cambers too. I checked my tyre pressures and they are fine so I am putting it down to the adverse weather.

Saying that, isn't the electro-hydraulic power steering supposed to correct for crosswinds and camber to an extent?

[Makefish]

I almost feel relieved to hear that others are experiencing the same issue, I thought it was down to wheel alignment but had that checked today and all was fine. Looks like it's the weather chaps!

[vRSLen]

I have had no problems in my combi, and various owners had

no problems in the MKI combie either. Must just be a hatch trait

[dstev2000]

Mines a Combi

I actually recall my old MkII Combi doing the same thing in windy weather.

[Guest]

I always just thought it was my erratic driving...

[djgritt]

Mine the same, but i put it down to the boot load of crap i have to carry daily weighing the back down too much. Maybe not then...

[vRSFred]

my TFSI hatch has been EXACTLY as you describe the past few weeks. I did same checks on tyre pressures/treads etc & am now convinced it is the high blustery winds (often not actually 'visible'). Never seemed to affect my last motor (120d) on same commute route - seems Octy II more prone.

vRSFred :(

[dstev2000]

Mine the same, but i put it down to the boot load of crap i have to carry daily weighing the back down too much. Maybe not then...

My boot is loaded to the rafters all the time but it's only twitchy and fidgety when it's windy like it is at the moment

[djgritt]

My boot is loaded to the rafters all the time but it's only twitchy and fidgety when it's windy like it is at the moment

Same here really. Wind, and on the lanes near home (****e due to tractors/flooding etc) are when its at its worst

I found the car sooooooo much better over the xmas break when i had an empty boot

[dstev2000]

Same here really. Wind, and on the lanes near home (****e due to tractors/flooding etc) are when its at its worst

I found the car sooooooo much better over the xmas break when i had an empty boot

No such luck, call outs over christmas = full boot all the time :thumbdwn:

When it is empty it doesn't half shift

[djgritt]

No such luck, call outs over christmas = full boot all the time :thumbdwn:

When it is empty it doesn't half shift

Callouts are the worst, luckily i was told to only respond to Hospital or MoD Breakdowns

And the one day i did work, when i got caught speeding, i was only carrying my Toolbox, Boots and Overalls, pity it cant be like that everyday

[dstev2000]

Callouts are the worst, luckily i was told to only respond to Hospital or MoD Breakdowns

And the one day i did work, when i got caught speeding, i was only carrying my Toolbox, Boots and Overalls, pity it cant be like that everyday

If you were fully laden it may have been a few MPH less than it was

[vimto2000]

Hmm i've had this in mine...however on the octy pool car...that feels planted at whatever speed!

Mine seems to have calmed down since its service tho! But before it use to be very unsettled at high speeds. I put it down to me putting 18's on!

[sandyacreuk]

Chaps, just looking through forum and came across your post. I have posted a similar reply on a different thread, but you may find it useful.

My Vrs began feeling very twitchy at motorway speeds, and needed constant minor steering input. Just like side wind, but it wasnt windy. I blamed the tyres, but all OK. I got tracking checked...all OK. However, the kit the garage used for tracking wasnt accurate enough.

I found a company that has a laser alignment system and within 5 mins found 3 out of the 4 wheels were out of alignment spec. Its absolutley minute tolerances, but it made huge difference in driving......M40 a tad over the speed limit (!!!) and quite happy to drive with finger and thumb.

Here's the printout. You may think its too small to make any difference, but it did.

[Jonah81]

I had the exactly same problem, first I tried to change tyre pressures and it only got worse. Then I was told that it is normal, as the car apparently tries to correct itself a bit when there are high crosswinds. It needed constant steering input at 50mph+.

After two weeks of trying different things, I asked for a laser wheel alignment and yes, the left front wheel Toe-in was off. Not much, but enough. It was corrected and now everything is in the alignment specs, a HUGE difference. Goes like a train on railroad track at whatever speed. It was not just the wind after all, it was the combination of wind and alignment and bad tarmac. The power steering tries to correct itself a bit, but it doesn't work well if the alignment is off.

It is a warranty job, if done within 6 months/10000km. Everybody should have it checked, as this is a very common issue. Of the three different Octavias I testdrove before buying mine, only one didn't have the issue. Two were going to have the alignment checked later. And get it checked with a laser, it is fast and very accurate.

On a good even tarmac (Central Europe, anyone?) one might not notice it, but in here the roads are quite rough due to the climate and studded tyres being used in the winter. If the alignment is off even a little, the car will be a handful. I would think that the roads in UK are not much different from ours.

BTW, Mercs have the same issue. I have a friend who works in a Merc retailers service center as a mechanic and he told that they do a lot of alignment jobs as the customers find their cars to be twitchy at higher speeds. They tend to come from the factory with wrong settings.

2.0 TDI Hatch, registered Feb '08.

[robb06210]

Another one here... I thought it was my tracking, but apparently it's not :confused:

[sandyacreuk]

I cant emphasise how much difference a laser alignment makes to high speed stability. I was really sceptical until I had it done. The tracking equipment used in most garages just isnt accurate enough, as were talking tenths of degrees here (see my report in this thread).

It cost about £14 quid to check it, then £40 to do the job.

I would recommend this to anyone. Check out this site to find local agents

www.AlignMyCar.co.uk

[taauus]

Hi all, new to the forum. I've got a 07 vRS TDI and have the very same problem as mentioned in this thread. I've done the wheel alignment with the abovementioned laser equipment (everything almost spot on) and played around with tyre pressures (Pilot Primacy at 2.7 bar currently) but still feel like the car is very fidgety in motorway speeds regardless it being windy or not.

I'm starting to feel a little desperate to get it fixed as I've just started commuting 130 miles a day and would like to have full confidence when driving. I love the car overall but this issue is really getting the better of me.

I've read some threads about the FSDs. Would anyone be able to confirm these make a difference in straight line handling at mway speeds?

P.s this is a great forum, has provided me with a ****load of info so far!

[Makefish]

2.7 bar seems way too high for the tyres! Standard should be 2.1 bar so I'd recomend reducing them to this and see what the effect is

[dougie vrs]

had that problem too,was down to the steering rack..replaced and now fine

[taauus]

Thanks for your replies guys. I've played around with tyre pressures for a while now (always cold tyres when measuring/adjusting) and found that anything below 2.4bar makes the handling even worse if possible.

I'll have to take the car to the dealer about the steering rack as it seems the last option available. Was there anything you had to show to prove this was the case or did they find the problem themselves?

[Petey099]

Mine seems to of fixed itself

Im putting it down to the wind that week