RaineMan

So... my alignment's been out for the past couple of weeks... it had been perfect for like 5000 miles, then the car decided to start going ever so slightly to the right. I'm not talking pulling... when you let go of the wheel it'll pretty much stay where you have it aimed (unless you're in a sharp turn). But I have to drive with the wheel "cocked" slightly to the left in order for the car to track straight. If I level the wheel so that it is even with the steering column across the top and the upper bars where the radio controls are level with eachother... the car slowly starts merging to the right like I'm changing lanes.

I explained this to the dealer this morning when I dropped it off and they supposedly "aligned" it... says so on the bill of labor. But lo and behold it's now even worse than it was before. So now it's gonna be going back there... to be realigned... for the 4th time. I had this same problem when I first got the car and it took 2 attempts to fix.

Is there anything else that can be done to prevent this from happening again? Alignment is really one of my pet peeves and it drives me absolutely crazy when it is off by even a little. I realise that our car's steering is really sensitive and a slight crown in the road will make the car pull one way or the other... that's not what this is. Would the upgraded steering knuckles or anything help?

alleycat58

Look for signs of uneven wear on the tires, when mine was out of alignment there was a "ridge" on the tire. Several people told me to not get the car aligned until it was ready for new tires because this uneven wear pattern would eventually cause the car to go out of alignment again because the tires wouldn't sit properly on a "good" alignment.

RaineMan

I'll take a look... but I just had the tires rotated last week... so any "ridges" would now be in the back... and the alignment's been fine for most of the car's life.

06blackSC

your car is probably actually in alignment. the problem you are having is when they go to make adjustments on the front toe angles (this would come after making camber adjustments if necessary) it seems like they aren't locking the steering wheel in a straight position (perhaps they are using wintoe and suck at using it) or they are just not checking steering wheel position after they make adjustments to verify a straight wheel. Crooked steering wheels is the number one reason why a customer complains to me about their alignment. Your dealer should have test drove after the alignment to verify that the wheel is straight and there is no pulling.

do you have a print out of your specs from the alignment? before and afters?

RaineMan

What you say makes sense to me. I don't have a printout or anything.... just a reciept that says the alignment was done.

Can any tire shop correct the steering wheel problem, or is that something the dealer will have to do? Obviously these guys don't really care about getting my car right the first time... so I'd gladly pay the money to have it done by a real professional at a tire shop.

06blackSC

Correcting the steering wheel position involves getting the car back on to the alignement rack, remeasuring the steering angles and putting the steering wheel into the straight position and adjusting the angles untill all toe angles (individual toe and total toe) are within spec and steer ahead angle should read dead center. When the adjustments are made and steer ahead is center and the steering wheel is straight then your problem will be solved. If you are actually experiencing a pull which it sounds like you are not, then something else is up, such as camber or caster being too high or too low on one side. Toe angles alone will not cause a pull.

When you take your car to be aligned again, see if you can hang out in the shop and watch the tech do the work. when he goes to set the steering wheel position for the alignment, make sure he actually sits in the drivers seat in a normal "driving position" to best simulate driving in the car with the weight of the driver in the car to best center the wheel where it should be.

Hope this helps. Also, ask for a print out of your alignment specs and post them so i can take a look at them.

good luck.

RaineMan

I'll see what I can do... may just take it back to the shop that did my rotation so that I can actually see the guy do it. When I drop her off at the dealer it seems to take all day... and I don't have that kind of time to hang around.

Thanks for the advice!

06blackSC

if you go somewhere else, they will more than likely charge you for the alignment if you didnt already know. If the dealer did it, and didn't do it to where it should be, then they should do it again at no charge and work with you to make sure its right. I know it seems like an all day thing, but see if you can take some time off to sit there and make sure its done right! I did this when i had to take my car in for the stage II install to keep my warranty happy. I sat there with the tech in the back shop to help out if i could and to make sure there was no monkey business since it was a paid by the hour job. this is why i think i was able to get the dealer to do my stage II install in a shade under 2 hours!

RaineMan

Yeah... I know I'd have to pay if I go elsewhere... but I just really begin to wonder about these guys after a while. I'd gladly pay the $50 or so to get the damn thing right.

RaineMan

Well... just to finish things up... I took her back in this morning... and after having a 5-minute discussion with the tech doing the alignment (who swore everything was right) I managed to convince him that:

1: All the roads in Charlotte are not sloped to the right, no matter what lane you are in or what direction you are traveling.

2: From the ground, with my car on the alignment rack, he could not see the steering wheel to confirm that it was indeed straight and level.

3: Someone needed to be in the car to confirm that everything was alright from the drivers perspective when the alignment was done.

So now after some tests on the usuaal to work and back route, she seems to be just fine. Wheel nice and level when the road is straight and level... and will hold like that for about 1/4th mile.

What a hassle... meh... I doubt I'll go back to them for alignment again.

Oh, and I was also able to get my pulley bolt bits back from the tech that did the Stage 2 install... after the service writer told me that "You can't use those to take the pulley off, only to put it on." I merely rolled my eyes, smiled, and showed him where the installation instructions clearly state that "Bits are to remain with the customer." That shut him up real fast.

RonSS

I'm having a similar issue. Only mine pulls to the left. And is absolutely a bear to drive in ruts.
Here in Oregon, they allow studded snow tires for 5 months out of the year, and every highway is rutted bad.
The car was perfect when new. But as the miles have increased, and after the transmission was replaced (I imagine they have to take the suspension apart to replace it) it's gotten worse and worse.

I'll be taking it to the dealer for a check. My mian guess wi that the stock Pirellis suck after they wear, mine are about half gone in 13k miles.

Could just be the tires.

Be sure to set the pressure accurately also....but I'm sure you have done that.

Ron