Just had a belter - NLC

[Kev]

I took my shed to work this morning as I needed to get my front wheels balanced and tracking done, so I dropped it off at the tyre fitting place round the corner. One of the fronts was near the limit so got that changed and the other front is about 5-6 months old and has only done about 800-900 miles.

So I went to pick it up and took it for a quick run to make sure it's ok. No it's still pulling to the left. So I take it back and explain it's still pulling to the left. He then told me he'll have to swap the rear wheels with the front because of the uneven wear!!!!

He didn't like it when I told him he's talking B0ll0cks and that they never aligned the steering wheel when they done the tracking, which of course they did he assured me!!! He just told me being the customer I'm right and he'll sort it.

So I'm eagerly waiting to hear his explanation when I go back and pick it up.

[DavieK]

bet it's pulling to the right when you get it back

[jen]

We have had similar experiences with a certain tyre fitters too. Its probably the same place, did you take it to someone in Bridge of Don by any chance?

Jen

[Kev]

Well I got the car back with the same problem and apparently my wheels are too big to set the tracking The shed has after market 17" wheels that have been on for about 10 years. He didn't appreciate being called a cowboy who has no idea what he is talking about and only out to make money ripping people off. I did make a scene in front of about half a dozen other customers and was told never to come back as my custom wasn't welcome That was worth the £28 I got charged for the tracking

We have had similar experiences with a certain tyre fitters too. Its probably the same place, did you take it to someone in Bridge of Don by any chance? Jen

No this place is in Dyce

[fd]

The really funny thing is that setting the tracking (or the toe which is all that is adjustable on most sheds and is what a garage will think you mean by tracking) will not generally resolve a thrust angle imbalance (car pulling to one side) . . . why would the car pull to one side ?, probably a worn bush, balljoint or bearing somewhere, could be front or rear, or the car has something bent somewhere in the suspension . . . so, you asked him to do something that wouldn't solve the problem . . . and unsurprisingly it didn't . . . and he was probably correct and probably did as you asked, twice . . . I guess lack of knowledge about how suspension works isn't really an excuse to beat the guy up . . . conversely perhaps he should have told you that what you told him to do wouldn't work, but I'm guessing you might not have listened . . . thing to remember is, the next place will probably do the same . . . for the same reasons . . .

Fd

[Gourlay83]

We have had similar experiences with a certain tyre fitters too. Its probably the same place, did you take it to someone in Bridge of Don by any chance?

Jen

Aye.

Paid that particular Garage for a 4 Wheel Allignment.

I turned up as they were doing it ..... but the car wasn't on the 4 poster lift with laser allignment. It was on the un even car park outside on a slope of around 45 degrees ! with a guy using Dunlop Gauges. I asked the manager if that was an acceptable way to adjust wheel aligment and he assured me this was standard practice. He went on for about 10 mins about how much experience he had where i had to stop him and tell him that i was a Mechanic (Hate Doing That). Made a complete fool of himself in front of his customers and of course i didn't pay.

There all the same in my opinion, they don't really carry out a 4 wheel alligment, just a quick tracking check and out the door.

Don't get me started on MOTS ! every year i need B*stard Brake Pipes.

[Kev]

The really funny thing is that setting the tracking (or the toe) will not generally resolve a thrust angle imbalance (car pulling to one side) . . . why would the car pull to one side ?, probably a worn bush, balljoint or bearing somewhere, could be front or rear, or the car has something bent somewhere in the suspension . . . so, you asked him to do something that wouldn't solve the problem . . . and unsurprisingly it didn't . . . and he was probably correct and probably did as you asked, twice . . . I guess lack of knowledge about how suspension works isn't really an excuse to beat the guy up . . . conversely perhaps he should have told you that what you told him to do wouldn't work, but I'm guessing you might not have listened . . . thing to remember is, the next place will probably do the same . . . for the same reasons . . .

Fd

Sorry should have put a bit more detail in. I had play in the steering which I thought was the steering column, but found out it was the splines on the actual steering wheel, so I put a new steering wheel on and the play is gone. I assumed the spline fitting got worn through the vibration I was getting when driving around 60 tuts, it's been like that for a while. So I decided to get my front wheels balanced and also asked to get my tracking done because when I fitted the new steering wheel I put it on slightly off but didn't have time to keep taking the airbag off to adjust the steering wheel. My understanding of setting the tracking is to fix the steering wheel in the centre position and adjust each side. When I picked the car up it was exactly the same as I put it in, hence why I took it back. I explained the problem and said all I wanted was to hold the steering wheel in the centre and expect the car to go reasonably straight, doesn't seem too hard a request I thought!!!! What I don't like is getting fed utter BS because I wasn't happy with their service. I don't pretend to know how suspension works in detail, but i do know enough to get me by.

[fd]

So the car isn't pulling to one side then . . . all that is wrong is the steering wheel is not centralised ? . . . although it won't make a huge (or even noticable probably) difference on a shed you shouldn't solve the problem you have by getting the 'tracking' done . . . it will cause uneven track rod lengths at straight ahead . . . far better to sort it at the steering wheel . . . and you will avoid what happened today and the next time, and the next time . . .

Fd

[Kev]

Ok, I accept that describing it pulling to the left is wrong and should be driving to the left. But what I would like to know is how they check the alignment without centring the steering wheel, what do they adjust it to? If they set the steering wheel in the centre, they would have seen that the alignment was out and either adjust the track rods, as I was hoping they would, or the steering wheel needed adjusted on the splines. I can see if the steering wheel is miles off, they'll never be able to adjust it with the tracks rods, but my understanding is that there is an amount of adjustment on the track rods so why can't I solve the problem that way? What problems am I or could I be inducing by adjusting the track rods and not the steering wheel?

[gorrie]

Does using that method not also screw up your lock-to-lock? Ie, if you put the steering wheel on squint, then you are not in the centre of the rack when the wheel is subsequently centralised.
If you use that central position as a basis to adjust the rod length, you are still not central in the rack (as far as I am aware)... so the next complaint may be that you have 2.5 turns to right lock, but 2 turns to left lock.

I'd have thought the fix was to sort the incorrect steering wheel fitment to be honest.