Golf/GTI VI :: Alignment Off - Car Drifts Slightly To The Right
Mar 3, 2010
So I've driven on various roads (mostly highways) for the past week or so and have noticed that my car drifts slightly to the right a lot. I hate to say that my alignment needs adjusting already, The car only has 2000 miles on it and I'm thinking of taking it over the dealership and trying to get it covered under warranty (along with the door noise). Think I'll have any luck? (for the record, I have never hit any potholes, curbs, etc)
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Met with my dealer today to discuss my alignment problems and take a test drive. My car drifts seriously to the right when I take my hand off the wheel. I basically have to countersteer the car down the road.
I took a test drive with their alignment tech, a really nice guy who seems to know his stuff, and he concluded it's a 'drift' not a 'pull' and that the car is within spec now. The only thing they can do is move it slightly more left or do a 'custom alignment', which means they would align it left outside of spec to offset the drift. However, if they do this, they don't warrant tire wear, etc. While I'm never in favor of a band aid fix like this, I'm inclined to try it before I give up and sell the truck. I think it's something more than just the alignment.
Needed to do this, i.e., align the car out of spec slightly left to get it to track straight? Based on his markings, I can see where I am in spec, but I also know what the car's doing and it's pulling right. I'm not imagining it and I've never had this problem with another vehicle. I showed him over and over how it drifts hard right and said this is not normal, but they go back to the spec sheet. As an aside, they told me they have done 50 Treg alignments so far. 50! On a two year old model. That's ridiculous.
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My wife is having issues with her Corolla. Her car has about 50k miles and we got new tires and at the same time an alignment. After the alignment her car has been having the steering issue a lot of others have been having. It steers itself/drifts left and right without moving the wheel. We brought it into the dealership and they say they performed the TSB however the issue is still there.
When we spoke with the service department on the phone earlier that day they did not have the power steering computer in stock and it would be a couple days. We dropped it off and the same day they said they were able to replace the computer. Not sure if I trust they actually did the job since the computer was supposed to be out of stock and the car is out of warranty but they did not charge for anything. Also, we don't notice any improvement. Is there a way I could tell if the computer was replaced? I'm hoping it has a date on it, but I don't know where the computer is, just that the dash needs to be taken apart.
Does this TSB always work, or have others still had steering issues even after replacing the computer? Since this all started after the alignment it seems to me that if we put the alignment back the problem would go away. Is there an alignment setup that would solve this issue?
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I recently changed out my headlight bulbs and now the headlights are slightly out of alignment. I know that the Xenon-equipped Tregs have self-leveling headlights, but mine is the non-Xenon model.
How do I go about aligning the headlights? I did a search and found a thread in the Passat forum, referring to "2 white screws", but don't recall seeing anything similar under my hood.
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After installing drive gear springs i had a wheel alignment done. Since then the steering wheel is not level even thought the car goes straight it is slightly off. i brought it back 3 times and every time they did the alignment the steering wheel is off either the left of the right. i made an appointment to have it done at the dealer but cant figure out why they cant get it right.
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I took my Passat to a VW dealer this weekend for an alignment. I could tell the car was pulling slightly to the right. Later that day, I received a call from the dealer that sub-frame needed to be replaced because they could not align the car. I asked if the sub-frame or any other component was bent because I don't recall hitting anything hitting anything could cause this kind of damage.
The dealer said that there was nothing bent but he could not align the car and I need to replace the sub-frame. I told him I just wanted to pick up the car and take it to another shop. I then received a call half hour later that the front right wheel was pushed back further than the left one and they will try to adjust it. I am not sure what is normally involved in VW alignment but I believe that I am getting poor advice from this dealer. Likewise, I am not sure if some inexperience weekend mechanic who did not know a lot of alignments and just wanted to throw parts at the car?
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Had upper control arm bushings replaced in June. Van has been pulling slightly to the right. Assumed it could be the tire since the front tires were due for replacement. Took it yesterday for two new tires and it still has slight pull to the right.
Here's the rub. The chain shop that did the work has since replaced their alignment machine and the new one does not have the specs for vehicles earlier than 2000. The machine also doesn't have the capability for manual input of the specs.
The manager has found a competitor that has an older machine and has arranged to pay for the alignment which I consider over the top. Evidently this is a trend we can expect to continue because in a city the size of Tampa, he could find only one shop with an alignment machine capable of alignment on an Aerostar.
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So due to a puncture I got earlier this week, I had to buy a new front passenger side right tire. Now the car pulls very slightly to the right. Is this due to having about 6k miles on the left tire and a brand new right tire or do I need an alignment again?
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Just took my brand new GX460 with 1000 miles on a road trip. I found the vehicle drifts heavily to the right, so much so that I have to even hold the steering wheel several degrees to the left to make the car go straight. I drove my other cars on the same road and they are not as bad and generally go straight. Is this possible? Can a new SUV of this price come out of the factory misaligned?
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The car was in an accident last spring where it went off the road and side swiped one of those cable barriers between the sides of a highway. It actually spun around backwards, hit the barrier on the rear passenger side corner smashing the tail light on that side. Then slid the whole passenger side into it roughing up that side and knocking off the side mirror.
Amazingly both passenger side doors work, the trunk works and it was able to drive away. I drove it around gingerly for a bit and it seemed to be fine. I took a big 4 hour trip up north in it and it had zero problems (other than looking like hell).
I had new tires put on before the accident and are nearly at factory new tread. I can't see any noticeable uneven wear on them. This winter however, every time there is fresh snow on the roads it feels like the back is shifting back and forth like its out of control. Its not vibration like unbalanced tires or ice on the rims. It feels like the rear is swinging back and forth about a foot about every 3-4 seconds. At first I thought maybe a wheel was loose so I jacked up the car at each wheel and wiggled them, they are solid. There is no play in the steering, so i don't think its rack and pinion. I've gone around corners purposefully quick on snow to see if its a grip thing, and it doesn't slide.
The only conclusion I can come to is that the frame is tweaked or my suspension is messed up. On dry, or even wet roads everything seems fine. I do notice a bit of the "drift" when I hit a decent bump or pothole, although then it feels more like a slight "shift" at the rear.
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I purchased an 03 Excursion with 87K miles strictly for towing back in January. I've been driving the tuck once a week since, just to have it not sit in the driveway. I've noticed while driving down the road the truck will wander left/right randomly and I have to micro manage the wheel to keep it straight. It's more noticeable at higher speeds. It's more noticeable while towing.
My camper is 6K empty and loaded 9k. I put water in it once at campgrounds, so I don't drive with all that weight, so I am somewhere in between. 6 and 9. While towing and I hit a woop in the road, the truck comes out pushing me other than straight. If I let go of the wheel, it drives straight, meaning alignment feel true.
I am not a mechanic by no means, but here is what I've gathered so far;
From my door sticker, I have D code springs in the front and G code in the back.
My front stabilizer shock is looks wet. (OEM or after market?)
My shocks look original, I should replace.
My front bump stops are gone.
While towing, I am riding on my rear bump stops.
If and when I need to replace parts, should I go with OEM or aftermarket? I am probably getting a head of myself, but; Is it possible to add leafs to rear, or not even worth it. Would it be cheaper to buy the smallest lift kit vs. changing springs?
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installed my borla exhaust yesterday and no matter how many different way i tried twisting and pulling i couldn't get the tip alined... when i went for a drive it shifted to the passenger side... any other way then adding washers to the driver side hanger to lower the left tip.
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Our family has a 2003 Accent with 94k, automatic, and one very weird issue besides the teen that drove it last. Ok, towed it home, thought the battery or starter was bad. Replaced starter, battery. Same problem, won't turn over. When you turn the key, engine advances about one inch at a time, meaning the flywheel rotates one inch on each key turn. Ok, here is the weird part: Smoke drifts out of the transmission near the access plate between the trans and the engine! Like there is a smoldering fire inside? The wire off of the battery terminal that goes to the fuse block gets very hot as well. Where do I start? What it is, unless the torque converter is stuck or some solenoid is burned up?
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History: 2013 GS 350 F sport bought new in Oct. 2013. Currently i have 22000 miles with Dunlop Tires. When i purchased the car it had the front end bouncing like several have mentioned. I took it in and had the front tires road forced balanced. That seemed to work for a short time. At the 10K service i took it in and mentioned that the front end was still not right. they tried to balance the tires and the front right was determined to be bad. They had to order a new tire and once it came in they found that both rear tires were also bad and could not be brought into spec so they replaced those as well. Since then it has a tendency to float on the highway and it never centers out.
I liken it to having an 74 olds that you have to keep moving the wheel to keep it straight. If i let go of the wheel it will pull to the direction that i last turned the wheel. I notice that while sitting i can move the wheel about a half inch either way before i feel any steering feel or tire movement. Turns are still sharp and it tracks nice. Its just when you want to keep the wheel still that you have to move it to stay centered. People around me have a tendency to be cautious as if i have been drinking. When i last took it in at 20K for service the Dealer said they test drove it and it was fine. Well i know they either just drove it in the parking lot or just around the block.
Now its is driving rougher than my Truck. On any road surface the front end feels like it is bottoming out over the smallest road imperfection. I know its supposed to be tight but having driven BMW, Infiniti, i never have felt this amount of force. In the past i had a BMW 530I that i took into the dealership 5 times before they actually took me seriously and when WE looked underneath they discovered the rack and pinion was broken. I love to drive and i am very attentive to how the car rides and handles. I am a spirited driver and traded in a 2011 Infiniti G37 S for this and other than this front end issue i am happy. But if i can't get this resolved i am going to have to look at alternatives.
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2nd time for alignment in two weeks. My numbers were WAY different than when I left. Rear toe is out, it was out when I left the first time, but it's out in the opposite direction now. Are those four bolts stretch bolts? Maybe my bushings are shot which are causing the varied numbers??
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Is an alignment after a spring install necessary?
Getting my H&R springs installed tomorrow and was curious
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The other day, I was driving along doing about 40. It was a nasty hit and my alignment is now shot to where i have to keep the wheel turned left a couple inches to track straight. Local dealer says 170 for AWD alignment. I haven't even checked the tire for bubbles!
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So I installed coilovers a short while ago and now I need an alignment bad (obviously), but when I took it to get aligned, I was told my car is too low to drive up onto the lift , so I was wondering if I would be able to adjust my coils to a better height and then after the alignment just drop them back down a bit, it won't be too major of a drop back down but I just want to make sure I wouldn't be wasting my money. There is a place up the road that will do the alignment at my current height but for a pretty steep price considering how low my car is.
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And I have coil overs, I'm not super low but pretty low and every time I get my alignment done they say they can't so anything about the rear having so much negative camber. And it is really eating up the inside sidewalls of my tires like crazy.
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I just noticed on my front passenger door, when I pull the handle, the top of the door is rubbing against the rubber. It seems to be shifted a little down, especially on the top left corner of the door. What's going on with it. Doesn't open as smooth as the door once did.
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I've done the center console with cup holders conversion, but I've never bothered installing the rear cup holder, until now. Is it supposed to have this gap?
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