Steering wheel not straight after wheel alignment

[Zeb246]

Originally Posted by russells

Hi James, they were using the hook on the wheel laser type. They tried to show me on the 3rd time what they had done, which is pointless unless you know what you are supposed to be looking for. The only readings I remember was on the front wheels looking across was -1 on one side & +3 on the other & they told me that should put the wheel straight.

Many thanks

Russell

Where in Bristol did you get your alignment done, and how much did you pay them?

[russells]

Originally Posted by Zeb246

Where in Bristol did you get your alignment done, and how much did you pay them?

It was at Ablefit tyres in Brislington & I payed £30 + vat for back & front ajustment.

[JamesV70R]

Russells,

The laser alignment only makes sure the front wheels are pointing roughly the right direction, and is totally dependent on the rear wheels being correct themselves.

If the rear wheels aren't correctly aligned they won't be able to set the fronts properly off them (Not that they seem to have done a very good job so far .. )

James

[Zeb246]

Originally Posted by russells

It was at Ablefit tyres in Brislington & I payed £30 + vat for back & front ajustment.

I recommend you go to FCM Motorsport, based in Netham View, Netham Road opposite Bristol Trade Centre. That's where I got my S40 aligned, genuine and honest guy.

Spesk to Lee if you do intend to go there.
http://www.fcmmotorsport.co.uk/contact.php

[JamesV70R]

Is this the "geunine guy" who fleeced you for £50 knowing full well he would have to re-do the alignment in 2 days time, while not rectifying any of the issues the car had?

[Zeb246]

Originally Posted by JamesV70R

Is this the "geunine guy" who fleeced you for £50 knowing full well he would have to re-do the alignment in 2 days time, while not rectifying any of the issues the car had?

Yes, this is the "genuine guy" who charged me £50, the reviews speaks for
itself! http://www.qype.co.uk/place/2018534-...gnmnet-Bristol

He did rectify the problem, which was the lower suspension arm, and by far the wheel has gone back in it's original position. Just need to change the rear discs, pads to stop the squeaky noise.

[SonyVaio]

Originally Posted by Zeb246

Yes, this is the "genuine guy" who charged me £50, the reviews speaks for
itself! http://www.qype.co.uk/place/2018534-...gnmnet-Bristol

He did rectify the problem, which was the lower suspension arm, and by far the wheel has gone back in it's original position. Just need to change the rear discs, pads to stop the squeaky noise.

Yes Zeb, but do you not grasp the fact that this said bloke should never have charged you nor done the first alignment in the first place?

It shows he was intersted in getting your money for a job he 100% knew there no point in doing at that point in time. This is not good customer service?

Good customer service would have beento tell you what is wrong and tell you what needed changing without charging you and then asking you to come back when those points were rectified??

[Falmouthboy]

Originally Posted by JamesV70R

Hiya,

I would recommend visiting: http://alignmycar.com/ and putting in your postcode and going to one of the centers on there - the kit the use is astonishing and the guys who have invested in this sort of kit have the knowlege on how to use it and get everything set up properly - including setting the steering wheel straight!

Taking the steering wheel off to get it level is never the right option and is the mark of a botched job - if they suggest doing that then walk away very quickly.

I went to a Lasers over the back wheel place and it took them 5 tries with a test drive between each go to get the wheels straight, and even then the steering wheel was crooked. The first time I went to Wheels in motion (Chesham) with their Hunter kit I drove in with a slightly crooked steering wheel and the car pulling slightly after fitting new suspension - and came out with the car driving bolt straight with the wheel dead level. (on flat roads ofc, road camber still makes the car shift slightly)

James

Another vote here for your local garage with Hunter kit via the above link. All the Hook on laser kit you have described will do is see the front and rear wheels are parallel. Adequate if the front tracking is out a bit, but not if the problem is at the rear or its out a lot. That said, if something is lose at the rear, you will never get an accurate alignment. I am really annul about the steering wheel being straight so do sympathise. A good Hunter operator will weight the car to optimise the setup and spend the best part of an hour setting the car up.

[russells]

Thanks to everybody for your thoughts,

When I took the car to this garage to have a new near side front tyre fitted I knew that the wheel alignment needed adjusting because the tyre was worn on the outside of the tyre.
I know that they offer a free wheel alignment check & only if it needs adjusting do they charge which is £17.50 inc vat for the front & £17.50 for the back.
I did not see them carry out the alignment because I was in the waiting room but they charged me for both front & back ajustments. The car was only up on the ramps for about 5 minutes.
Are the back wheels actually adjustable & does anybody think they actually carried out a full alignment front & back?
I changed the front discs & pads on the car on Friday afternoon & the offside track rod end does not look like a spanner has touched it.

Russell

[SonyVaio]

Originally Posted by russells

The car was only up on the ramps for about 5 minutes / does anybody think they actually carried out a full alignment front & back?

Russell

No you have been fleeced!

It would take a good few minutes to set everything up to do the alignment. As said above, if you take it to somewhere that has the Hnter kit then they will spend the best part of an hour setting up and changing everything to ensure the geometry is correct.

I had my last car done on the Hunter kit at Star Performance in Fife (Scotland), these guys were awesome! I got turned away the first time at no cost because I needed parts replacing and it wouldn't be worth while doing the job as it would need doing again. I then returned and had the alignment done which they spent about an hour and 15min doing, the difference in the end was absolutely night and day with the way the car felt, drove and handled. It wasn't cheap but was well worth it.

The Hunter kit may be good kit but the operator of the kit also needs to know what he/she is doing too.