[solved] Steering alignment -> caster

[dm222]

Hello,

Just went to replace my two tyres and had a steering alignment.
Turns out they didn't do anything, the values are the same as before and I have the sheet here and the caster is 1º below the specifications on both sides.... Can that be corrected on the Ibiza 6J?

Thank you.

 

[BF95]

That should be alright mine 1.5 out on the left and 1.5 in on the right they align the rear wheels with the front so it's really hard and rare to get 0 each side

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

 

[dm222]

That should be alright mine 1.5 out on the left and 1.5 in on the right they align the rear wheels with the front so it's really hard and rare to get 0 each side

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

It's this that is misaligned, not the wheels, should be +5º minimum and it's +4º in both sides, can this be align in the 6J?

 

[RUM4MO]

I have had "good" re-alignment carried out on my wife's previous late 2002 9N Polo. Now one thing to say about this, officially you can not adjust the camber or castor on these cars, but a proper alignment place that knows what to do with these cars can move the front subframe and maybe the console "a bit" to bring the castor and camber back within limits and close enough to be equal to each other side to side. Lots of people say that you can't adjust the rear axle on these cars, so why get four wheel re-alignment done on these cars, that is not true, yes the rear beam is fixed, and checking the overall geometry will check to see if it is bent or the car chassis is bent, after that, the front wheels alignment are centred on the rear axis so that the car runs true.

 

[dm222]

The thing is that both sides are equal, if it was the chassis bent wouldn't be a difference? Probably someone messed with that alignment?

What is the consequences, could my heavy steering problem be related to this?


Other thing that is crossibg my mind is the shocking absorvers as the car has 130K km now.

 

[dm222]

 

[dm222]

Looks ok, found this topic, they have similar values:

http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=391198&highlight=steering+alignment

 

[RUM4MO]

Bent chassis and things like that, I was only pointing out why it is important to get a full alignment check carried out, and what it can reveal.

So the 4 degree caster angle seems to be okay, maybe VAG changed the spec on this during the model change?

With 0 degree caster I would think that you would need to assist the steering to get it to self centre, that will be why the 4 degree inclination angle is built in to the car's steering geometry. If your car had maybe 8 or 12 degrees caster, then the steering would feel different and possibly grab when turned to the right or left, toeing also has this effect on how the front wheels want to behave.

So it looks like your car's wheel geometry is okay - which must be a bit annoying!

 

[dm222]

Bent chassis and things like that, I was only pointing out why it is important to get a full alignment check carried out, and what it can reveal.

So the 4 degree caster angle seems to be okay, maybe VAG changed the spec on this during the model change?

With 0 degree caster I would think that you would need to assist the steering to get it to self centre, that will be why the 4 degree inclination angle is built in to the car's steering geometry. If your car had maybe 8 or 12 degrees caster, then the steering would feel different and possibly grab when turned to the right or left, toeing also has this effect on how the front wheels want to behave.

So it looks like your car's wheel geometry is okay - which must be a bit annoying!

Well I was just checking if there was a problem. Seems normal then .
Fitted a continental premium contact 5 (previously had continental premium contact 2 on front and bridgestone B250 on the rear) and the car seems more comfortable, I have now bridgestone B250 on the front and CPC5 on the rear.
Regarding the steering problem, I'm not doing anything, I spent so much money and didn't solve anything so I gave up, the align was just because the front tires needed to be replaced. I found someone here in Portugal with the exactly the sames issues after fitting the new pump (steering harder when warm, lighter after replacing pump and got harder the next two weeks, etc. etc. everything similar to my problem) and he says his steering started slowly getting back to normal after 9 months and 9K kms and now it's normal, so I'm doing that, waiting to see...
The only positive thing is that meanwhile while trying to solve the steering problem, I seem to have solved the intermittent bad starting after the car was exposed for the sun for a long time. Probably it was a bad wire, connection or something like that, I replaced many cables between battery and alternator, battery and steering pump, earth cables, battery and starter, etc. I even replaced the wiring between the battery and the pump, bought a polo replacement wire wich is the same, with another color since seat doesn't have a replacement: I don't have any experience, but sure I made a better job thn the dealer.

work done at the dealer, before, thin wires, seal was too big for the connector and too large for the wire, water would get in easily, and wires could melt?
http://s8.postimg.org/3m0h0xx5h/IMG_20151013_200158.jpg

work done by me:
http://s29.postimg.org/lokox1kfr/IMG_20160302_132558_3.jpg
http://s15.postimg.org/aim0lxu0b/IMG_20160304_183955_3.jpg


the bumper was also not well fitted at the dealer but I don't have pics... now it's ok, thank god the central support didn't broke because they were not well inserted and were forced...

they also replaced the interior door handle at the drivers door that time, and now that door does a double click closing, has an error at vcds each time I close it and makes a noise on bad roads... and the rear electric window stopped working one month later... so they failed again and again with everything they did and I paid 270€ for the door handle + connector... I'm not going to the dealer again!!

Sorry about the big text, but I'm really pissed about the garages I went to the past year, that's why I started doing the work myself at least I didn't create more problems. At another garage (not dealer) they broke my battery fusebox support while removing the battery during a battery change but didn't told anything, I found a couple of months later and fixed it, at another they fitted new ferodo brake discs that got warped only after 3K km... before buying the car it had a cambelt service and the water pump is leaking.... and the list goes on and on.... and I only have the car for 2 years......

 

[dm222]

So I got my steering aligned today, it was fine, steering wheel in the center and the car would go in a straight line forever but as the tie rods were changed I did it anyway.

The results were surprising, the caster changed a lot since last time:

 

[RUM4MO]

Yes, the caster is now different one side to the other, whereas it was almost the side side to side before the struts were replaced.

But, the caster is now in spec, so that is good, I've forgotten is there a "before" and after "adjustment" numbers recorded?

Edit:- okay I see that the before (previous) measurements are quoted (anterior).

 

[dm222]

I guess that the new shocks played some part in the change., yes there is a difference between sides but the difference between them is in spec -0º30>X<0º30.



I learned something, sometimes the steering doesn't pull and the car is still misaligned. if both wheels are misaligned the same way the car will look ok while driving but it will wear tyres faster...

sorry I forgot to translate but it is similar to the readings above, the positions are the same.

ps: steering got stiffer as it was before changing the tie rods which means that nothing is solved, the tyres were just probably not contacting the ground fully due to a out of spec toe so that's the cause for the lighter steering.