steering wheel not straight after new wheel bearing!?

[leeapole]

Hi peps, help required again!!

After failing to find my knocking noise (thought it was from the tyres, see previous thread) I put the car down the local VW/Audi independant garage.

Wheel bearing was buggered so this was replaced to the tune of £230 all in! (parts totaling £120?)

Picked the car up and its quiet as a mouse but yards down the road I quickly noticed the steering wheel is off center! dead straight is now at about 10:30 instead of 12:00 if you understand me.

The car drives perfectly straight but if I hold the wheel dead level I drive right!?

I am 100% sure its moved as when Ive been trying to solve the original noise I notice it was worse with the wheel just off center to the right and quieter when dead level.

Can anyone explain whats probably happen before I drive the car back tomorrow morning and ask them to fix it.

Many many thanks,

Leigh.

 

[Slimy]

To me this suggests lazy wheel alignment, I've had it numerous times from Kwik S**t and similar places. They'd have disturbed the suspension to replace the bearing, fitted it all back up and not done the wheel alignment right.

The procedure should be, align the steering wheel and lock in place, then adjust BOTH wheels to suit. Unfortunately alot of places will put one wheel at zero degrees, then adjust the other wheel to match, completely disregarding the steering wheel.

 

[leeapole]

Thanks for the info mate, so are they gonna tell me to take it for alignment? or is it something most places replacing wheel bearing should be tooled up to do?

Im not planing on kicking off or anything but ive had this before with my old punto sporting and everyone went dumb and passed the buck.

Thanks again

 

[swoosh225]

They could have altered the camber on the bottom wishbone ball joint, cant see how they could have altered the track in any way though just go ask the the question mate sounds like the allignments out slightly.

 

[techie]

Shouldnt be any reason though to touch anything that alters alignment to do a wheel bearing.

 

[swoosh225]

Is it not pressed in or is it a bolt on assembly?

 

[techie]

Its pressed in yes, but only on a LCR can you adjust camber on the bottom ball joint, any other model is fixed, holes arent elongated.

However I dont know what model the OP has.

 

[swoosh225]

Its pressed in yes, but only on a LCR can you adjust camber on the bottom ball joint, any other model is fixed, holes arent elongated.

However I dont know what model the OP has.

OH rite worth knowing.

 

[Slimy]

Its pressed in yes, but only on a LCR can you adjust camber on the bottom ball joint, any other model is fixed, holes arent elongated.

However I dont know what model the OP has.

While I don't doubt your knowledge, I thought most of the SEAT range use elongated holes to allow camber adjustment?

The only reason why I ask is that I'm looking to do the bushes on my car soon, and not having to deal with elongated holes would really work for me!!

 

[leeapole]

Its pressed in yes, but only on a LCR can you adjust camber on the bottom ball joint, any other model is fixed, holes arent elongated.

However I dont know what model the OP has.

its a 2003 LC.

Ta.

 

[leeapole]

turns out they hadnt adjusted the ball joint correctly! or so they say. They had changed alot inc the hub assy hence the high price.

Thats what you get for driving 6 months with a buggered bearing!

all sorted FOC.

Cheers chaps,

Leigh.

 

[Slimy]

Nice result!

 

[8bit]

I have this on my LCR, with the red stripe on the steering wheel at dead center the car is steering slightly to the left. When I bought it the garage gave it a service and MOT and had to replace one of the ball joints for the MOT - could I have the same problem here?

 

[leeapole]

My bearing change was near side front and it would steer right if i held the wheel center, so i knew something was up straight away.

Yours goes the other way, did they change the left? do your tyres wear evenly?

I was once told all cars pull slightly left due to the camber of the road! not sure how true that is?

We have 2 new toyota vans at work both pull left and wear the left tyres out long before the rights , toyota say its just the way the vans are??!!

Good luck mate!

 

[Slimy]

I was once told all cars pull slightly left due to the camber of the road! not sure how true that is?

It's kind of true, although some cars are definitely more sensitive to it than others. My old Astra had such vague steering that it was virtually impossible to tell what way the road dropped off!

The easiest way to confirm that is the right hand lane of a dual carriageway, or a motorway drive. If it still pulls to the left then there's a problem.