Steering wheel off to left! Help! - GOLFMK7 - VW GTI MKVII Forum / VW Golf R Forum / VW Golf MKVII Forum

GTI40 · 08-13-2017, 05:04 AM

Hey guys - my 40th anniversary GTI has developed an annoying issue - steering off to the left - my local VW dealership claims this is normal. This all came about after the car went in to have the turbo charger replaced - prior to this the steering was perfect.

The wheels have been alligned 3 times with no success - it is consistently off 5 to 8 degress off to the left with no crown on road (flat road). The car however still tracks dead straight with the wheel off to the left.

It may not seem like much but with such sensitive steering it becomes extremely annoying and seems to wreck the driving experience.

Please see the picture - how can I get this fixed?! Thanks in advance.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Sandman GTI · 08-13-2017, 04:33 PM

This can be adjusted by a shop who knows how to work on cars.
It is part of an alignment check. They adjust them at the factory so they can adjust them at a dealer.
You either need to meet with the Service Manager and based on his response decide what is next. Or, find a better dealer service dept.

It can be easily fixed for a shop.
My wife's Tucson had to be adjusted.
I have had my Truck adjusted after an alignment.

breaking badly · 08-13-2017, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTI40

The wheels have been alligned 3 times with no success - it is consistently off 5 to 8 degress off to the left with no crown on road (flat road).

Not normal, and they definitely did not perform a proper alignment.

It's quite a simple job (by adjusting front and/or rear toe) getting
the steering wheel straight. Guess they need to do it again.

On a side note, I wonder if they thought they needed to remove or
shift the subframe to swap the turbo. Actually that isn't necessary.

.

Gti jake · 08-13-2017, 05:40 PM

I'd never go back to that dealer, even Firestone was able to get my alignment right on the first try.

MonkeyMD · 08-13-2017, 06:55 PM

+1 for Firestone. And you can get lifetime alignments

Gawernator · 08-13-2017, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gti jake

I'd never go back to that dealer, even Firestone was able to get my alignment right on the first try.

Lol. That is pretty sad for the dealer in question

wild pete · 09-13-2017, 09:34 PM

easy diy fix you need to screw the drivers side track rod out a bit and the other side track rod in a bit the same amount so it does not upset the wheel alignment until the wheel is straight

Sean Cymru · 10-16-2017, 07:03 PM

I had wheel alignment issues too on my MK7 GTI PP. I had a 4 wheel lazer alignment (hunter) done, but steering wheel was still off centre. Took it back and it was still off centre. Then I took it to a different alignment garage where they only aligned the two front with old fashion techniques (weights or some sort, no lazer) and then my steering wheel was bang on centre. It was so much cheaper too.

08-13-2017, 05:04 AM	#1
GTI40 Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2016 Posts: 1	Steering wheel off to left! Help! Hey guys - my 40th anniversary GTI has developed an annoying issue - steering off to the left - my local VW dealership claims this is normal. This all came about after the car went in to have the turbo charger replaced - prior to this the steering was perfect. The wheels have been alligned 3 times with no success - it is consistently off 5 to 8 degress off to the left with no crown on road (flat road). The car however still tracks dead straight with the wheel off to the left. It may not seem like much but with such sensitive steering it becomes extremely annoying and seems to wreck the driving experience. Please see the picture - how can I get this fixed?! Thanks in advance. Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk Last edited by GTI40; 08-13-2017 at 05:25 AM.

08-13-2017, 04:33 PM	#2
Sandman GTI Senior Member Drives: GTI MK7 Autobahn, PP, DCC+LP, 97 F-150 4.6L V8 Location: Tennessee USA Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 7,961	This can be adjusted by a shop who knows how to work on cars. It is part of an alignment check. They adjust them at the factory so they can adjust them at a dealer. You either need to meet with the Service Manager and based on his response decide what is next. Or, find a better dealer service dept. It can be easily fixed for a shop. My wife's Tucson had to be adjusted. I have had my Truck adjusted after an alignment. __________________ *Sandman* *My Build Thread: http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6100*

08-13-2017, 05:40 PM	#4
Gti jake Senior Member Drives: GTI 6MT Location: Charlotte, NC Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 3,683	I'd never go back to that dealer, even Firestone was able to get my alignment right on the first try. __________________ '16 GTI 6MT PM for NC/SC help with Installs & Fabrication Baun Performance https://facebook.com/Baun-Performance-406768406417784/

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08-13-2017, 06:55 PM	#5
MonkeyMD Senior Member Drives: 2016 VW Golf Tsi S Manual Location: Central Tx Join Date: Apr 2016 Posts: 1,728	+1 for Firestone. And you can get lifetime alignments

09-13-2017, 09:34 PM	#7
wild pete Member Drives: 2014 MK7 2.0 GTTDI 3 dr Tornado red Location: Peterborough Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 41	easy diy fix you need to screw the drivers side track rod out a bit and the other side track rod in a bit the same amount so it does not upset the wheel alignment until the wheel is straight

10-16-2017, 07:03 PM	#8
Sean Cymru Member Drives: 2016 GTI DSG PP Location: UK (South Wales) Join Date: Sep 2016 Posts: 76	I had wheel alignment issues too on my MK7 GTI PP. I had a 4 wheel lazer alignment (hunter) done, but steering wheel was still off centre. Took it back and it was still off centre. Then I took it to a different alignment garage where they only aligned the two front with old fashion techniques (weights or some sort, no lazer) and then my steering wheel was bang on centre. It was so much cheaper too.