Why Is My Cars' Steering Wheel Wonky After Garage Did The Tracking ?

[Fastlife91]

My mechanic friend did some work on my car inc replacing track rod ends, steering arms e.t.c., after the work was done my car needed tracking to set the alignment right.

So I took it to a garage who did laser tracking on it for me yesterday,

I only noticed this afternoon that when I take my car key out the ignition that the wheel locks but instead of locking in the centre it locks very wonky to the left.



I went back the garage today to tell them that when I loosen my grip on the steering wheel that the car moves to the left, but he said that it must be a faulty component somewhere
but I forgot to mention to him that the car steering wheel doesn't lock straight once taking key out ignition so should I go back on Monday ?

[jmurray01]

Deleted.

[Fastlife91]

Deleted.

What is deleted ?

Why is it every time I ask a question on here I NEVER seem to get an answer, not even 1 ?

I've only been a member here for a few weeks but I think this website is a waste iof time and useless and therefore I think I will close my account here and go elsewhere

Anyway, Please clarify what is deleted

(weird)

[jmurray01]

What is deleted ?

Why is it every time I ask a question on here I NEVER seem to get an answer, not even 1 ?

I've only been a member here for a few weeks but I think this website is a waste iof time and useless and therefore I think I will close my account here and go elsewhere

Anyway, Please clarify what is deleted

(weird)

Sorry, I deleted it as I misread the question (very tired) and responded accordingly.

Having read it correctly the only thing I could suggest would be a binding brake or defective steering component. I'm not a mechanic so won't be more specific as I simply don't have the knowledge.

For responses you would be better off posting in the relevant sections for your model of vehicle.

[Fastlife91]

Sorry, I deleted it as I misread the question (very tired) and responded accordingly.

Having read it correctly the only thing I could suggest would be a binding brake or defective steering component. I'm not a mechanic so won't be more specific as I simply don't have the knowledge.

For responses you would be better off posting in the relevant sections for your model of vehicle.

Pleas

e

thoroughly read threads before you misjudge and delete them, may I ask what you thought this thread actually was about that you felt the need to delete it ? I'm very curious about why on earth you deleted it and just saying because you are tired doesn't cut it I'm afraid. I just find you doing that very odd.

I will copy

and paste and re-thread it

Anyway, am I right in thinking that he may not have set the steering wheel straight before tracking and that is now why it could be wonky when the key is out of the ignition and locked ?

EDIT

:

???? you did not respond accordingly at all, you responded '' Deleted' before you actually even read my thread because you '' were tired ''

[Ryan_Tango]

You don't deserve any help and we're NOT obliged to answer you, I hope someone knows what's wrong with your car and when you find the answer you are looking for be grateful for their response.

[SeanW]

What is deleted ?

Why is it every time I ask a question on here I NEVER seem to get an answer, not even 1 ?

I've only been a member here for a few weeks but I think this website is a waste iof time and useless and therefore I think I will close my account here and go elsewhere

Anyway, Please clarify what is deleted

(weird)

We're not paid to do this. We are a bunch of car owners - enthusiastic one's at that.

However, we're not experts. Therefore, rather than give duff advice we tend to leave posts alone...beats clogging threads up with loads of "Sorry, dunno" posts.

Sorry, I deleted it as I misread the question (very tired) and responded accordingly.

Having read it correctly the only thing I could suggest would be a binding brake or defective steering component. I'm not a mechanic so won't be more specific as I simply don't have the knowledge.

For responses you would be better off posting in the relevant sections for your model of vehicle.

And in addition, might be worth avoiding getting arsey and having a go at members. A look through Jamie's posts will show you that he's a good bloke and willing to help!!

Now - despite your attitude...my thoughts on your problem:

Steering locks often do engage at an off-centre angle - my Dad's Hyundai doesn't engage until the wheel is as the 9 o'clock position (thereby pointing the wheels at the kerb and hopefully preventing the car being shunted into the road should it be hit from behind). In my opinion - this is completely normal and shouldn't be cause for concern.

If the car was tracked properly then I'm inclined to agree with Jamie - binding brake. Easiest way to tell is after a drive the binding brake will emit a hellova lot of heat. Hold your hand near each wheel in turn and you're sure to find it. You may also notice a build up of brake dust on the rim.

Not so sure on defective steering component - pretty sure that would have been noticed during the other repairs.

Tracking...just because it's "within tolerance" doesn't mean it's perfect. Best tracking I've ever had done was by an old chap with an old setup in a local tyre fitters shop. I had taken it to a larger tyre & exhaust centre - with big fancy disco-looking lasers and lights everywhere. They claimed the car had a suspension fault, because despite being within limits it was still pulling to the left. (No charge). Old boy took one look at the car (which was my ex-girlfriends Fiesta) and asked which monkey had done it. With the car on the ramp you could see how badly it'd been set up even without taking any measurements

He set it up properly - didn't charge (she had big !Removed! and a cheeky smile). Car drove beautifully after that. He admitted he hates doing the Focus - apparently they're a PITA to do? Anyway, he recommended a friend at another local tyre centre - again, proper job done!

[Stoney871]

@fastlife, have you thought that the reason you're not getting help is because you are rude?

That attitude is not appreciated on our club and further occurrences will most likely end in you being generally ignored by other users.

Please and thank you are still customary and patience is a virtue.

We are all (amateur) enthusiasts here and you should remember that.

if you are that concerned about safety of your vehicle can I suggest you take it to another garage and get them to assess it?

BTW, in my experience it is often that garages do tracking alignment but do not re-centre the steering wheel which in itself is not dangerous but is lazy and annoying.

I would also say that it is likely that they may have aligned your tracking but to a boggo standard parameter rather than the correct factory values, some bias is applied to take road camber into consideration while driving but is different for each make of car.

[mintalkin]

wow no help within 15 mins from the forum at 10pm so decided to have a go because jmurry decided to delete his own post, then wonders why he gets no assistance what an attitude.well said Stoney & Sean.

[AdeMk1]

Come on guys, where are our manners?

We should all be ready and fingers poised over your keyboards/screens to reply the minute a post from fastlife is seen.

Ok, ready........

Pfft.

On a serious note, be patient & adjust your attitude.

Why not ask your 'Mechanic friend' too?

[jeebowhite]

I only noticed this afternoon that when I take my car key out the ignition that the wheel locks but instead of locking in the centre it locks very wonky to the left.

My patience has exhausted with people today and this is the last straw for me, so most people will notice that this is not my standard forum tone...

Please for gods sake tell me you know what the steering lock is?!?!?!?!?

Steering wheels never lock central in my experience, you tend to pull the wheel to one side which activates the steering lock, which most of the time has a slight angle in the direction of the wheel movement. I am no expert, but that is probably what your issue is.

If the issue isnt the wheel locking, you may find it beneficial to ensure the language you use in your "help needed" thread is actually reflective of the issue you face.

Now,

On the other hand, I have been a member here for many years, and find more and more people willing to donate their time, to help me do stuff and fix my problems, with no expectations in advance. If I take the amount of time I have spent on the forums and add it up, I wouldnt be surprised if I have spent the equivalent of about 3-6 months non stop on this forum supporting members, like yourself who need it, and seeking help also. I know we all get anxious, I have dived on the forums after what seems like a complete failure of my car, clicking refresh every 30 seconds in the hope that someone has seen it and been able to offer their words of wisdom. I might even nudge it up the queue if I have seen activity on the forum elsewhere and my post has slipped, but I dont stand there and belittle the efforts of complete strangers, who do nothing more than try to understand your problem to try and give you a guiding hand to fixing the issue.

we are human, and whilst Jamie may have a picture of a fiesta as his picture, I just want to clarify that he is actually a real boy (oh look, a bit like me, I am not actually the backside end of a mondeo oddly enough!) He has tried to help you and he has misunderstood the point you made. So he has deleted his post as it made no sense to the issue. He then also apologised for his misunderstanding, and yet your rudeness will have put him off even wanting to bother.

For the record, he didn't delete your thread, he deleted the content of his reply to your thread, and did not remove your problem from the public domain, As you can tell by comments such as mine, and those above.

We welcome new members here from any area of the world, with any Ford car, or even non fords for that matter. Whilst we love to take people in, we dont like having people come in with bad attitudes and slandering the good nature of all our enthusiasts, who give nothing but their time to help others, to try and save you a bucket load of money going to a garage to get the same advice at a hefty price.

If you want to stick around, you may want to apologise, adjust your tone, and appreciate the points we have all made above. I know your car might be the world to you, but we have our own worlds and lives, and we are not on call for you personally 24 hours a day. We try to help each other and that is how we live our lives, going to work, looking after families, kids, education, crisis' and yet we still manage to pave a way to the computer, to login and help each other out.

You have misjudged our forum, and if you wish to take your misjudgement and deactivate your account, I will personally crack open a bottle. However, if you stick around and rectify your attitude, contribute and take things away as we all do, I will crack open two, and if I ever meet you, I will buy you two of your own to crack as well.

Now, I shall retire to a darkened room, where I will meditate, consume copious amounts of alcohol and wait for my stress levels to subside to a more humanly interactive level.

[MONDEO TXS 2.2]

Mine's a large gunpowder proof Pusser's James . . . Cheers ! :)

[Stoney871]

My patience has exhausted with people today and this is the last straw for me, so most people will notice that this is not my standard forum tone...

Please for gods sake tell me you know what the steering lock is?!?!?!?!?

Steering wheels never lock central in my experience, you tend to pull the wheel to one side which activates the steering lock, which most of the time has a slight angle in the direction of the wheel movement. I am no expert, but that is probably what your issue is.

If the issue isnt the wheel locking, you may find it beneficial to ensure the language you use in your "help needed" thread is actually reflective of the issue you face.

Now,

On the other hand, I have been a member here for many years, and find more and more people willing to donate their time, to help me do stuff and fix my problems, with no expectations in advance. If I take the amount of time I have spent on the forums and add it up, I wouldnt be surprised if I have spent the equivalent of about 3-6 months non stop on this forum supporting members, like yourself who need it, and seeking help also. I know we all get anxious, I have dived on the forums after what seems like a complete failure of my car, clicking refresh every 30 seconds in the hope that someone has seen it and been able to offer their words of wisdom. I might even nudge it up the queue if I have seen activity on the forum elsewhere and my post has slipped, but I dont stand there and belittle the efforts of complete strangers, who do nothing more than try to understand your problem to try and give you a guiding hand to fixing the issue.

we are human, and whilst Jamie may have a picture of a fiesta as his picture, I just want to clarify that he is actually a real boy (oh look, a bit like me, I am not actually the backside end of a mondeo oddly enough!) He has tried to help you and he has misunderstood the point you made. So he has deleted his post as it made no sense to the issue. He then also apologised for his misunderstanding, and yet your rudeness will have put him off even wanting to bother.

For the record, he didn't delete your thread, he deleted the content of his reply to your thread, and did not remove your problem from the public domain, As you can tell by comments such as mine, and those above.

We welcome new members here from any area of the world, with any Ford car, or even non fords for that matter. Whilst we love to take people in, we dont like having people come in with bad attitudes and slandering the good nature of all our enthusiasts, who give nothing but their time to help others, to try and save you a bucket load of money going to a garage to get the same advice at a hefty price.

If you want to stick around, you may want to apologise, adjust your tone, and appreciate the points we have all made above. I know your car might be the world to you, but we have our own worlds and lives, and we are not on call for you personally 24 hours a day. We try to help each other and that is how we live our lives, going to work, looking after families, kids, education, crisis' and yet we still manage to pave a way to the computer, to login and help each other out.

You have misjudged our forum, and if you wish to take your misjudgement and deactivate your account, I will personally crack open a bottle. However, if you stick around and rectify your attitude, contribute and take things away as we all do, I will crack open two, and if I ever meet you, I will buy you two of your own to crack as well.

Now, I shall retire to a darkened room, where I will meditate, consume copious amounts of alcohol and wait for my stress levels to subside to a more humanly interactive level.

Aaanndd breathe.... :d

[jeebowhite]

Aaanndd breathe.... :D

Breathing is a wasted resource, by not breathing I have more time to down alcohol and get more blurry eyed...

Just watch out for my car playing ping pong on the fair roads of your neighborhood Clive :p I shall be using the excuse "Im not drunk officer, just avoiding many, many potholes"

[GMX]

Mine's a large gunpowder proof Pusser's James . . . Cheers ! :)

What is this Pusser's rum, that you and Sean seem to mention a lot, and like?

And well said, James :)

[MONDEO TXS 2.2]

Pusser's is proper Navy rum - as dispensed by the Royal Navy in the past ( my late Father served in WW2 so I was weaned on the stuff ) :)

Woods is a close second

Lambs is for landlubbers . . . :)

[MONDEO TXS 2.2]

Google '' Pusser's gunpowder proof rum '' for the full explanation on why it's an essential to life . . . . :)

[GMX]

Google '' Pusser's gunpowder proof rum '' for the full explanation on why it's an essential to life . . . . :)

That's quite fascinating, the whole history and traditions that are part of it. :)

I never realised, that the daily tot: is no more.

[MONDEO TXS 2.2]

Tis interesting eh ?

Tis good rum too . . . :)

'Elf n Safety kak prevents modern day enjoyment . . . .& possibly having your fingers on WMD too . . :(

[GMX]

I think I'll have to buy a bottle or two of Pussers to try :)

I see it's available on amazon, among others

[MONDEO TXS 2.2]

If you like proper dark rum try it, it's a good antifreeze / bloodwarmer for before & after walking the pooch in the winter months :)

[GMX]

Pussers Gunpowder Proof ordered, I shall be able to try on Friday, perhaps before taking the dog out for her stroll :)

[TomsFocus]

Not sure how I missed this thread until now...just lol...

On topic though, I'm never happy with tracking, it's been done 3 times on the Focus and still isn't right. Was done twice on the GTi6 and was never right. If I could spare the £60 or so I'd have Hunter alignment done as that seems most accurate!

[iantt]

Dont see what the problem can be with garages doing tracking, its not difficult.

[jmurray01]

Not sure how I missed this thread until now...just lol...

On topic though, I'm never happy with tracking, it's been done 3 times on the Focus and still isn't right. Was done twice on the GTi6 and was never right. If I could spare the £60 or so I'd have Hunter alignment done as that seems most accurate!

No tracking is perfect, but when your tracking is this bad, you are appreciative of even half decent alignment...

That was the Focus' N/S/F tyre before having the alignment done. To quote the mechanic "it was miles out". I can believe that.