Pulling to the left

dcouponzzzz

Thanks for the great advice everyone, and Labour joke had me in stitches! (my missus didn't get it...)

I've got a list of everything you guys have mentioned to check and I'll pass that over to the garage and make sure they take a look at everything.

In response to your queries: If I hold the wheel with my fingertips and no pressure I can let the car change lanes for me on a straight flat stretch of motorway which takes roughly 3-5 seconds at 60mph.

If I have the car pointing straight and briefly let go of the wheel, the wheel shifts about 2-5mm to the left, appearing to set itself more central than when I was holding it.

The wheel alignment report provided by the dealer for before and after was showing results for each tyre in degrees to 2 decimal places, which I'm guessing is a relatively reliable tech.

I've tested this on industrial estates and car parks where camber is minimal, and roads where I know my previous car didn't pull at all.

On the last MOT cert the tyres were at 2-4mm requiring attention before the next test (provided by the dealer I purchased from). When I received the car, it had 4 new tyres but my dealer have no record of replacing themselves, so have been replaced by previous seller and quality isn't yet verified.

Tyre pressure on receipt of car was spot on - I know this only because they didn't set the warning indicator and it flashed up on the motorway home (stopped in first services and every tyre was correct pressure). It was still pulling despite this.

bigjl

This is an example of a Hunter wheel alignment report with before and after results.

http://www.alignmycar.co.uk/can-you-explain-the-hunter-printout/

A dealer will not pay for a full Hunter alignment check/adjust to be honest.

But for the sake of £30/40 it can give you proof that there is no alignment issue with the vehicle.

Some cars are more prone to pulling to the left than others.

Mk2 Mondeos could be a pain for example.

Have you swapped the tyres round to see if that makes a difference.

The dealer are unlikely to do much unless you can pinpoint what could be the issue. And if they don't have Hunter or similar equipment then any check they do is unlikely to make any difference.

If the car has been fitted with 4 cheap tyres then they could be the cause of the problem. Even premium branded tyres can be faulty in some way.

Getting a full geometry check/adjust is just maintenance and is often ignored by owners, until they actually feel the benefits of a properly aligned vehicle that is.

dcouponzzzz

bigjl wrote: »

This is an example of a Hunter wheel alignment report with before and after results.

http://www.alignmycar.co.uk/can-you-explain-the-hunter-printout/

A dealer will not pay for a full Hunter alignment check/adjust to be honest.

.

Thanks Bigjl, that's actually the exact same report they provided to me. The dealers sent the car off-site to perform the test. I'll be checking the quality of the tyres and request a swap on Saturday. I've got 0 experience and would expect to create a problem rather than solve it if I try any DIY!

FYI on the before, every possible measurement was in the red

Strider590

bigjl wrote: »

That method may have worked 20/30 yrs ago.

But these days you need a proper alignment check with proper gear.

And it still works now, it's actually more accurate than laser alignment machines, because your working right up against the car, taking exact measurements.
It just takes longer, it's tricky to set up and requires some basic maths. The laser alignment rigs are just an "all in one" "any idiot can do it" solution...... Which is often the case as the OP has found out.

https://robrobinette.com/DIYAlignmentCalculator.htm

And besides, I only suggested checking it........

bigjl

Strider590 wrote: »

And it still works now, it's actually more accurate than laser alignment machines, because your working right up against the car, taking exact measurements.
It just takes longer, it's tricky to set up and requires some basic maths. The laser alignment rigs are just an "all in one" "any idiot can do it" solution.

https://robrobinette.com/DIYAlignmentCalculator.htm

And besides, I only suggested checking it........

When you are considering tolerances as fine as in current cars then your way is pointless and archaic.

bigjl

dcouponzzzz wrote: »

Thanks Bigjl, that's actually the exact same report they provided to me. The dealers sent the car off-site to perform the test. I'll be checking the quality of the tyres and request a swap on Saturday. I've got 0 experience and would expect to create a problem rather than solve it if I try any DIY!

FYI on the before, every possible measurement was in the red

Sounds like the car had never had the geometry checked since it was new.

Next stop would definitely be swapping tyres round, tyre rotation should be considered part of your normal maintenance anyway, and it is widely regarded a good idea to get your geometry checked every 10/12k miles.

Probably overkill to some people but a well aligned car will wear its suspension components out slower.

Going back to the dealer.

If they sprung for the independent alignment adjustment then you appear to have a very conscientious dealer. Most would fob you off with "tracking"

When you have time check the name of the tyres and post it up as somebody will be able to give you an idea as to the quality of the tyres

The wife's old Clio was heavy on front tyres, geometry was always spot on. I did forget to check the tyre pressures for a few months and they wore the outside edge unevenly ad since the car was going I stuck on some Klebers, not the worst or the best but my god they are noisy and rough, they sounded like the wheel bearings were going at low speed.

If you are replacing the tyres at some point them consider Dunlop BluResponse as they were excellent and quiet and a huge improvement over the Kumhos and Avons it was previously fitted with. Just remember to watch the tyre pressures as even when 10psi too soft they didn't look low on pressure!

Another thing to consider is that if the current tyres have started to wear unevenly due to the previous owners lack of maintenance then even if you correct the alignment issue the uneven wear pattern will continue and may still be causing the pull to the left. I would be more concerned if it pulled to the right to be honest as UK roads are cambered that way.

Strider590

bigjl wrote: »

When you are considering tolerances as fine as in current cars then your way is pointless and archaic.

It's as accurate as the ruler you use to measure the wheel rim to string/line distance. If you were using one that was accurate to 100 microns, you'd have accuracy better than 0.001 degrees.
It's also not thrown out by not having the car completely straight on the ramps.

It's hardly pointless and archaic, i've even seen race teams using this method.

SilverSaloon

i have one of these

http://www.trackace.co.uk/

Well worth it.

I have spent various £20/£30/£80 on various tracking/alignments in the past and its always not been very good

i spent a while with this and now my tracking is spot on. It takes a while to get right and also a while to get it perfect with a perfectly straight steering wheel, but i'd rather invest in a few hours and the trackage than wasting my money on garages to do it only to drive away still pulling to the left

bigjl

Strider590 wrote: »

It's as accurate as the ruler you use to measure the wheel rim to string/line distance. If you were using one that was accurate to 100 microns, you'd have accuracy better than 0.001 degrees.
It's also not thrown out by not having the car completely straight on the ramps.

It's hardly pointless and archaic, i've even seen race teams using this method.

Yeah I remember Lewis Hamilton stepping over the bloke with the ruler when getting into his car last week....

Where can you get a ruler that measures to 100microns?

I need one to measure the back bedroom before buying the paint....

Strider590

bigjl wrote: »

Yeah I remember Lewis Hamilton stepping over the bloke with the ruler when getting into his car last week....

Where can you get a ruler that measures to 100microns?

I need one to measure the back bedroom before buying the paint....

Well you'd actually use something a little more sophisticated, like a digital vernier calliper, but that wasn't the point.