Wheel alignment out on brand new car
Discussion
Should a garage be able to check wheel alignment without actually driving the car?
I took delivery of a brand new car two weeks ago, and as soon as I drove it I could feel it pulling to the left. The salesperson gave me the usual courtesy call a day or two later and I said I was very happy with the car except for this minor issue. I was told I had to phone the service department, which I did, who then immediately told me "it's not the car, it's the road!" without asking me anything about it.
Apparently they can't check alignment and can only see if the alignment is out if I take them out for a drive, so they wont look at it but will come out with me for a ride. Sounds ridiculous to me. I've had alignment done numerous times before and it has always been checked on a machine and then a diagram provided to me showing the alignment before any work was carried out.
Another complaint I have is that I would expect the salesperson to have some level or responsibility in following up the issue with the customer to make sure it has been resolved, even perhaps arrange to have the car booked in. The only follow up I've had was from the manager today, and that's because I said they were s
t in the survey I recived 
I took delivery of a brand new car two weeks ago, and as soon as I drove it I could feel it pulling to the left. The salesperson gave me the usual courtesy call a day or two later and I said I was very happy with the car except for this minor issue. I was told I had to phone the service department, which I did, who then immediately told me "it's not the car, it's the road!" without asking me anything about it.
Apparently they can't check alignment and can only see if the alignment is out if I take them out for a drive, so they wont look at it but will come out with me for a ride. Sounds ridiculous to me. I've had alignment done numerous times before and it has always been checked on a machine and then a diagram provided to me showing the alignment before any work was carried out.
Another complaint I have is that I would expect the salesperson to have some level or responsibility in following up the issue with the customer to make sure it has been resolved, even perhaps arrange to have the car booked in. The only follow up I've had was from the manager today, and that's because I said they were s
t in the survey I recived PumpkinSteve said:
Wafflesmk2 said:
A lot of dealers (as far as im aware) dont have wheel alignment technology.
How can they straighten it if they can't see how far its out?If they agree take it to a specialist and if the settings are out get it fixed and send them the bill. If they pay all well and good if they don't then toddle off to trading standards and put your case to them.
does it always pull a certain way on a certain road. if so then it could be tramlining rather than any alignment issue. i had this when i bought a brand new ep3 type-r and didn't appreciate how much tramlining you get on some modern day cars with stiff suspension and wide low profile tyres.
Grey Ghost said:
How about getting the dealer to agree to paying for a realignment if it can be proved it is out of factory spec?
If they agree take it to a specialist and if the settings are out get it fixed and send them the bill. If they pay all well and good if they don't then toddle off to trading standards and put your case to them.
They said they will sort it but I'm worried that they are just guessing at how much it's out since they don't have any accurate way of checking it. Taking it out for a drive and then adjusting it just seems a bit of a mickey mouse way of doing it. In the past I've always had it done with a Hunter alignment system, and at least you know it's spot on because you can see it all happening on the computer as they adjust it.If they agree take it to a specialist and if the settings are out get it fixed and send them the bill. If they pay all well and good if they don't then toddle off to trading standards and put your case to them.
To see if road camber is the problem you could try driving on the wrong side of the road to see if it pulls the other way? (On a quiet road obviously). Does it pull on all roads, even the right hand lane on the motorway? I would find out where the dealer gets their alignments done and take it there myself, ask for a print-out and confront the dealer, if it is out that is. Either way you will have peace of mind.
We had a Polo in a while back that pulled left straight out of the dealer (I know, I picked it up). We Huntered it and the alignment was spot on, we checked everything, even the rack centering.
Eventually we swapped the front tyres from side to side and it completely cured it. Turned out to be a faulty tyre. Not unheard of but pretty rare on a decent tyre like a Conti.
Eventually we swapped the front tyres from side to side and it completely cured it. Turned out to be a faulty tyre. Not unheard of but pretty rare on a decent tyre like a Conti.
I have heard that the factory alignment tolerances are a lot broader than an individuals personal tolerances might be.
So, a new car might pass the PDI check, but a new owner might still want to get the alignment done.
Also, new cars are often aligned for the best fuel economy, you may want to get it adjusted for a fast road setup.
Depends on the car I guess.
Snowboy said:
I have heard that the factory alignment tolerances are a lot broader than an individuals personal tolerances might be.
So, a new car might pass the PDI check, but a new owner might still want to get the alignment done.
Also, new cars are often aligned for the best fuel economy, you may want to get it adjusted for a fast road setup.
Depends on the car I guess.
Yeah, I did consider that some people wouldn't notice it or may not be bothered by it. I prefer a relaxed driving style, and having to hold the wheel tight even on straight roads annoys me. I think I'll just take it somewhere myself and get it done, that way I can't complain.So, a new car might pass the PDI check, but a new owner might still want to get the alignment done.
Also, new cars are often aligned for the best fuel economy, you may want to get it adjusted for a fast road setup.
Depends on the car I guess.
The Wookie said:
We had a Polo in a while back that pulled left straight out of the dealer (I know, I picked it up). We Huntered it and the alignment was spot on, we checked everything, even the rack centering.
Eventually we swapped the front tyres from side to side and it completely cured it. Turned out to be a faulty tyre. Not unheard of but pretty rare on a decent tyre like a Conti.
Funnily enough this car is also a new Polo, although mine came with Hankooks for some reason.Eventually we swapped the front tyres from side to side and it completely cured it. Turned out to be a faulty tyre. Not unheard of but pretty rare on a decent tyre like a Conti.
Edited by PumpkinSteve on Tuesday 29th May 08:39
WhoseGeneration said:
Hmm, I wonder if a little box is ticked on the PDI sheet?
PDI? 1970 is calling, it wants it's dealers back.You do realise, all the dealer does is reverse the car off the trailer, scrub off the transport wax, and park it ready for collection? PDI as far as I can tell is a thing of the past.
FoundOnRoadside said:
You do realise, all the dealer does is reverse the car off the trailer, scrub off the transport wax, and park it ready for collection? PDI as far as I can tell is a thing of the past.
Are you 100% sure about that.I know PDI is still done on agricultural machinery, and 6 years ago when I worked in the car industry PDI’s were done then too.
Snowboy said:
FoundOnRoadside said:
You do realise, all the dealer does is reverse the car off the trailer, scrub off the transport wax, and park it ready for collection? PDI as far as I can tell is a thing of the past.
Are you 100% sure about that.I know PDI is still done on agricultural machinery, and 6 years ago when I worked in the car industry PDI’s were done then too.
I used to do IT work for a large UK company who supply IT systems to quite a few dealers. I'd be on site for days at a time, mostly sitting waiting for stuff to install, so I'd be there to see people's cars arriving on the transporter, being rallied in to the workshop, some spotty youth scrubbing the wax off with a polisher machine, another spotty youth sticking the wheeltrims on, and then the car being rallied out to the forecourt to be collected the next morning by the new owner.
Never did I see a PDI roadtest, fluids being checked, anything. That was Toyota, Citroen, Renault, and Vauxhall, different dealers all over the country.
PumpkinSteve said:
The Wookie said:
We had a Polo in a while back that pulled left straight out of the dealer (I know, I picked it up). We Huntered it and the alignment was spot on, we checked everything, even the rack centering.
Eventually we swapped the front tyres from side to side and it completely cured it. Turned out to be a faulty tyre. Not unheard of but pretty rare on a decent tyre like a Conti.
Funnily enough this car is also a new Polo, although mine came with Hankooks for some reason.Eventually we swapped the front tyres from side to side and it completely cured it. Turned out to be a faulty tyre. Not unheard of but pretty rare on a decent tyre like a Conti.
Edited by PumpkinSteve on Tuesday 29th May 08:39
PumpkinSteve said:
Funnily enough this car is also a new Polo, although mine came with Hankooks for some reason.
Strange coincidence! Maybe for some reason the Polo is particularly sensitive, perhaps the EPAS calibration.Edited by PumpkinSteve on Tuesday 29th May 08:39
Funny about the Hankooks, I know we don't like it if our client wants to change tyre after the completion of suspension tuning. Perhaps VW tested and validated it as being close enough to the original choice but it might be worth checking that it's supposed to be supplied with Hankooks and nothing funny is going on there.
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