Audi A4 pulling to the left and steering wheel not straight!

[Evoluzione]

Mignon said:

Evoluzione said:

Laser tracking is mainly for speed, it doesn't do the job much better than a piece of string, a camber/castor gauge and other bits shown below, but a large % of the people using them don't know what they're doing, that's the problem.

Took me hours the first time I did it, but it was spot on.

I think the computerised machines get confused if the front and rear track widths are not the same like on a Pug 205. The rear is narrower and they try to get the fronts pointing at the rears which gives a huge toe out.

I would be surprised something costing the amount they do doesn't take a common feature like that into consideration, but wouldn't know for sure. That one in the pic had it too, I remember working from the hub centres outwards to set the string up, but a quick check for parallel showed it would have been wrong so had to start the set up again. I once visited a company called Intrax in the Netherlands, they make top end suspension and was interested to see them setting my car up with string on some axle stands, I thought well, if it's good enough for them....
Locally we have an expert who is mobile, as long as you've got a four poster he'll visit and do it. He's an absolute expert on it having done it all his working life and it's a joy to watch him work.

[Kawasicki]

Mignon said:

Kawasicki said:

Why would that help?

It's the starting point for getting any car tracked properly. If the rack is not centralised then the track rod ends will be differently adjusted and the steering travel won't be the same in both directions. I once had a Fiesta that always struck me as harder to get into my driveway if I came down my road from one direction than the other. It took me ages to twig the issue but it had much more steering lock on one side. Like 2 turns one way and 1.5 the other. The Fiestas have hexagonal steering columns not splined and the steering wheel was one flat out of position. The track rod ends were so far out that one side was screwed into the rack as far as it would go and the other side was almost hanging off.

I'm not saying this will be causing the OP's car to pull but if he's been messing with the steering wheel position then this needs to be fixed. It can also upset self cancelling indicators and electronic stability control.

To the OP. Tracking issues at the front end don't generally cause pulling just to one side. No matter where the wheels point they will find their central balanced position when the car is going straight ahead just by equalisation of forces acting on them. They might well scrub and wear out but not pull. Rear wheels out of whack will certainly require some steering wheel adjustment as they will drive the rear of the car one way or the other but yours appear to be spot on from the printout. A few minutes of arc difference from side to side is nothing.

As suggested measure the wheel base front to rear on each side but I think the caster would be different if this was out and the printout says it's fine but it's a quick and easy check to do.

I'm not a fan of those computerised tracking machines. I've seen them do some weird things like a friend's Peugeot 205 that came back with half an inch of toe out on the front wheels which scrubbed a set of tyres out in a single motorway journey. You can't beat an old skool Dunlop tracking gauge for simple front wheel alignment.

I agree getting the rack centered is a great starting point, but didn’t think it would cause pull...but definitely asym steering as you said. The phasing of the steering intermediate shaft is also important for avoiding asym response.

Also important...getting the corner weights and ride heights sorted too.

I also agree with not trusting one alignment machine. They can vary wildly...whereas old school is more reliable...if you can do it!

[Jordy12397]

Much appreciated for all the responses, I tried something this morning, I drove in a straight line meaning the steering wheel was slightly right, when stopped I straightened the wheel out and the wheels was pointing slightly left so something must be out, so where do I go from here as mentioned I’ve done as much as I’m able to do I know you’ve all given ideas but where do I start?

[GreenV8S]

Jordy12397 said:

where do I start?

If you let go of the wheel and let the car steer itself on a road without any camber or side slope, does it track straight? If it does, your problem is that the steering wheel isn't centered. If it doesn't, your problem is that something is causing the car to pull to one side. You already know it is not the geometry or tyre pressure. You've had some other suggestions.

[M4cruiser]

vsonix said:

Kawasicki said:

Mignon said:

Here is what you need to do. Turn the steering wheel full lock one way. Make a mark on the wheel. Turn it full lock the other way. Make another mark. Find the exact half way point. Remove the steering wheel and refit it so it's in the 12 o'clock position at the half way point of the travel. Then get the tracking reset to achieve even toe with the steering wheel in the right place. That will ensure the steering rack is also in the centre point of its travel when you are driving straight ahead. See if that helps.

Why would that help?

Most tracking setups include a clamp to hold the steering wheel dead on 12 o clock while adjustments are being made anyway...

Yes they do, but that doesn't achieve what Mignon is saying. You'd need the wheel at 12 o'clock whilst the rack is centred too.

[Mignon]

Jordy12397 said:

I know you’ve all given ideas but where do I start?

I've already told you exactly where to start. If I was wasting my time typing I won't bother adding anything further.

[Piersman2]

Jordy12397 said:

Scrump said:

You need to get your wheel alignment checked and corrected.

I’ve had it checked twice at 2 diffrent kwik fit branches using there Hunter Hawkeye laser alignment technology, I know they have a not so great reputation but surely 2 machines can’t be wrong?

This is the underlying issue, expecting Kwik Fit to have and know how to use the machines. Take your car to a garage with the hunter kit that knows how to use it properly.

I had my car aligned at Kwik Fit on their Hunter kit a year or so back. I watched them do it, checked the read outs, made sure they had the correct vehicle selected, etc... The car felt like the front wheels were driving on a ridge the whole time. I lasted a week before I took it to my usual tyre place for them to check alignment, and it was miles out. They re-adjusted everything to get it spot on again.

[Mignon]

I find the MK1 human eyeball is pretty good at spotting major wheel alignment errors if only as a sanity check that one of these Hunter machines hasn't done something really stupid. Assuming the track width is the same at front and rear of the car park the car on level ground, align the steering wheel in the position the car drives straight ahead in, hopefully this will be 12 o'clock although the OP said his wheel was originally a bit to the right. Kneel down in front of each front tyre and squint along the sidewall of the tyre until you're looking straight down the side of the tyre. This line should point at the edge of the sidewall of the rear tyre if the tracking is parallel and a little bit inboard of the rear tyre edge if the front tracking is toe out. Measure the track width front and rear with a tape measure to ensure it's the same and if not then you can work out the compensation you need to be allowing for in where the front wheels point relative to the rears.

Usually fwd cars have a little bit of front toe out and rwd cars a little bit of front toe in.

[GliderRider]

If the tracking has been adjusted on the wrong track rod end, then the steering rack will be offset, hence the steering wheel being off-centre. This would presumably also mean the power steering thinks the car is turning and needs to be centred when it is in fact pointing straight ahead. As others have suggested, centring the rack before redoing the tracking should help.

[E-bmw]

GliderRider said:

This would presumably also mean the power steering thinks the car is turning and needs to be centred when it is in fact pointing straight ahead.

F.Me, power steering that thinks! Whatever next?

[NotBenny]

This absolutely screams of one of a two things to me - either the steering wheel wasn't clamped centrally (or at all) or the front wheels weren't on "bearing plates" that allow the front wheels to be freely adjusted.

Having been the supervisor of a famous fast fit MOT and service centre, working in ~10 branches over the years, I can assure you that no matter how good the equipment, cars frequently have the wheel alignment done and come back within days to say "the steering wheel is offset when I drive in a straight line and if I straighten it, the car points off to the left/right". Maybe they've improved in the 10 years since I worked there, but what you are describing sounds exactly the same as when someone has done wheel alignment poorly, and the problem went away when someone actually took the time and care to do it to the required standard.