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Second time crooked wheel after service
- Thread starter Olle
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- Driving Dynamics Model S
mknox
Well-Known Member
Interesting. I had the same issue of the steering wheel off center after a Tesla alignment. I do a lot of freeway driving and it is annoying to me to have the wheel off center when I'm driving in a straight line. I did take it back for a re-do and it is much better, but still off by a tiny bit.
m6bigdog
Member
Not at all.
With todays laser alignment equipment and digital readouts they should be able to nail it the first time.
Leaving the vehicle out of alignment will wear suspension parts, tires and make the car more difficult to steer.
You deserve an alignment within spec including a straight steering wheel.
I know this thread is a bit old... but... just to add another to the list --
When I took delivery about a year ago, the steering wheel alignment was about 4-5 deg to the right. So I brought it in a month later and they fixed it... at first I thought it was slightly left, but it was pretty much dead on.
Then after my yearly service this year (a couple weeks ago) the steering wheel alignment was again about 3-4 deg. to the right. I brought it back a week later and they nearly fixed it, but it's still a bit to the right, perhaps about .5 - 1 degree. It is very clear to me... frustrating considering the "laser alignment" and such.
I know they even use a "bubble level" to level the wheel... but I think the problem must come in 1 of 3 areas, either:
1) When the car is pulled in to the service bay and/or when put on the lift, the wheel is not "centered in the play area" which exists, so maybe as they "make a right" into the service bay, the wheel is then toward the right end of the "play" and so they don't notice it when it is then "pegged" by the tool they use to hold the wheel straight while doing the actual wheel/toe adjustment.
2) Perhaps most likely, the "peg / bar / clip" or whatever tool they use to hold the wheel slips each time by a small amount
3) Maybe the laser alignment machine's calibration is slightly off.
I'm considering making another appointment to get this fixed... tempted to learn how to adjust the tie rod myself to just fix the toe myself such that the steering wheel is perfectly "flat" when driving straight... tough to know if they can really get it perfect on their own.
Anyway... I wonder if anyone else on here has fixed their steering wheel alignment by turning their tie rods... I just hesitate to do this not really knowing how much to torque down the bolt that holds them in place.
Btw, I noticed above posters saying they were getting steering wheel to the left... I've seen several others (like me) reporting that they got the car at delivery or after alignment with it to the right... so... could be pattern? Not sure...
When I took delivery about a year ago, the steering wheel alignment was about 4-5 deg to the right. So I brought it in a month later and they fixed it... at first I thought it was slightly left, but it was pretty much dead on.
Then after my yearly service this year (a couple weeks ago) the steering wheel alignment was again about 3-4 deg. to the right. I brought it back a week later and they nearly fixed it, but it's still a bit to the right, perhaps about .5 - 1 degree. It is very clear to me... frustrating considering the "laser alignment" and such.
I know they even use a "bubble level" to level the wheel... but I think the problem must come in 1 of 3 areas, either:
1) When the car is pulled in to the service bay and/or when put on the lift, the wheel is not "centered in the play area" which exists, so maybe as they "make a right" into the service bay, the wheel is then toward the right end of the "play" and so they don't notice it when it is then "pegged" by the tool they use to hold the wheel straight while doing the actual wheel/toe adjustment.
2) Perhaps most likely, the "peg / bar / clip" or whatever tool they use to hold the wheel slips each time by a small amount
3) Maybe the laser alignment machine's calibration is slightly off.
I'm considering making another appointment to get this fixed... tempted to learn how to adjust the tie rod myself to just fix the toe myself such that the steering wheel is perfectly "flat" when driving straight... tough to know if they can really get it perfect on their own.
Anyway... I wonder if anyone else on here has fixed their steering wheel alignment by turning their tie rods... I just hesitate to do this not really knowing how much to torque down the bolt that holds them in place.
Btw, I noticed above posters saying they were getting steering wheel to the left... I've seen several others (like me) reporting that they got the car at delivery or after alignment with it to the right... so... could be pattern? Not sure...
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The problem is not using the level on the steering wheel, it's getting the steering wheel centered while unloading all the suspensions parts/bushings/tires. Otherwise they've got the wheel centered and everything else on the car crooked, and then they do the alignment, and as soon as the car pulls out it's wrong again.
Basically, they don't know how to do their jobs.
edit - I always run into these problems anytime I need a wheel balance or alignment. If someone ever asks me to do a optional one I always say NO, because it can only get worse than whatever it is now. So every shop sends the wrench monkey who just started to go use a $40k machine, how could he get it wrong, right? The machine will just do it... Uhm, no.
Basically, they don't know how to do their jobs.
edit - I always run into these problems anytime I need a wheel balance or alignment. If someone ever asks me to do a optional one I always say NO, because it can only get worse than whatever it is now. So every shop sends the wrench monkey who just started to go use a $40k machine, how could he get it wrong, right? The machine will just do it... Uhm, no.
ArtInCT
Always Learning
I have always "strongly" mentioned that I "demand" that my steering wheel be centered AFTER the alignment process is done.
If you do not do this, that little important detail could be forgotten.
If the service manager looks perplexed when you discuss this you need to show him/her the "before" steering wheel position.
A pound of prevention ...
It's being off whole degrees, that bothers me. I have a digital level that reads in tenths. Half a degree goes by really fast. Maybe it's more than that, for you? At the tie-rods, such a correction may only be 1/10th of a turn.
A few things to add, been doing alignments for 15 years. First is the wheel should be centered before any adjustments are made and if it is and then rechecked after the adjustment is done there should not be a problem. I have had my fair share of wheels off center after alignments and had to re set up the car on the rack and re adjust. The biggest problem is that most younger techs these days just get thought to "put it in the green" or with in the tolerances. This is ok and yes the car is " in spec" however to make a car drive straight and like it should you have to set the car up to have the same measure side to side, sometimes making an adjustment for road crown with a slight difference in camber. The hunter equipment that is used by tesla is great if used correctly which is often not done.
If I were to take my car into someone for an alignment I would ask that the car be set up with the measurements being the same side to side, this along with a few extra steps at the end of the alignment to ensure the wheel is straight will make any car drive better than new. I too got my car with a slightly off center wheel, and I aligned it myself to correct.
To the OP, I would just ask that they re adjust you car and check the side to side measurements as close to equal as possible.
To the people talking about tech comp, tesla does indeed pay there techs by the hour, however they are all judged on how efficient they are. Most other shops do pay there techs based on how much work they do, most good techs make good money with this system, which also means the tech does not get paid to fix his mistakes it come backs. So anyone who is good will stick with the traditional system, and techs that can't make it seek a job that does not use that system. I am not saying tesla hires bad techs, just saying they are not competitive for the most experanced techs in the industry.
Hope my ramblings help everyone understand things a little more.
If I were to take my car into someone for an alignment I would ask that the car be set up with the measurements being the same side to side, this along with a few extra steps at the end of the alignment to ensure the wheel is straight will make any car drive better than new. I too got my car with a slightly off center wheel, and I aligned it myself to correct.
To the OP, I would just ask that they re adjust you car and check the side to side measurements as close to equal as possible.
To the people talking about tech comp, tesla does indeed pay there techs by the hour, however they are all judged on how efficient they are. Most other shops do pay there techs based on how much work they do, most good techs make good money with this system, which also means the tech does not get paid to fix his mistakes it come backs. So anyone who is good will stick with the traditional system, and techs that can't make it seek a job that does not use that system. I am not saying tesla hires bad techs, just saying they are not competitive for the most experanced techs in the industry.
Hope my ramblings help everyone understand things a little more.
Thanks for sharing your 15yrs of experience! (and no, they are definetly not ramblings!)
i dont know much about alignments (or cars for that matter) but I think it is so very important that the "grippers" on the individual wheel clamps are a) the correct ones (i believe they have (2) different depths) AND b) that they are properly/fully seated against the rim lip. I had to deploy modified suspension bits both front and rear to achieve an acceptable (to me) tire service life.
This pretty much nails it. Tesla gets the alignment so it's in spec, and they are so busy that they rush through things. Jumping from car to car is very common, which in turn causes all of the problems they have been having.
This only works if you absolutely confirm that that car itself is level. Heck my garage slab is not perfectly level and my car will lean by 1/2 degree one way or another depending on where I park.
Most of my previous cars, even as old as the 300ZX twin turbo I had from 1992 has a steering wheel position sensor that knows when the steering wheel is centered. Does the MS not have this? They can't tell over the CAN bus when the steering wheel is centered?
Ideally don't under stand why they are doing alignments for no reason unless you have the worst roads ever you do not need an alignment ever 12500 miles not to mention whomever is doing the alignment has a setting wrong on the machine or doesn't know how to do an alignment properly. I own an alignment machine and have done alignments for over 20 years. The wheel should be straight your complaint is totally valid. You should not be "turning tie rod ends" in your garage or ever. An alignment machine also has to have an Alignment rack which consists of pads on bearings for the tires to sit on so that when you make an adjustment the wheel can move. There is for sure a sensor to tell the car where the center is for the steering wheel this value can be calibrated on most cars. I would like to see what the numbers are before the alignment is done crazy in my mind to get alignments that much and that prices is insane at least here in Atlanta. Alignment here is 104 bucks lol
