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Steering wheel is no longer "straight". Could it have been caused by alignment?

Old Nov 15, 2012 | 07:42 AM
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Default Steering wheel is no longer "straight". Could it have been caused by alignment?

I had an alignment done (since I had two tires and shocks replaced) and now while driving, my steering wheel is sorta turned to the left. If I turn it exactly straight like it should be, the truck goes slightly to the right. Could this have been caused by my recent alignment? I think I would have noticed this before the alignment.
 
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Old Nov 15, 2012 | 12:26 PM
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Simple answer is yes.
Al
 
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Old Nov 15, 2012 | 01:37 PM
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Yes most likely the shop u took it to screwed up the alignment.

if you're on a normal road that has a crest your truck will always pull right when driving.... go try it in a flat/level parking lot and see if it still pulls when you hold the wheel straight.
 
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Old Nov 15, 2012 | 08:56 PM
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I called up to the shop that did the alignment and was told that if they make it straight that it would cause wear and tear on [something I can't remember the name of]. The guy was talking over my head. I KNOW my steering wheel was straight before this.
 
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Old Nov 16, 2012 | 03:18 AM
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I believe shops are supposed to lock the steering wheel in place straight, then adjust the tie rod ends to get correct alignment.
That's the correct way to do it.
Al.
 
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Old Nov 16, 2012 | 03:15 PM
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Originally Posted by CodeBlox
I called up to the shop that did the alignment and was told that if they make it straight that it would cause wear and tear on [something I can't remember the name of]. The guy was talking over my head. I KNOW my steering wheel was straight before this.
This is BS! Call your Credit Card Company and put a stop payment on that.. they will get charged a 10% merchants services fee by their bank.

You can threaten to do that before doing it, they didn't do the job right the first time, and they are trying to avoid eating the labor now.
 
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Old Nov 16, 2012 | 04:33 PM
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I don't know how the process is done, but I do KNOW that your wheel is supposed to be straight. They come from the factory like that, and any time I've had my wheel out of line, my alignment has been off.

They are not a shop worthwhile using. Make them fix it right, see if they are members of the BBB (Doubt it) and make a complaint if they dont fix it at their expense.
 
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Old Nov 16, 2012 | 06:35 PM
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Originally Posted by abarmby
I believe shops are supposed to lock the steering wheel in place straight, then adjust the tie rod ends to get correct alignment.
That's the correct way to do it.
Al.
This.

Bring it back and have them redo it, or refund your money and bring it somewhere that knows what they're doing.
 
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Old Nov 17, 2012 | 05:27 PM
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I took it back this morning and had them redo the alignment at no charge and it's straight now. The guy said that something [I can't remember the name of it!!!] wasn't tight enough and caused it to go out of alignment. They checked the alignment before they realigned and the Left Front toe had a measure of 1.23, the Right from Toe had a measure of 1.26 and the total front toe was 2.50.

AFTER the alignment the total is now .20

I hope it doesn't happen again!!! I'm just glad they made it right even though it took them like 7 hours...
 

Last edited by CodeBlox; Nov 17, 2012 at 05:43 PM.
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