slight pull to the right

hi,
'My Golf IV TDI has recently started pulling slightly to the right. The brakes are okay; when I brake (whether hard or gently), the steering wheel doesn't move, so it's not pulling to the right then. However, it's annoying when driving straight because you constantly have to hold the steering wheel slightly. If you let go, it slowly drifts to the right. The brakes also don't get warm after a long drive, so nothing is dragging. There are also no other noises when 'coasting' with the window open.' I also tried moving the car back and forth by turning the wheels - no difference. It's equally difficult to move it in all directions.
The tires are wearing evenly so far.

What else could it be due to?

Recently, a rear wheel bearing (on the LEFT side) was replaced - it probably can't be that, though...

Thank you very much!

Hello,

How does your car behave, for example, when you're in 4th gear? If you're driving straight and then suddenly release the accelerator, doesn't the car tend to pull to the left?
If that happens, and you then press the accelerator again, does it start pulling to the left? So, it's only when the front wheels need to provide traction that the problem occurs, but it's fine when pushing?

Quote:

Recently, a rear wheel bearing (on the LEFT side) was replaced - it probably can't be that, though...

Hmm, that's rather unlikely. Just jack up the rear of the car and check if the wheel turns freely and doesn't have any play (a minimal amount of play is not critical, but should be roughly the same on both sides).

Best regards, Rainer.

First of all, thank you for the reply.

So, it's pulling to the right. It doesn't matter if it happens while accelerating or just when coasting.

I've already tried jacking up the car and moving the wheel. In my opinion, nothing unusual.

Hello,

Okay, in that case, I would recommend getting the alignment checked, or measuring it yourself. Values should be found in a "how-to" manual or similar book for your car.
However, self-measurement requires a perfectly level surface, as well as some patience and the use of a spirit level, measuring tape, and calculator.

Best regards, Rainer.

And pay attention when judging whether the road is actually level when pulling to the right. Many roads are not level because they are sloped from the center to the right and left to ensure better water drainage. In such a case, it's better to drive in the middle of the lane to check, or even drive on the left side and see if it also drifts to the right.

If it still pulls to one side, adjust or have adjusted the toe or camber.

hi,
The car is still pulling to the right. In fact, it's pulling even more to the right than before, even after adjusting the alignment/camber. The steering wheel is also pointing to the right even when driving straight... this is really frustrating.

In the surveying protocol, before the adjustment, track 6 was actually pointing 6 degrees to the right. After the adjustment, it is now 0 degrees on both sides.

Why isn't the steering wheel in the center, and why does the vehicle continue to pull to the right?

What else could it be due to?

Should I really be satisfied with such a result from the workshop?

'Thank you in advance.'

Hello tk3003,

Normally, when performing a proper wheel alignment, the steering wheel is centered. If the steering wheel has been removed, it needs to be reattached in the correct position on the splines.
There could be several reasons, in my opinion, for the still-subpar driving characteristics.
- the workshop responsible for wheel alignment is incompetent (e.g., like ATU Coburg was 5 years ago in my case).
- The tires are already worn unevenly. A good workshop will point this out to you and may advise against a wheel alignment if the tires are not suitable (e.g., winter tires or moving rear tires to the front).
- The chassis and frame are so severely bent that it cannot be properly aligned without frame straightening. For that to happen, your car would have had to survive a crash.

If I were you, I would just try taking it to another workshop. Often, the mechanics are too lazy to properly adjust the tie rods (due to rust!) or to loosen the steering linkage. It takes time to do a job properly. When things like seized tie rod adjuster nuts are encountered, it's quickly said that "it can't be done any better" because otherwise, there's no more money to be earned.

Best regards, Rainer.

Oh, and one more thing: the suspension springs should be in good condition and not excessively uneven or broken. Similarly, the joints and bearings of the wheel suspension must not have any play.

Best regards, Rainer.

Thank you for your efforts ).

Okay:

I made sure to adjust the alignment properly... by the way, it was an ATU. I have no idea if it's faulty. At least I paid 46 euros for it... and it's gotten worse.

'I've been advised to swap the front and rear tires. But why would there suddenly be a difference with the exact same tires? I mean, these tires have probably been running in this specific combination for about 20-25,000 kilometers. And until recently, there was nothing unusual to observe.' That's why I can't imagine that anything will change.

The steering wheel was locked in the center position.

What I noticed, however, is that while he loosened and adjusted the tie rods, he didn't loosen the steering rack. Also, after making the adjustments, he didn't repeat the alignment measurement. That was quite surprising to me. However, the printout from the alignment machine then showed a toe angle of 0 degrees on both sides. How can the steering wheel be misaligned?

The frame was never damaged because there was no accident.
The tires are worn down evenly. There's nothing discernible.
The suspension springs are in good condition after visual inspection. Otherwise, nothing unusual was observed. Suspension appears normal as far as I can tell (checked on a lift with the wheels hanging freely).

Actually, I really want to go back and cause real terror, because from my point of view, it's incomprehensible.

Hi,
I once experienced similar issues with a Passat 32B. I took it to three different workshops for wheel alignment, and each one measured and adjusted it slightly differently. However, a deviation of 6° was never present, and the steering wheel should be straight after the adjustment; this is definitely a reason for complaint. Ultimately, we swapped the front tires from the right and left sides, and sure enough, the one-sided pulling stopped.
Similarly, in our case, the tires were not worn unevenly, and the measurements for alignment and camber were only slightly outside the tolerance range during the initial inspection.

Olli.

First of all, thank you again for the tips.

Okay, it seems the problem is resolved... it was, as usual, due to incompetent workshops, I think.

By the way, it was 0.6 degrees to the right... not 6 degrees, which would probably be a bit too much.

So, I complained, and then they tried to sell me new shock absorbers and control arms, claiming the alignment/adjustment was supposedly fine, but they didn't actually check it; they just wanted to make another sale.
After my strong objection that the steering wheel was much more misaligned after the measurement than it was before, they eventually agreed to repeat the measurement - and sure enough, everything was fine again.

Typical workshop! - This aligns with all my experiences.