Lenkung schwer, Golf 6 | Posts 16+

Thank you for the answers.

My tires only have outside tread. I've swapped all the tires around, putting the left ones on the right and vice versa.

Two tires still have 6mm of tread and are now on the front. One has 5.1mm and one only has 4.3mm. I find it strange that one tire only has 4.3mm. That one is now on the rear left.

Okay, I've already had the mechanic check it out, and I have the report. Unless the measuring equipment (a relatively new, fully automated laser system) is malfunctioning, then there's a defect with the car.

The question is really what's most likely causing it. I would suspect the rear rubber bushings in the control arms. The car sits at the same height when stationary. The shock absorbers are also fine. The strut mount on the right side might not be perfect anymore, but why would that cause the steering wheel to be misaligned?

When I said "uneven wear," I meant that the tire was wearing differently in different areas, for example, with an inner edge of 3mm and an outer edge of 5mm.

It is normal for tires on a vehicle to wear unevenly, even without defects in the wheel suspension or damping system, because slippage and therefore abrasion are greater in wheels with less load.
Therefore, if Darren Robinson is mostly driving alone at the wheel (on the left side), the tires on the right side will wear out faster.

Best regards, Rainer.

I checked it, and my tires are wearing down very evenly...

I put my winter tires (which were new before the winter) back on the car again. I'm experiencing exactly the same problem here.

What kind of defect could cause the steering wheel to be misaligned, even after calibration?

Assuming the measurements were accurate, possible causes include worn or damaged bushings in the wheel suspension or steering components, or a faulty steering rack/power steering unit.

You can park the vehicle on a level surface with the transmission in neutral but the parking brake engaged. Then, try to move each wheel forward and backward, for example, by applying strong horizontal pushing or pulling force in the direction of travel at the top of the wheel.
Ideally, each wheel should move as little as possible relative to the body of the car, both forwards and backwards, and especially equally from left to right.

Best regards, Rainer.

leon_20v wrote:

Thank you for the answers. My tires only have outside tread. I've swapped all the tires around, putting the left ones on the right and vice versa. Two tires still have 6mm of tread and are now on the front. One has 5.1mm and one only has 4.3mm. I find it strange that one tire only has 4.3mm of tread. It's now mounted on the rear left. Okay, I've already had the mechanic look at it and I have the report. Unless the measuring equipment (a relatively new, fully automated laser system) is malfunctioning, then there's a defect with the car. The question is just what it's most likely to be. I would guess the rear full rubber control arm bushings. The car is level when standing still. The shock absorbers are also okay. The strut mount on the right side might not be the best anymore, but why should that cause the steering wheel to be misaligned?!?

Hi!

Don't worry about it! / Don't get worked up about it!

Even the most advanced laser axis measurement system is only as accurate as the way the parts are mounted on the wheels and how carefully the work is performed.

Personally, in my workshop in the backyard, I sometimes also do optical alignments, but using just my eyes.
I have a pit where I can work on the car, so it's quite quick.
First, measure the front wheel alignment, then adjust the rear wheels to match the front by eye.
It's great when someone is there who always positions the steering wheel so that it's straight without having to apply any pressure.
Then the alignment will be measured again, adjusted again, and then measured again, and usually that's enough to get it right.
I'd say my success rate is 99% when it comes to making sure the steering wheel is perfectly straight.

Yes, I can already hear the complaints and criticisms ("amateurish," etc.), but I know how to assess when that's the case, and if necessary, I'll get a proper wheel alignment done at another workshop.

Furthermore:
Uneven tire wear is not uncommon; I see it very often. It usually occurs on the front axle of cars with front-wheel drive, where the tires are worn unevenly.
I think it's probably because when driving on the left, people tend to accelerate more and drive faster when taking left-hand turns.

Well, I'd really like to avoid getting stressed out.

'But I just arrived at work after driving 80km. Every morning, I go crazy because the 'centering force' from the steering wheel is higher in right turns than in left turns. Also, this makes it harder to take smooth turns to the right compared to left turns.'

'And to top it off, the steering wheel is crooked, and I've been trying for days to find a problem.'


The car is just not fun to drive anymore; I really don't want to drive it at all. And then you have a VW mechanic drive it, and he says he barely notices anything... It's enough to drive you crazy.

Hello!

Okay, so as a mechanic, I would first start by aligning the steering wheel by adjusting the tie rods. And then I'd see if that makes any difference.

Okay, let's talk about the legal aspects.
You mentioned that there's still a "warranty" on the car.
I would definitely investigate what the warranty covers and try to document the defect in a way that can be understood by the warranty provider when reporting it.

It could end up being the case that a technical expert or inspector from TÜV or DEKRA drives the car and decides whether there is a problem or if everything is okay.

Otherwise, you'll just be kept waiting until the warranty period expires.

It looks like a completely new steering rack will be necessary. They had problems with the steering racks in the G VI models fairly often. Don't let them stall; this is a serious defect, as it stands now!

I bought the car from Volkswagen, so it has a VW Premium used car warranty.

'First, the pressure plate broke on the car and was replaced. Then, after 2000 km, the release bearing and dual-mass flywheel (DMF) failed. The DMF was replaced free of charge, and the release bearing was covered under warranty. I'm a bit frustrated with this car.'

I've had the alignment adjusted three times now, but the steering wheel still isn't straight. The car drives relatively straight, but the steering wheel always points to the left. There's definitely something wrong with it.

I just went to VW. I'm getting new strut mounts and control arm bushings, and then they want to adjust the alignment. If it's still not good after that, I might have to insist on a new steering rack. I just hope I don't make things difficult for the dealer, because he's been quite helpful so far.

If I lift the front of the car and steer without starting the engine, then it feels heavier on the right side than on the left. Also, the resistance is greater on the right side earlier. But when the engine is running, I don't notice any difference with both wheels in the air. But somehow, I tell everyone about this, but nobody really cares...

The steering linkage looks suspicious.
However, it is first necessary to ensure that the vehicle has been measured correctly.
Do you have a survey report or documentation? That would be helpful here.

The surveying process includes:
- Rim dent compensation on all wheels.
- Measurement of the horizontal axis (which is responsible for steering), and if necessary, adjustment.
- Check and adjust rear axle camber.
- Center the steering axis; if necessary, adjust the length of each tie rod individually until the steering angle is correct on both sides and the toe-in/toe-out is within the specified tolerance range; center the steering wheel.
- If necessary, recheck and adjust the wheel alignment.
- Verification of lag and spread.

If the electromechanical steering system has a central position, this is the reference point for centering.
Normally, you would first correct the alignment and then adjust the tracking, but in this case, it also appears that the wheels are not centered properly, so perhaps centering them should be done first.

You can roughly check the alignment of the rear axle yourself using a straight edge. Place appropriate spacers against the rims at the back and see if the alignment is the same on both the left and right sides.

hg
Herbert.

The car was at the VW workshop today. They replaced the strut mounts and adjusted the alignment. However, nothing has changed. The steering wheel is still not perfectly straight, but the car drives straight even though the steering wheel is slightly to the left.

'When you lift the car, it feels heavier on the right side and reaches its maximum weight earlier than on the left. This morning, we removed the tie rods together. Then, it felt equally heavy on both sides.'

I don't know what else to do; there are no other visible defects.

Is it possible that the ball joint on the tie rod or control arm is stiff or difficult to move?

I once encountered this issue with a Passat 35i that had been parked for an extended period. There were rust marks on the ball joint of the tie rod end, which caused it to become difficult to turn.

If you don't have a survey report and can't say anything more than "the track has been discontinued" during the survey (refer to my list above), then this discussion will remain speculative.
You have to provide something.
hg
Herbert.

Unfortunately, I didn't receive any survey reports. I drove quite a distance again today. It's really impossible. I even feel like it sometimes takes different amounts of effort.

I can rule out the ball joints; they've already been replaced, and it didn't work. ;(

I really don't know what to do next.

Any reasonably qualified workshop will provide you with a report detailing the measurements they took. This is standard practice. You mentioned earlier that you already have one. Why don't you start by looking at that?
hg
Herbert.

Okay, so the new strut mounts and control arm bushings have now been installed.

When you lift both wheels off the ground and slowly turn the steering wheel, it's noticeably harder to turn right than left (without the engine running).

The mechanic adjusted the tie rods. Steering then becomes very easy and responsive in both directions. I thought it felt slightly heavier on the right side, but the master technician said no, it's definitely the same.
However, the legs can also be rotated with relatively equal difficulty on both sides.

Attached is the first survey report. However, the right-hand track was subsequently adjusted to exactly 0.05.

At the VW dealership I visited, the service advisor who usually handles my car is currently on vacation. The other one seemed quite grumpy and was talking about what still needed to be done. He probably wouldn't notice anything wrong with the car anyway. After seeing the measurement report, I didn't dare to ask any more questions.

Apparently, after the steering column replacement, it was re-aligned and the center position adjusted because it wasn't correct. However, according to VCDS, the steering wheel is still approximately 4 degrees off to the left when driving straight. If I release the steering wheel, the car drives straight.

Okay, I'm also at a loss regarding the car issue. In my opinion, it's definitely not normal for the restoring forces to be slightly higher in right-hand curves than in left-hand curves.