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Car Forum / BMW Cars / April 2005E39 Steering Wheel Off Center
Group, After an alignment on my E39, the steering wheel is off-center when driving straight. Can I just remove the steering wheel and re-position so it is straight? Thanks, Ray P '98 528 115k miles > After an alignment on my E39, the steering wheel is off-center when > driving straight. Can I just remove the steering wheel and re-position > so it is straight? > Thanks, Ray P '98 528 115k miles No - take it back. Your 528 has rack and pinion steering, and the rack should be central when any alignment is done. Of course, if the rack has been replaced, or the wheel altered from its factory position, it's a matter of starting from the beginning, but properly. However, you could mark the track rod ends and the track rods, and then simply adjust both by the same amount in the same direction until the wheel is straight. But I'd have the tracking checked again after doing this.  Signature*On the seventh day He brewed beer * Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. The shop that did the alignment screwed up. I suspect the tracking of the car is off, even if it doesn't pull to one side or the other. R / John > Group, > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Ray P > '98 528 115k miles > Group, > > After an alignment on my E39, the steering wheel is off-center when driving > straight. Can I just remove the steering wheel and re-position so it is > straight? Well, can you? Sure. Should you? No, because your steering box is designed to be in a particular position at dead-ahead. My advice is to go back to the alignment shop and ask them to make it right. If they won't or say they will have to charge you to correct their mistake, leave and don't go back. There are plenty of places that can do this relatively simple job correctly the first time. -Fred W > There are plenty of places that > can do this relatively simple job correctly the first time. Heh heh. I recently did a complete overhaul on the steering and suspension on my 'other' car. New steering rack included. I used the centre finder in the rack to set the steering wheel straight. Then took it for a four wheel alignment check and tracking adjustment. The rear axle (driven) is a well located beam type with also new bushes. They appeared to take a deal of trouble, and the computer print out after tracking showed everything to be right. But the steering wheel was out by enough to annoy me. Rather than get them to try again, I got an undertaking for a free check and print out after I'd corrected it myself by adjusting each track rod by the same amount until it came straight. And by being *very* careful, I did just this. And the free check showed everything to be fine. I'd say it's pretty difficult to do this on anything other than a new car - any slight damage to the wheels, or slight settlement in the suspension - is likely to make things less than perfect. So a question of AUT, then checking again. And very expensive to get this done professionally, due to the time involved. Signature*Do paediatricians play miniature golf on Wednesdays? Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. Maybe. But, you CAN have the alignment shop fix it. > Group, > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Ray P > '98 528 115k miles Just out of interest, who can we trust to do the tracking on our BMWs ? Obviously, the dealers have all the KDS gear but rip us off for it, can we trust the tyre specialists to set things up right ? MC > Maybe. But, you CAN have the alignment shop fix it. > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >> Ray P >> '98 528 115k miles > Just out of interest, who can we trust to do the tracking on our BMWs ? > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >>>Ray P >>>'98 528 115k miles No! Your car would have a different turning radius in a clockwise (or counterclockwise) direction than in a counterclockwise (clockwise) direction. |
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