TB1000

I apologize if this topic has been discussed already.

So I took my car into the dealer this week to have them check out my alignment because I have noticed it has really been pulling to the right lately. Driving it has become a pain because I'm having to "force" the steering to stay straight in the lane.

My car is still in the shop and over the two days I have had a loaner (which is absolutely filthy by the way. 2009 A4 with an interior that has yet to be cleaned and it's filled with ants) I have noticed that this car does the same thing.

If I let go of the wheel it almost immediately starts heading to the right at a pretty convincing angle. I'm not a car or road surface expert but this doesn't feel normal, especially after I haven't noticed it before.

Thoughts?

Scotty (UK)

In the UK there are always lots of treads like this ... but they normally say to the left.

Are you sure it's not the road camber?

BMWBig6

We call it "road crown" in the U.S. but I think we're talking about the same thing. They build roads with a natural slope on each side for water to run off. And if you're on a 2-lane road (1 lane each direction), that means you're always kind of gradually going down the slope to the right. Each road is different, and it's very possible the A4 is more susceptible to this than your previous auto.

If your car does it in a flat parking lot, well then that's an alignment problem (or low tire pressure problem).

They can align your car to reduce or minimize the road crown effect, but I think it involves altering your rear suspension setup too (and not just adjusting your front toe, which affects the car's tendency to wander).

sergeyv

I'm having the same issue. The car is pulling slightly to the right. Also steering wheel is off few degrees to the left. Can it be fixed by the alignment?

Scotty (UK)

Indeed we are. In the UK the "crown" is the central highest part.

sergeyv

TB1000,
How was your trip to the dealer? Did the problem get fixed?

TB1000

I picked up my car today and noticed a HUGE difference in steering. The pulling to the right wasn't always there and I've had the car since Sept 08 and have put 10,000 miles on it. It's much nicer to drive now and I have a clean interior again.

They also checked out the 65 mph vibration issue and road force balanced the tires but there is still a slight vibration. In addition, I still get the "Quattro Shakes" so I may need to give them a call so we can resolve the issue.

sergeyv

Mr TB1000,

What exactly did dealer do? Just the alignment?

TB1000

They adjusted the alignment and road force balanced the tires. Unfortunately, the shakes at 65 mph are still there so I will be taking the car back in next week. The service department told me today that they will put a new set of tires on it to make sure that there are not flat spots in my current tires.

I also noticed a nice door scratch on my passenger side door. When I picked up my car yesterday it looked like bird poop at first and when I looked closer today I found the awful blemish. Not really sure how I can handle that issue now since I have had the car for a day and didn't mention it while I was there. Ugh.

sergeyv

Did you have to pay for the alignment or it was covered under waranty? By the way, where are you located?