Last year I replaced the front tyres on the car and also had a full 4 wheel alignment carried out as the fronts in particular were wearing on the outside edge.

Since then the car rides fine but I’ve noticed the steering wheel is slightly off to the left when driving in a straight line. This is not a huge issue but is quite annoying.

Is this quite an easy fix and what sort of places would adjust this?

I remember on a old car with a similar issue they held the front wheels in place and loosened the steering wheel, but that was an old car without an air bag. My current car has one so perhaps this is more difficult.

Usualy just means they only adjusted one side of the tie rod ends rather than both evenly.

If it’s not been long take it back where it was aligned (hard to prove you’ve not kerbed it in the meantime if it’s been months), otherwise somewhere else that can do the same job (but beter).

usually means they did a half assed job or one of your TREs is siezed.

is it a BMW ? certain models are notorious for them siezing and not being removable at all without replacement of more spendy bits

Its Mazda 323f so FWD.

The laser alignment place seemed quite professional and I got the usual print off with all the toe in and camber settings etc.

Is it possible for all of that ^ to be ok but the steering wheel to be off centre?

They should have centred the wheel and clamped it before making changes. Either they clamped it wonky, or didn’t at all and it moved during the adjustments.

I remember on a old car with a similar issue they held the front wheels in place and loosened the steering wheel,

I hope you never went there again. It would have meant you had more lock one way than the other. Perhaps not significant, but it’s plain wrong and bloody lazy.

A proper garage spends a while adjusting the tracking and ensures you end up with a straight steering wheel (without it ever having been removed). Multiple adjustments may be required with a test after each one. Then there are the other 99% of garages.

Hhmmm … the same thing happens to my Toyota Corolla but mine is slightly off to the right. 😡

Is it possible for all of that ^ to be ok but the steering wheel to be off centre?

Yep, the alignment just aligns the wheels, at an extreme example you could leave the car at full lock and then wind the tie rod ends round until the wheels were straight (assuming there was enough thread), but the steering wheel was still completely at full lock.

In your less extreme example all that happened is they aligned the wheels with the steering wheel slightly to one side. Means you’ll have that much more lock one way and that much less the other. Annoying, but probably not life threatening.

thisisnotaspoon – Member

Annoying, but probably not life threatening.

Glad to hear that as I intend to do the alignment when I get two new tyres. 😯

Any recommendation for a good alignment garage in the Toon at the Geordieland that does not bleed me dry?

probably

Mine lasted 20,000miles and two MOT tests, and the previous tyres must have done at least 10,000 before that, so probably not life threatening.

Emphasis on the probably!

thisisnotaspoon – Member

probably

Mine lasted 20,000miles and two MOT tests, and the previous tyres must have done at least 10,000 before that, so probably not life threatening.

Emphasis on the probably!

Mine went to 2 MOT tests too but I have only driven about 800 – 1,000 miles for the last two years … 😳

Now that I got my proper license I will do more.