Hi Scotty!
So I have a 2013 VW golf tai automatic and I recently just had 2 new struts put on the front of the vehicle. I had my friend who has been working on cars and motorcycles his whole life install them so not completely "professional" but I figured it was an easy enough job. So fast forward and I have had the car's alignment done twice now (once from a trusted alignment shop by another friend) but the steering wheel is slightly off center to the right. The alignment shop assured me the alignment was in spec and that the car should be fine.
My question is, what do you think could be making the steering wheel off center? Did they just not do the alignment correctly? Is is possible my friend messed something up when installing the new struts? Not the biggest issue in the world but I really want my car to drive with a centered steering wheel again. Any advice is much appreciated!
It's possible for wheel alignment (toe-in) to be correct but the steering wheel not properly centered if the alignment shop wasn't careful when adjusting the tie rod ends.
My car has had the steering wheel a bit crooked for the 10 years I've owned it but the car tracks straight and isn't wearing the tires funny so I just live with it. However it's old enough that there are no electronics involved in the steering system.
They're supposed to make sure that the steering wheel is centered along with the wheel alignment being in spec. Someone was just lazy and/or didn't lock the steering wheel down before they started. I've had that happen a few times. I'm OCD and can't drive it that way, so I fixed it myself
Yeah I figured that might be the case. So you don't think it wouldn't be anything to do with the new struts my friend put on? Anything he could have messed up in that process that would lead to this?
Somebody did lousy work. Take it back and tell them to do it correctly.
My take: Someone bent the steering column/shaft.
As I recall, VWs have only one tie end rod that is adjustable, so when you re-do the alignment - toe adjustment, specifically - more often than not, steering wheel would end up off a bit in one direction or the other. In those cases, you had to re-index the steering wheel on the steering column one or three splines to re-centre the wheel. Pain, … but that’s how it was done in the past when I had a VW fetish. Perhaps this is the case still? Dunno, …
F.S.
