alignment is horrible!! what to do?!

**spiff** · January 7th, 2007 01:20 PM

hi guys, i dont know why but the wheel alignment of my car is really bad.
its been serviced in the casa three times already and everytime it comes back it still has the same problem. i am going back tomorrow to get pissed off at them again but till then i need some help. they claim they have had it aligned and it should be ok by now. what could be the cause of this? could it be something else other than the wheel alignment itself that is causing this? tire pressure is normal so it couldnt be that. any other cause perhaps?

my car is a mazda 6. anyone with a mazda 6 or 3 with similar problems?
thanks! appreciate the help

**dennis powell** · January 7th, 2007 01:50 PM

if three times mo ng pinaalign pero ganun pa rin ang resulta,there might be a worn suspension component( like ball joints,control arm bushings,strut assembly,tie rod ends,trailing arm bushings,etc.) or wheel/hub bearing,or maaring weak na yung coill spring.have them check the components first bago nila ialign yung kotse mo.ang rule of thumb kasi dyan eh,"you cannot align the looseness" kasi babalik at babalik ang problemang yan.

**Si 06** · January 7th, 2007 02:14 PM

Go to Sprinter in Banawe cor sta catalina look for Ruben. Yung strut ng BMW ko na napunit tinayo nya.
Pajero na defective front right suspension na ayaw aminin ng Mitsubishi sa brother naman nya sa Servitek along Sgt. Rivera

**Bravoexo** · January 7th, 2007 11:10 PM

Do you have the reading off the alignment computer, before and after?

How can you tell it's off? Do you center the steering wheel, let it go, and the car swerves violently?

**spiff** · January 7th, 2007 11:41 PM

Originally Posted by Bravoexo

Do you have the reading off the alignment computer, before and after?

didnt know i could get that.. will check that out tomorrow.
How can you tell it's off? Do you center the steering wheel, let it go, and the car swerves violently?

yeah.. i center the wheel and when i let go it the car doesnt exactly "swerve violently" but yeah... moves towards the right

**redorange** · January 7th, 2007 11:49 PM

Have you checked your tire pressure? A lower tire pressure on the right front tire can cause you to do the same thing. When it moves to the right is it immediate or after a few meters of driving?

**Chip** · January 8th, 2007 12:03 AM

this is kind of stupid but check your wheels
nangyari sakin yan dati, todo kabig, yon pala, unidirectional lang front wheels ko and mali yung pagkalagay nong nagpalit ako ng gulong coz of a flat. as a result, may kabig sya

**niky** · January 8th, 2007 12:30 AM

First things first:

How long have you been driving the car? Did you notice this problem from the moment you bought it?

I've noticed a lot of new Mazda/Ford owners complaining about "alignment problems" when what is actually happening is that they're not used to the sensitive steering of the cars.

The Mazda 6's steering is a lot like my Lynx's. It's very tactile and sensitive, as well as very heavy.

Even if the road appears completely straight, it will sometimes track left or right, to follow the grain of the road or any cambers or slopes. It's even worse if you have the optional 17's, as they're wearing Potenzas Grids, which are very sticky.

When you're testing for alignment problems, you should find a long, deserted strip of road.

Go down it one way on one lane (say, the right lane) and feel whether the steering is pulling left or right. Usually, it will pull to the right.

Now go down it going the other way, and drive on the same lane (this time, it will be the left lane). The steering should pull to the left with the same force as it was pulling to the right previously.

If the pull to the left when you go back down the same lane in the other direction isn't as strong, there might be a problem. If it's just as strong or almost as strong, then your steering is normal.

If you're still not convinced, maybe you can come to an EB and drive my car... every driver who drives it thinks it's out of alignment (heck, sometimes, I do...), but it's just so stiff and sensitive, it follows the road, no matter how level the road looks.

**OTEP** · January 8th, 2007 12:41 AM

Could it be that the vehicle is just following the crown of the road or other imperfections? The low profile tires and razor sharp handling of the 6 will maginify this.

**Bravoexo** · January 8th, 2007 08:31 AM

If you need to sit the steering wheel off center while driving continuously straight, then that is wheel alignment off.... but if it just drifts off center with your hands off a centered wheel...that just following the level of the road.