alignment is horrible!! what to do?!

[spiff]

hi guys thanks for all the comments. this started only happening only a month or so ago. im pretty sure its not the way the car drives because theres such a big difference from what it was before. this problem was never there when i bought the car.

no matter what i do it always pulls towards the right.
niky thanks very much for the offer, maybe i will

[niky]

hi guys thanks for all the comments. this started only happening only a month or so ago. im pretty sure its not the way the car drives because theres such a big difference from what it was before. this problem was never there when i bought the car.

no matter what i do it always pulls towards the right.
niky thanks very much for the offer, maybe i will

Ah, okay. Sorry. Just had to make sure it was a real problem. Hehe.

If it is much different from what it was previously, there are a few things you can check.

Like Chip says, wheels are a big difference. BUt not just improper (reverse) mounting. If you've been using the car for a while and you've driven it hard or experienced hard braking at least once or twice, one of the front tires might be more worn down or off balance. If the casa says your alignment is right, check the tire balance either at the casa or at a "suking" tire shop (search here for suggestions on good shops).

If your tires are balanced, rotate them so that the more worn tires are in the back. Observe. If the problem is lessened, it's probably a worn down tire. Check your tire pressures when they are hot, also. If one tire gets hotter than the others, that might point to an alignment problem or grabbing brakes, which can also cause the car to veer.

You can also ask the casa to provide you with the reading of the alignment machine. Check to see whether "normal" means "within normal limits but not necessarily 100%" to them. If so, you can ask them to align it to a specific amount... or you can go outside. Since alignment isn't warranty covered, I don't bother going to the casa every single time I have an issue.

Another thing that's often overlooked at the casa is steering alignment. Sometimes the wheels wil look straight on the machine, but the steering won't be 100% aligned. You should specifically ask for steering alignment so they will pay attention to this. Sakit din ito ng Lynx RS (which is a Mazda underneath) at mahirap ma-align ang steering nito.

Good luck. Try the "two-ways-same-lane" thing, anyway, to quantify how badly it is pulling... then do the same test with a casa mechanic to make them believe you.