jsimon777

Picked up a CPO 2015 GTS.

Even though the 1/2 worn front tires passed CPO I decided to put brand new fronts on to match the rears. I had them (dealer) do an alignment as well.

When I got to the dealer to pick it up And took a test drive I noticed the steering wheel was off center by a pretty considerable amount. I'd say 2-3 inches left.

Car tracked straight as an arrow but the wheel was just off.

I told them and the sales person clearly saw it. They did a re-alignment while I waited.

About 30 minutes later she was ready to come home. On the way home, although a lot better it's still off. Maybe .5 - 1 inch. Again tracking straight. I've driven it for a few days now and I've confirmed it's definitely off. Holding the wheel straight masked the car go right.

The dealer told me not problem to bring it back and they will make it right.

Hopefully 3rd times a charm. Is this normal on these cars? What are they doing wrong? I was told their best tech did the 2nd alignment.

Do they have to align each time or can they just adjust the wheel? It seems like they are forgetting the step where they test drive it and make adjustments if it's off.

Any help would be great.

Michael_s

They need to center the wheel and then align. Really should not be an issue for an experienced tech. Have had this happen to me before.... they should be able to get it right. If not, I would find a good local shop as I would have no confidence in this dealer if they can't get it correct after 3x.

LexVan

Unacceptable. If this is their Best Tech, he/she needs retraining.

The Fat Kid

My guess since the car tracks straight: Someone (tech and/or previous owner) removed the steering wheel without first marking it, and now it is a guessing game to fix it.

Here is a good DIY guide to give you a better idea of the potential issue: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...val-991-a.html

jsimon777

Thanks for all of the input. Pretty much my thoughts exactly.

I think they are rushing and not taking a test drive to make sure it's right.

Just so I understand...do they take the actual steering wheel off the car to straighten it or is the linkage they take off and adjust?

To me it seems like they just need to adjust the linkage or wheel since the alignment is straight?

Jason

Dewinator

When you take the wheel off it slides onto like gear shaped thing with many many tiny teeth and if you get it one tooth to the wrong side it'll be about 3/4 of an inch off to the side when you drive. You have to pop the airbag out and then take a big torx screw off but after that it's pretty easy to get to. I got extra practice when I changed my wheel because I got it one tooth to the side and had to take it back off again.

jsimon777

Got it...but I thought during alignment this is done under the car vs touching the wheel?

I guess best to just let them take care of it and they will do what they need to do. I mean that's what I paid for in the first place.

GSIRM3

Why are they taking the wheel off for an alignment? Not supposed to center the wheel that way.

jsimon777

They are not taking he wheel off. That's what I was trying to clarify.

The Fat Kid

I thought you had literally just bought the car, which is why I mentioned that the previous owner could have swapped out the steering wheel.

It should not be the steering wheel if everything was fine before you had new tires installed.

jsimon777

Got it...no it was not taken off by previous owner.

I'm sure dealer will get it right the next time...or they can keep trying until they do

CSK 911 C4S

That's sad.

When you go back please ask for another tech.

Do you know if the one doing the alignment was a Certified Gold Porsche tech?

Many dealers have their staff listed on there web page with their certifications.

rk-d

This situation happened to me on my Land Cruiser. My solution was to go to another dealer. I had my car aligned three times -- screwed up every time.

The likely culprit, according to dealer #2, was that other dealer's alignment machine was out of spec. I think some people are just not as sensitive to alignment (or don't care). It drives me crazy - even millimeters off is annoying.

golftime

I experienced the same problem with my dealer. The steering wheel was centered when I took the car in, but the car felt a little skiddish on exit/entry ramps so I had the alignment done. It came back visibly off center. What surprised me is when I called to describe the problem, the service writer couldn't even comprehend what I was talking about. He kept asking me if the road was crowned, and I kept explaining it tracks straight, but the steering wheel is not centered. They finally agreed to another appointment, and unbelievably although it is better, it is still not correct. I gave up when the service writer told me the mechanic indicated the "car operates within specs." Very frustrating.

c_Gio

This happened on new benz. They tried 3 times & decided a tire was defective. Replaced tire for free. Much better.