Here is my story..if anyone has any insight into what could be causing my problem I would really appreciate it..I need to find out what is causing this ASAP

1) I was parking my car one night, doing the usual to stay as close to the curb and as far away as the person next to me when I hit the curb with my front passenger wheel. I wasn't going too fast..maybe 1-2mph. I cosmetically scraped up the wheel pretty bad. My car had 1200 miles on it at the time.

2) I took the car to my local dealership, which I have never used before...bought the car elsewhere. I had them take the spare wheel out of the trunk and put it on the car. I had the scraped wheel sent to be repaired. After leaving the dealership my car was pulling noticably to the right. I do not believe that I felt this pull before the incident or before swapping the wheel. I assumed that it could be because one of the tires was brand new and the others had 1200 miles on them, but I don't think that would be the case with only 1200 miles on the car.

3) The pull bothered me so much that I went back to the dealer to have it fixed. Their mechanic, who I really don't trust..not very smart, looks like a 16yr old, put it on the lift and checked the suspension. He said that everything looked perfect underneith..who knows though! He took the spare wheel which was mounted on the front passenger side and switched it with the back wheel on the passenger side. He thought this might stop the pulling if it was due to the tire. I drove off and still had the same problem!! I went back and made an appointment for an alignment that they said that I needed. They were uncooperative so I decided to call my other dealer 50 miles away where I bought the car.

4) I took the car to the other dealer the next day. They put the car on the alignment rack and did a 4 wheel alignment on the car. They showed me a color graphical representation of the alignment. Supposedly a few things were off from the factory, but the front passenger side that I hit was fine before the alignment. They assured me that my problem was fixed and I was extremely happy. I drove out of the dealership and I still had the problem! I drove back and they were clueless...they told me it was normal (no way in hell, because my other S4 drives dead straight!). I don't trust this mechanic either, because he kept on referring to superchargers!! Once again I checked all of the tire pressures and everything was perfect. I drove home....over an hour!

5) After driving with the car after the alignment for a few days I noticed that the steering wheel is out of alignment. It was like this a little before, but it seems more pronounced than before. It is off a few degrees to the right. If I straighten the wheel I immediately go off the road to the right now!! This is terrible! Now that the steering wheel is out of whack I feel that I might have a serious problem on my hands!

I have already ordered new tires hoping that this will correct my problem, but I have a feeling that it is something worse than that. I need advice regarding what to do next. I feel that I can't trust any Audi Service Department in the area!

Could the alignment have been done poorly or incorrectly?

What is causing my steering wheel to be off center? Can I get this fixed? Does this signify a suspension or alignment problem. Is my steering rack bad?? A few dealers told me this is an alignment problem, but I just had it aligned? I want this all taken care of before I put the new tires on.

So if anyone has any idea as to what might be causing my problem PLEASE let me know! I really need some help with this and I don't know where to turn. My car has 1700 miles on it, and it is driving very poorly. If you need anything clarified please let me know. I need your help guys.....

I really appreciate all of your help,

David J
'01 Silver/Onyx 6spd

 

you should know that the Re040 is a Directional tire and is meant to go on one way/side only

I would mount the F*^ed up wheel and see if the problem goes away.

that should help narrow the it down to tires or suspenion/alignment

 

check your tire pressure

 

tell them to check the steering rack and then the suspension. I have the problem as well. That's what I'll tell the dealership to do.

 

You messed up something with the impact, a good alignment will either correct it, or tell you what was bent.

The dealer usually has no clue, the do what the machine tells them, and report what it reports. You need a visit to a good alignment place, be prepared to pay for it yourself.

 

And not all dealerships have techs that can do it right!!

A really good shop can still adjust the basics,but bump steer and camber are rough without the right jigs. Try a different dealer . Relax, it can be nothing major.

 

Is there a certain type of machine that I should request?

Thanks,
David J

 

If you are in the Bay Area, go to Custom Alignment in Mountain View.

 

Only Hunter has the software to properly align the car. Also special jigs are needed to equalize the camber and adjust the bump steer. Ask around, it has to be alignment if tires have no effect.
I still think it may be the tires.

 

Try putting on the new tires and I bet the steering is corrected. Granted your alignment is on point. Having the same problem and about to mount new tires. Went through 3 dealers and 2 months of BS before they said "we can't fix it but you should try new tires."