Car Steering

Chong

Hello All,

I havent checked my tyre pressure just yet as my dad said its prob the issue but my steering feels wobbly , it feels when I go over bumps in the road or go around corners the rear wheels kick out , its as if I havent as much as control as usual.

Anyone ideas.

Will

gofaster_s13

Pointless without stating car model, year etc.

Chong

Seat Ibiza 05.

There you go.

kazul

Oversteer on a FWD car, unusual. Is the tail actually kicking out or just feels like it?
I take it that you are comparing this car's current handling to how it was previously and not comparing a it to what you drove before. Could be a number of things related to the steering/suspension geometry e.g. anti-roll bar links, bushings etc. A qualified mechanic should be able to diagnose.

blackbox

In the length of time it took you to post this query on Boards.ie you could have checked your tyre pressures and got a definitive answer.

Use a bit of common sense.

Your dad is probably right - at least, tyre pressures are definitely the first things you should check.

kazul

FFS, I hadn't read the first post properly. You haven't even checked the tyre pressures and you come on here looking for help???

Next you'll want somebody to drop over and take off the valve caps for you.

Steve

Check all your wheel nuts are tight as well.

Chong

kazul wrote: »

FFS, I hadn't read the first post properly. You haven't even checked the tyre pressures and you come on here looking for help???

Next you'll want somebody to drop over and take off the valve caps for you.

Calm yourself.

Tyre pressue has been checked , and its all fine now, I was in work at the time.

JackFrosty

Calm down guys, pressure is only for tyres!!!!!

Chong

Right I am back again, please bear with me this time.

So having thought the tyres were fine friday before last after checking the pressure , the problem had reoccured last Tuesday morning.

This led me to believe I had a puncture. So at 8am Tuesday morning I go to Mid West Tyres in Raheen Limerick, handy for me cause I work in the Ind Estate. Sound lads there too.

Anyways , so I had a slow puncture in my rear right wheel, and my rear left was quite bald on the inside. Bought two new tyres anyways.

So this morning, having not done very much driving since last Tuesday because of Xmas, I am feeling the car veer to the left alot. The car has 2 brand new tyres in the back and one new one on front right because of a puncture 2 months ago. I checked the front left today pressure wise its fine although its a little bald imo on the inside , the question I am asking is because I have 3 brand new tyres , and one is slightly bald/old is this possibly the reason the car would be veering to the left.

Its fine going around corners to the right but seems weird and veers going around corners to the left.

Please help if you can, be much appreciated, I am going to try and get someone to look at it Monday morning , but just want to some advice prior to Monday.

Cheers

Will

Darragh29

SteveC wrote: »

Check all your wheel nuts are tight as well.

Trust me, you'd know if these were loose, 'cos it sounds like someone taking a sledge hammer to your wheel!

You can more or less look at a wheel and see tracking being off or type pressure being too low...

Steve

First off Cruijff, I'd put the two new ones on the front.

Then go back to the tyre place, see if they have a match for the one you got 2 months ago. Then get the tracking done and all should be well.

Chong

SteveC wrote: »

First off Cruijff, I'd put the two new ones on the front.

Then go back to the tyre place, see if they have a match for the one you got 2 months ago. Then get the tracking done and all should be well.

Cool Cool , Id imagine they should have a replica , its pretty standard normal tyres I got.

Is tracking a fairly standard thing to get done , and also should balancing be done.

Cheers for the advice Steve its mucho appreciated.

Steve

Darragh29 wrote: »

Trust me, you'd know if these were loose, 'cos it sounds like someone taking a sledge hammer to your wheel!

You'd be surprised, I got a company car tracked a few months ago and they didn't tighten the nuts.
They unwound on one wheel as I was going home that evening. It started feeling weird so I stopped and checked, the only thing stopping them coming off fully was the hubcap.
There was no noise and that scared the crap out of me because like you I always thought there would be (have heard it in the past).

Steve

Cruijff wrote: »

Cool Cool , Id imagine they should have a replica , its pretty standard normal tyres I got.

Is tracking a fairly standard thing to get done , and also should balancing be done.

Cheers for the advice Steve its mucho appreciated.

Tracking is about a 20 minute job, well worth doing after a few pothole hits as it will save money on tyres in the long run.
Balancing is normally done as part of the new tyre fitting so wouldn't worry.

Chong

SteveC wrote: »

Tracking is about a 20 minute job, well worth doing after a few pothole hits as it will save money on tyres in the long run.
Balancing is normally done as part of the new tyre fitting so wouldn't worry.

Ok so cool Steve , I will hopefully get sorted Monday morning.

Thanks again.

Plug

Are the tires direction rotation? Check to see if there right.

Chong

Plug wrote: »

Are the tires direction rotation? Check to see if there right.

Apologies for my ignorance I am not sure what you mean.

thetyreman

SteveC wrote: »

You'd be surprised, I got a company car tracked a few months ago and they didn't tighten the nuts.
They unwound on one wheel as I was going home that evening. It started feeling weird so I stopped and checked, the only thing stopping them coming off fully was the hubcap.
There was no noise and that scared the crap out of me because like you I always thought there would be (have heard it in the past).

They wouldnt have had the wheels of the car to do the tracking (unless you got new tyres also/or balenced/or puncture repair etc...)

OP as someone said above get the new tyres moved to the front or do yourself,they may not have been balenced if they were put on the rear(even though the really should have been,but alot of places dont bother doing,unless going on the front)get it tracked,or 4 wheel alligned(of top of my head,dont think this car is adjustable on rear)anyway also replace your not so good tyre with a new one and put on rear with your 2month old one,check all pressures again,this is the handyest,cheapest way to find out what the problem is,and take it from there,it could be any amount of other things that are causeing the problem (least of all a heavy left foot)start at the bottom and its a process of ellimination after that

Webmonkey

Darragh29 wrote: »

Trust me, you'd know if these were loose, 'cos it sounds like someone taking a sledge hammer to your wheel!

You can more or less look at a wheel and see tracking being off or type pressure being too low...

My sister got her tyre changed, from that point on she was complaining that when going around bends it felt a bit strange. This went on for a few weeks until she decided to get it checked out. Mechanic collected car and was driving it down road when wheel fell off. No joke. The alloy was no more good since the bolts ate into it. So you'd be surprized, good to check.

Steve

Cruijff wrote: »

Apologies for my ignorance I am not sure what you mean.

It only applies to sport tyres with a directional thread, it would make zero difference to handling unless there was a lot of standing water on the road.
Directional tyres have an arrow and they should be mounted so the arrow matches the forward rotation of the wheel.

thetyreman wrote: »

They wouldnt have had the wheels of the car to do the tracking (unless you got new tyres also/or balenced/or puncture repair etc...)

I got all 4 balanced as well, should have mentioned that.:(

allthedoyles

Nuts should be re-tightened 30 miles after puncture repair / wheel change etc .

It should state this on your invoice

Darragh29

Webmonkey wrote: »

My sister got her tyre changed, from that point on she was complaining that when going around bends it felt a bit strange. This went on for a few weeks until she decided to get it checked out. Mechanic collected car and was driving it down road when wheel fell off. No joke. The alloy was no more good since the bolts ate into it. So you'd be surprized, good to check.

Something similar happened me once, I was driving to Galway and got a puncture, but just after putting the spare on, someone rang my mobile and I was talking to them for ages and as I was talking, I tidied up the jack and all and sat in the drivers seat to finish the call completely forgetting that I hadn't tightened the wheel! Drove off and somewhere near Ballinasloe, I felt this banging through the floor as if someone had a jackhammer on the wheel! I pulled in to find the wheel hanging on with one bolt!

Darragh29

Here's a little secret of the trade. If you want to check your tracking, you can use a length of thread or wool, from the back wheel up to the front wheel. If they are not parallel, you're tracking is off. You can usually see it with a trained eye. This is all that laser wheel alignment does, (albeit more accurately), when you look at the physics of the task, it is as simple as using a piece of thead or wool. A good mechanic can track a car within spec with a 19 spanner and a spool of thread.

david

AFAIK the mk3 Ibiza uses the VAG EHPS system. Its a funky electric assisted hydraulic system so make sure the fluid level is ok. You can check ARB bushes yourself if you jack the car up on alternate sides. Make sure the bar itself isn't worn around where the bushes hold it in place and that theres little to no play in them as somebody else suggested. This usually would cause more of a squeaking/creaking than a steering drag. It could possibly also be a jammed/sticking brake. I'd get it checked over to be on the safe side.

If you're feeling cheap you should be able to put it through the NCT next week. It'll tell you pretty quickly if theres something off with brake balance/effort and steering alignment.

Hope this post helps you a bit.

Chong

Lads seriously getting ticked off now.

So first thing Monday morning I take the car down to where I got me tyres done before Christmas.

I got them to put the two new ones to the front, and balance them. Also bought a new tyre to replace the last of the older tyres because it was bald. So put that to the back with another tyre from the front.

Also got them to do the tracking for me. Now driving away it still felt iffy , but I didnt give it anymore thought. Until today had to go back to work, so driving in this morning it felt sh!te, the steering feels wobbly, I cant put my finger on it , and it feels like I am bouncing along the road. Also its as if the rear wheels arent getting the power you would expect to get lets say, I just dont know what to do now , maybe I am freaking out or something but just feels crap driving my car at the moment.

The Real B-man

Cruijff wrote: »

Lads seriously getting ticked off now.

So first thing Monday morning I take the car down to where I got me tyres done before Christmas.

I got them to put the two new ones to the front, and balance them. Also bought a new tyre to replace the last of the older tyres because it was bald. So put that to the back with another tyre from the front.

Also got them to do the tracking for me. Now driving away it still felt iffy , but I didnt give it anymore thought. Until today had to go back to work, so driving in this morning it felt sh!te, the steering feels wobbly, I cant put my finger on it , and it feels like I am bouncing along the road. Also its as if the rear wheels arent getting the power you would expect to get lets say, I just dont know what to do now , maybe I am freaking out or something but just feels crap driving my car at the moment.

Bring it to a Seat Workshop.

thetyreman

Cruijff wrote: »

Lads seriously getting ticked off now.

So first thing Monday morning I take the car down to where I got me tyres done before Christmas.

I got them to put the two new ones to the front, and balance them. Also bought a new tyre to replace the last of the older tyres because it was bald. So put that to the back with another tyre from the front.

Also got them to do the tracking for me. Now driving away it still felt iffy , but I didnt give it anymore thought. Until today had to go back to work, so driving in this morning it felt sh!te, the steering feels wobbly, I cant put my finger on it , and it feels like I am bouncing along the road. Also its as if the rear wheels arent getting the power you would expect to get lets say, I just dont know what to do now , maybe I am freaking out or something but just feels crap driving my car at the moment.

Shocks;;;;or maybe antroll bushins or linkages;;;;

Chong

I popped in to my local advance pitstop there, they were closing at the time but I explained my situation and he seem to err side of Balancing isnt done correctly. I booked in for Saturday morning for them to check, if its still screwed after that, go to my stealership (they arent available to Monday anyways ).

Dartz

Feels like the rear wheels aren't getting enough power? What do you mean by this?

Anyway, you might want to give everything a few miles to bed in again. Of course, it could just be that your car is handling exactly as it came from the factory, it's just that you remember it being so muche better. An angle to pursue is that it might well be something psychological with yourself.

thetyreman

Cruijff wrote: »

I popped in to my local advance pitstop there, they were closing at the time but I explained my situation and he seem to err side of Balancing isnt done correctly. I booked in for Saturday morning for them to check, if its still screwed after that, go to my stealership (they arent available to Monday anyways ).

Is there a shake in yor stearing wheel when you travell at 80-100kmph?
If not and by the disription you are desribeing i dont think so,then it is not your balencing,dont mind Advance knocking the other mans job (now if it was the otherway around,and Adv had done the job i could see how maybe there had been a fuk up)

Chong

thetyreman wrote: »

Is there a shake in yor stearing wheel when you travell at 80-100kmph?
If not and by the disription you are desribeing i dont think so,then it is not your balencing,dont mind Advance knocking the other mans job (now if it was the otherway around,and Adv had done the job i could see how maybe there had been a fuk up)

Back again , went to Advance to get em looked as I said , it was only 15 quid so I thought what the hey .

Anyways , the lads did the balancing on the front two tyres, and they came back and said the balancing was completely off on the front two tyres( having had them done last Monday and all). Everything is finally back to normal now, steering is a lot tigther and its driving immensely better.

Steve

Glad to hear you got it sorted Cruijff.

Don't forget to check the wheel nuts after about 50k to be on the safe side.:)

Webmonkey

Great news

Chong

Back again, I am going mental at this stage.

So same crap has started yet again, bouncing along the road .

Went back to Advance tonight and they jacked it up, so I could have a look. The left hand side bushing is gone, its cracked in two places.

Has anyone experience in this happening and how much did it cost?

Webmonkey

I doubt that cost much to do? - I think I must do it on my own car to be honest, thing is gone very wierd