Originally Posted by
eco1.2
...2015 mirage de with 19k...just put brand new tires on it
...steering wheel not centered...have to turn it about 4-5 degrees to the left to drive straight
...uncentered wheel...was there even before the new tires were put on
...the old tires...were pretty shot and even the steel was coming out
...rotated the tires every 5000 miles religiously
...the rear alignment was off
...they could not do it as they didn't have shimmers on hand
Your car has the classic symptoms of a rear axle where the toe angle is out of specification:
1) You're rear tires are wearing out quickly
2) You have to turn the steering wheel to compensate for the bad rear toe angle
Incorrect rear toe settings can wear your rear tires down to nothing in several thousand miles. Here's a blurb from Tire Rack's website...
"...the vehicle's toe is one of the most critical alignment settings relative to tire wear. A toe setting that is just a little off its appropriate setting can make a huge difference in their wear. Consider that if the toe setting is just 1/16-inch off of its appropriate setting, each tire on that axle will scrub almost seven feet sideways every mile! Extend it out and you'll discover that rather than running parallel to each other, the tires will scrub over 1/4-mile sideways during every 100 miles of driving! Incorrect toe will rob you of tire life."
You were doing the right thing by rotating your tires. Unfortunately, your rear tires were always being worn down at an accelerated rate. So all of your tires ended up bald in less than 20K miles. If you never rotated your tires, your rears would have probably been toast in 10K miles. If the tire shop still has your old tires, go take some pictures of the tread wear patterns on them.
I would start with a 4 wheel alignment print-out from an independent shop with a quality alignment machine. Your current printout might be OK...but these guys sure don't sound that knowledgeable. The printout should clearly document your rear alignment problem. Then take the car to your dealer with a specific complaint like this:
"Car doesn't track straight. Steering wheel has to be turned to the left. Rear tires wearing out prematurely."
Don't go in and TELL the service manager that you know that your rear alignment is out. Let them find it and get it documented on a service order. This may be the first step towards getting a new rear axle (the only real fix for your problem if you have a rear toe problem).
As Eggman suggested, read the "Rear Wheel Misaligned?" thread to see what others have done in your situation.
Last edited by Top_Fuel; 11-23-2016 at 08:47 PM.
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)