Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 11 to 20 of 20

Thread: Steeringwheel off center (Alignment issue?)

  1. #11
    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    Olympia, WA
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    3,126
    Thanks
    1,197
    Thanked 1,848 Times in 1,101 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by luckyforrest View Post
    Hopefully, it is not a serious issue and the dealer will fix it once for all under warranty.
    Oh, they will fix it. The question is, "Are you willing to throw a big enough fit when the dealer digs their heels in?"



  2. #12
    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Ohio
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    3,699
    Thanks
    2,582
    Thanked 2,537 Times in 1,471 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Loren View Post
    ...even with the notorious rear axle issue (which, I believe, is supposed to have been fixed before 2018's were out)...
    Unfortunately there are 2018's out there with the problem. HERE is one example.

    ...the car should have left the factory with the steering wheel straight.
    Agreed. But whatever alignment process they use at the factory, sometimes a Mirage comes out with the steering wheel slightly off. My own car is like this. My alignment is fine...but the steering wheel is clearly not centered. I'll deal with this the next time I have the car aligned.


    I wouldn't even trust the dealer on this. Take it to any alignment shop that offers a free alignment check. Or even spend $70 for an alignment. Then you know, independently, what your alignment is and can make an informed decision about how to proceed.
    This is exactly what I would do. It's unfortunate...but your dealer is already sending you all the wrong signals. So there's no way I would trust them to look at it and be honest with you. If you need a new rear axle, that's almost a $1,000 repair...so even if you have to spend a little now, it will be worth it.

    Good luck and keep us posted!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log 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)


  3. #13
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Florida
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    1,225
    Thanks
    324
    Thanked 936 Times in 539 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Top_Fuel View Post
    Unfortunately there are 2018's out there with the problem. HERE is one example.
    Dammit.

    Agreed. But whatever alignment process they use at the factory, sometimes a Mirage comes out with the steering wheel slightly off. My own car is like this. My alignment is fine...but the steering wheel is clearly not centered. I'll deal with this the next time I have the car aligned.
    You can center your steering wheel in about two minutes with a 17mm and 12mm wrench right in your driveway. You don't even have to jack up the car. I haven't paid for an alignment in about 10 years. I won't clutter this topic, but if you want to discuss it, start a topic about DIY alignment. I'll chime in.
    Simplify and add lightness.

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to Loren For This Useful Post:

    Top_Fuel (11-21-2018)

  5. #14
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Location
    Toronto
    Country
    Canada
    Posts
    105
    Garage empty: add car
    Thanks
    28
    Thanked 18 Times in 10 Posts
    Name:  Alignment-1.jpg
Views: 461
Size:  90.3 KB
    I went to the dealer today and here is the alignment report. They simply told me nothing is wrong with the rear axle and merely did the alignment. They spent about 40 min on the first adjustment (see the attached picture of report) and then test drive it for a while. But for some reason, they took the car back and spent another 30-40 min for the second adjustment, when I asked them to give the second report, they said the alignment was done in the first adjustment and nothing was changed. That sounds suspicious to me. Driving back home, the steering wheel is straight now and the car seems no longer pull to any side. Problem solved. I don't know how did they adjust the rear toe, but they indeed made it.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2018 Mirage G4 1.2 automatic: 39.8 mpg (US) ... 16.9 km/L ... 5.9 L/100 km ... 47.7 mpg (Imp)


  6. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to luckyforrest For This Useful Post:

    Eggman (11-21-2018),Loren (11-21-2018)

  7. #15
    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    Cleveland, Ohio
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    10,156
    Thanks
    4,039
    Thanked 2,788 Times in 2,107 Posts
    luckyforrest, there are no adjustments for the rear axle. If you think it is better than before, great.

    Some repair shops offer free alignment checks but charge for adjustments. Perhaps you can find one in your area that offers free alignment checks. That way you can compare results.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


  8. The Following User Says Thank You to Eggman For This Useful Post:

    luckyforrest (11-21-2018)

  9. #16
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Location
    Toronto
    Country
    Canada
    Posts
    105
    Garage empty: add car
    Thanks
    28
    Thanked 18 Times in 10 Posts
    Thanks Eggman. That is a good idea! But here in Toronto area, I have not seen any shop offer free alignment check. Is that possible they used shim to fix the rear toe? the initial number for rear toe was -0.05 and +0.05 final. I am thinking to take off the wheels to check if they use shim as expediency (if there is any shim and it can be seen)

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2018 Mirage G4 1.2 automatic: 39.8 mpg (US) ... 16.9 km/L ... 5.9 L/100 km ... 47.7 mpg (Imp)


  10. #17
    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Ohio
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    3,699
    Thanks
    2,582
    Thanked 2,537 Times in 1,471 Posts
    Your initial front toe numbers were way off. Here's what your wheels looked like before your alignment. Imagine looking at your car from above. Your left front wheel was pointing inward...and your right front was pointing outward. Your rear wheels were also both (very slightly) pointing to the right just like the fronts...

    Name:  align.jpg
Views: 328
Size:  5.1 KB

    So it's no wonder that you had to hold the steering wheel slightly to the left to keep the car tracking straight. All 4 of your wheels were trying to push the car to the right!

    Your initial right rear toe number is just barely out of spec. How they got it to change is anyone's guess. The guy could have leaned on your car or manipulated the numbers. What's interesting is that their rear toe specs are actually tighter than what most of us go by (+0.28° to -0.03°). They have it as 0.00° to +0.20°. Geez...mine isn't even that good.

    Just keep an eye on your rear tire wear...rotate your tires regularly...and I think you'll be fine. If you can drive down a flat road..let go of the wheel...and the car tracks straight without any corrective steering on your part, then you're in good shape.

    This is another perfect example of why every Mirage (new or used) needs a 4-wheel alignment check.

    Quote Originally Posted by luckyforrest View Post
    I am thinking to take off the wheels to check if they use shim as expediency (if there is any shim and it can be seen)
    Don't bother...there's absolutely nothing to shim. The entire rear axle from drum to drum is a single welded assembly. There's absolutely no way to make adjustments. It's just the way they build these types of axles.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log 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)


  11. The Following User Says Thank You to Top_Fuel For This Useful Post:

    luckyforrest (11-21-2018)

  12. #18
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Florida
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    1,225
    Thanks
    324
    Thanked 936 Times in 539 Posts
    There is no way to shim this axle. The hubs are welded on, not bolted on.

    The only possible adjustment (without bending it, which isn't factory-authorized, as far as I know) might be some slight movement in the entire axle assembly at it's mounting points and/or bushings. Honestly, a tenth of a degree isn't much. Between bushing deflection, and variations in sensor placement (if they repositioned them), you could maybe see a tenth of a degree. Odd that the other side didn't change, though.

    Basic trig says that 0.1 degrees over 24" (roughly the diameter of the tire, I'm too lazy to look it up) is about .04" at the tire tread. .0625 = 1/16". We're not talking about a huge difference.

    Also, it looks like their measurement resolution for toe is probably .05 degrees (or about .02"). So, the difference between -0.05 to 0.00 could just be breathing on the tire, or looking at it funny. From there just bounce the car a couple times and the reading could change to +0.05 easily enough.
    Simplify and add lightness.

  13. The Following User Says Thank You to Loren For This Useful Post:

    luckyforrest (11-21-2018)

  14. #19
    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Ohio
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    3,699
    Thanks
    2,582
    Thanked 2,537 Times in 1,471 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Loren View Post
    ...it looks like their measurement resolution for toe is probably .05 degrees (or about .02"). So, the difference between -0.05 to 0.00 could just be breathing on the tire, or looking at it funny. From there just bounce the car a couple times and the reading could change to +0.05 easily enough.
    LOL...that's exactly what I was thinking.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log 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)


  15. The Following User Says Thank You to Top_Fuel For This Useful Post:

    luckyforrest (11-21-2018)

  16. #20
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Location
    Toronto
    Country
    Canada
    Posts
    105
    Garage empty: add car
    Thanks
    28
    Thanked 18 Times in 10 Posts
    I appreciate so much guys. You really have helped a lot! I will keep an eye on the tire wear. I love my cute Mirage and don't want to see any major issue. I will keep the original tires on for a few days to test it, if everything looks alright, I will switch to winter tires.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2018 Mirage G4 1.2 automatic: 39.8 mpg (US) ... 16.9 km/L ... 5.9 L/100 km ... 47.7 mpg (Imp)


Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •