Prime Alignment?

I haven't noticed anything similar in my Prime.

 

Set all tires to 38 PSI yourself using a quality gauge (not a pencil gauge), then reassess it.


Rob43

 

This is a total load of crap from the dealer. To get a steering wheel straight, they only have to adjust the tie rod ends on each side the same amount. This should have been done during the first alignment they did - along with making all the wheels point in the correct direction, they should have made the steering wheel straight as well. This is basic alignment and nothing fancy. Any competent shop knows how to do this.

Since your current dealer does not appear to have the skills to properly align a car, I would either take it to another dealer (if in warranty), or bite the bullet and find a good independent shop that can properly align the car. Where I live, that's typically in the $80-$90 range.

I had a VW that had a slight pull to the right. An independent shop spent a good 45 minutes checking and adjusting, followed by a 15 minute road test. I took the car on a 3,000 mile trip immediately after and it drove perfectly straight the entire time.

Tire pressure has very little effect on alignment.

 

What inconsistent tire pressure does accomplish is it makes the chassis feel like there's an alignment issue.

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OP,

Again, set all tires perfectly to one set value like 38 PSI, then reassess. If this does not help, you then cross this off & move
on to other possible variables.


Rob43

 

I have a similar issue; when checked, dealer found alignment was way out of specs, really wondered if I had managed to hit something, and then seemed to manage to bring it within the specs (according to printout), but the car still seems to be too sensitive to crowning, and struggles to keep it straight.

Since I drive a lot, next service is not to far away and I'll request to check it again. Going to an Indy is next option .

 

The door says 36/35 PSI.

It's not that "38" PSI is the magic sweet spot, you're just trying to absolutely remove a variable. By setting the chassis with one Exact
tire PSI, you will see a result; the result will be that you fixed it or you did not.

At the end of the day it might just be an alignment issue, but removing a possible tire PSI issue is always a good starting point.


Rob43

 

"In spec" can be a terrible alignment. If one side was at the maximum allowable setting, and the other side at the maximum the other way, it is "in spec" and really wrong.

You want the settings at the middle of the spec. Nothing else. They can do it...if you so inspire them.

On your print out--will you give us the adjustments that can be made on our cars? I'm assuming front & rear toe in, probably not camber, unlikely to include caster. And the center setting of each adjustment.

I agree with jb. The wheel centering is set by the tie rod ends, and the toe-in is set at the same points. There is nothing they can "knock" out of spec. They can do a sloppy job and get it out of spec, but that's on them. Always remember the job of the service writer...sell you more service so he gets a commission check...and minimize unpaid service like correcting their previous sloppy work.

 

[QUOTE="PT Guy, post: 2881027, member: 149781" They can do it...if you so inspire them..[/QUOTE]

The good shop that I went to took my car on a test drive to be sure that with the new alignment settings the car drove well. That's not something a dealer will do - you typically get the color printout and that's it. Wheel alignment is not a dealer specialty and in my experience the best alignments are at independent shops. Find a good shop for alignment, keep coming back there and tell all your friends.

When you take your car to a shop and tell them it pulls and the steering wheel is not centered, that is the problem to be solved. Alignment is typically the first tool, but even if they tell you the alignment is "correct", if the problem is not solved then the job is not done. That's where a good shop will do the road test and adjust alignment as necessary or find another source for the problem you reported.

 

I was thinking along those lines. Something you could even DIY.

Do you mean during pre-delivery inspection? I doubt they would do any kind of alignment check; a lot of new owners here even report finding their tires at max sidewall psi, how they ship from factory.

 

Ideally, the factory would get it right. But, I was referring to the alignment done by the dealer. They should have centered the wheel at the same time as correcting the alignment.

My last VW was delivered with the steering wheel about 5 degrees to the right off center. That was the first thing I had my dealer correct, and they got it right the first time.

This is tough to DIY. There are methods when you replace components yourself to get the alignment close enough that you can drive it to a shop to get the final settings. But without the correct tools, doing alignment yourself is a non-starter.

Plus, the warranty period exists to correct problems from the factory. This was one, and should be properly corrected under warranty.

I suspect the alignment on my Prime (with 4K miles) is not perfect from the factory. It tracks fine, but is cross-wind sensitive. But, given that the OEM tires are crap anyway, I'll see if they have obvious wear problems. If they do, that may actually be to my favor, so I can get better tires sooner. In anv event, when new tires go on, I'll get a good alignment done to protect that investment.

 

When you go to some non-Toyota alignment shop, consider a shop that is known for car racing*. Shops that setup race cars typically have an excellent ability to give a great stock alignment, especially when you tell them you're experiencing an issue.


Rob43

* SCCA / NASA

 

That's what I'd call a Good Outcome....


Rob43

 

did they give you an alignment sheet with the before and after specs ?? i would be curious to see, as mine is also out of whack. they adjusted once and still doesnt feel right. i have my sheet from the dealer first attempt at about 450 miles... could compare the two to see what they did different on yours.