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Steering wheel/alignment questions

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by jeromep, Mar 16, 2005.

  1. jeromep

    jeromep Member

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    I'll try to make this short. I'm posing this separate from other alignment threads because this isn't really an alignment issue, I think?

    Anyway, my steering wheel was pointing right about 3-5 degrees upon deliver. The car tracks straight running down the road and I have no issues with squirlyness at highway speeds, but when driving straight the steering wheel is off at a slight angle.

    I didn't detect this issue until I had brought the car home, and the dealer is over 100 miles away. I have a local dealer, but would rather this issue be dealt with by the selling dealer as I believe they are more likely to see this as a warranty issue. I've had the car for 3 months and have less than 2000 miles on it. I have babied it over rough roads and avoided potholes and railroad tracks.

    Has anyone else received a car with a steering wheel that is not on center when driving straight down the road? Is this really a silent alignment issue that is manifesting itself in the steering wheel? Since I will take it in in the next couple of weeks to be examined by the selling dealer, meaning an out of town trip, can you point me toward the alignment specs and give me advice on what to demand regarding alignment?
     
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    This may be an alignment issue...usually a problem with the toe. I had a similar problem for over a year and finally had it checked and that was the problem.

    It doesn't matter if your local dealer thinks it's a warranty issue or not. During your 1st year adjustment period you are entitled to 1 free alignment check and any dealer in the country is both obligated and willing to perform it (they get paid by Toyota).

    Have it checked, at your convenience...almost every car off the boat/truck has alignment issues and they are not checked after arrival in the US.
     
  3. jeromep

    jeromep Member

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    Evan, I've come to respect your knowledge and comments, but I like to have my ducks in a row when I talk with service writers; is there a program name or bulliten number that refers to this? The last thing I want to get is the "we don't do that response" or the "never heard of that" response.

    As you can see, I don't really like having my car in the shop. At least I know they didn't send the car out for a test drive, mine had 2 miles on it when I picked it up.
     
  4. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    No I don't. There should be something in your warranty paperwork though.

    I really don't think you'll have a problem getting this done under warranty.
     
  5. rick57

    rick57 Member

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    I would also make sure that after they do the alignment,they need to do what is called " Torque Sensor Zero Point Adjustment". If they look in the repair manual under Front Wheel Alignment,it will direct them to the steps to do. But their alignment tech or Prius tech should know about it. A couple other Toyota's I believe also get this when aligned,so it should not be a suprise to the tech(maybe the service writer/service manager would look at you funny tho,haha).
     
  6. jeromep

    jeromep Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco\";p=\"73124)</div>
    The warranty booklet in my glovebox, right? I'll actually have to go through it tonight.
     
  7. prius mdt

    prius mdt New Member

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    Your adjustment warranty period is 12 month / 12,000 miles. This does include ONE alignment. HOWEVER, on PDI, the dealer was responsible to check to see if the wheel was off center. If it was, Toyota would pay them to straighten and perform zero point calibration of the steering angle sensor before delivery. After delivery, any off center issue could be viewed by a dealer as customer pay because you "hit a pot hole or something".

    My recommendation would be return to the selling dealer and hold them accountable for the off center condition. They may claim more than just an "off center" condition which would require and alignment and then could be covered under the warranty adjustment period. This really should not be an issue that ANY Toyota dealership would worry you about and risk an unsatisfied customer. As far as the steering angle sensor callibration, this is common on Toyotas now (any w/ VSC) and should not be a concern either.
     
  8. jeromep

    jeromep Member

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    Don,

    Mine is a package 5 and doesn't have VSC, does that make a difference? I've done my best to avoid potholes and rough railroad crossings. And, even though it is possible, I doubt that I have done anything to mess up my alignment. It does track straight down the road, however I have no idea if that means I'm in alignment, or if there is something else making the car track straight while the wheel points 3 to 5 degrees right.
     
  9. rick57

    rick57 Member

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    It shouldn't make any difference if it has VSC or not on a Prius. It could be in line and just the steering wheel is off.
     
  10. andyprius

    andyprius Senior Member

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    WOW, I'm amazed to find out that I'm entitled to a free alignment check. Since I studied the owners manual and warranty paperwork in detail and found nothing about that. What else are we entitled to that Toyota hasn't told us? Don't misunderstand I'm overjoyed with the car and have NO complaints.Unlike the earlier models, the 2005 offers no free services or repairs, except in warranty situations.
     
  11. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Andy:

    There should be quite a few things they'll cover under the "adjustment" period: door alignment, headlight aim, wheel alignment, etc.

    I always "white glove" a vehicle before taking possession to find anything at all. Even a nick on the paint, just to make sure I don't get into a "he said she said" situation.

    Like how I drove down the highway with the sales guy who sold my Prius, commented on the steering wander, let him drive it, and back at the shop he immediately booked me for an alignment.

    Or how when I drove down to the Twin Cities I discovered the badly misaimed headlights. I immediately informed the dealer and they took care of it.

    A lot of folks would just ignore picky things like that. Consider that in your life you will probably spend more on cars than your home, better fix it pronto. It just makes sense.
     
  12. DanMan32

    DanMan32 Senior Member

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    Torque Sensor Zero Point Adjustment, which has to do with the electric power steering, is different from steering angle sensor callibration, which has to do with VSC. Two separate items, though an alignment that changes the steering wheel position would probably require both, assuming you have VSC, and only the TSZPA if you don't.
     
  13. ammiels

    ammiels New Member

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    Mine was about 10 deg off and they aligned it satisfactorily when I brought it in for the first visit. In retrospect I would have waited a little longer as this counted as my only 'freebie'. Fortunately when I changed tires at 700 miles there was no problem and has not been one since to 28k mi.
     
  14. prius mdt

    prius mdt New Member

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    Your wiper inserts are also cover 12 / 12 - Warning - don't go and ask for your "warranty wiper inserts" - You need to have a problem in order to get a warranty repair. The steering wheel off center, or pull / drift is a condition that warrants repair - and could be covered under the adustment period.
     
  15. jeromep

    jeromep Member

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    I would like to assure all the Master Techs that kindly wrote in that I'm not looking for freebies. It is nice to know that if wiper blades go bad in the 12 months or are otherwise faulty I can get them replaced, however I consider wiper blades to be a cost of owning the vehicle. Anyway, I garage my Prius at home and at work, so the blades aren't exposed to sunlight for extended non-driving periods. That tends to make them last a lot longer.

    BTW, Evan, I haven't found anything about a 12 month/12,000 mile adjustment period in the warranty booklet. However, I'm going to take this thread in to the dealer when that time comes. I did the same with the extended warranty pricing information and got a very competitive price from my selling dealer.
     
  16. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Jeromep,
    the wiper blades are not 'freebies'...you paid for them..probably dearly. Just like the rest of your warranty covered items. Take advantage if you need them replaced.

    If the guilt just overwhelms you...say 3 hail Marys and 2 Our Fathers and call it good.
     
  17. jeromep

    jeromep Member

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    Very funny Evan.

    Ok, another stupid question, but how do you protect the fabrics that cover all of the touchable spots on the doors from greasy mechanics? Any problems with this on other visits to the shop?