[Rocketscience]

I have had the same exact issue in my Honda City and in Creta too, in City's case they corrected it along with alignment and balancing, in Creta's case it was slightly tilted from the factory, they connected something to the OBD and corrected the steering neutral position or something and corrected something under the right wheel i guess, the problem never appeared again.

I have been getting my alignment and balancing done from official service centers since the beginning because the ones outside have no access to exact software as the companies don't provide them outside and these things require precise adjustments, and in one instance the alignment shop outside was using Honda Civic 1992 software in his computer on my 2006 Honda Civic, which the 12 year old me did point out that those are entirely different cars with nothing to do with each other other than the name.

Secondly i have noticed they have much fancier equipment with lasers and what not to correct the alignment as compared to outside shops which usually make do with something much humbler.

Having said that, the overwhelming majority of enthusiasts here are recommending it to get it done from outside and i'am open to changing my practice, it is much cheaper to do so too so why not, if the above points don't matter and the alignment done will be as good outside too. It would be great if someone has some recommendations for good ones in Delhi NCR area, preferably near Gurgaon.

[sam264_2000]

Originally Posted by GTO

Golden rule of authorised workshops : Never use them for wheel alignment (it's universally lame) and always go to a specialist. Exactly the same for detailing too - best to go to specialist shops.

Dealers treat these services as "invoice enhancements" and not really a value-add for the car owner.

+1. I never ever get the wheel alignment & balancing done at the dealer workshop. They usually price it double than what I pay to a specialist outside. Also, I follow my own schedule for wheel alignment & balancing. On one of the occasions, the dealer service guy even threatened me that this would void the warranty and I was like "that's okay". The guy ensured that this remark is made on service invoice.

[TrackDay]

Is it compulsory for cars in warranty to get alignment from the dealer itself ? Case I am talking here is for the 5th gen Honda city.

[condor]

Originally Posted by motorguy

...- alignment that the Hyundai ASS did was apparently quite bad. So, this means the alignment machines in the Hyundai service center were basically out of whack and of course this was likely the reason for the bad alignment.

But dont be surprised if the alignment machine at that HASS was actually sourced from Madhu's itself ! It's all about the machines at the ASS/ASC's - and the technicians there. Madhu's and Tyre-professional guys are good. (Have been to both places).

Many a time I have been told that the alignment machine at the TASS was not working - or the technician not there. With my Storme there was a left pulling issue which even the Tata regional engineer could not solve. The folks at Madhu's were the ones who helped me out. It used to take more time for my vehicle, but they didnt crib.

[sahil624]

I’ve got a question which is a bit off topic. Should we get both the Wheel Alignment and balancing done at 5k kms or just the alignment?

[Bsimhan]

Originally Posted by motorguy

Upon asking the SA to correct the issue, they tried some measures (not sure what) but the problem was not solved. They also said, the car is aligned and could not rectify the steering tilt issue.

Totally agree with you. Happened to me a couple of times at the ASC of Toyota and once I had my car serviced in Trichy (it was unavoidable). The Trichy alignment was the worst. I had to drive all the way back to Chennai and immediately to Bangalore and by then, my hands started to ache just trying to hold the car in line. Took it to Madhus and got the thing sorted out. I would say that its the go to place for alignment. After this experience of mine, I always tell the service centre not to bother with the alignment. Same for tyre rotation too as I always prefer to get this done with trusted competent sources. I know that this thread is about alignment but I also wanted to mention about the car wash that is undertaken by the service centres. Most of the washing is outsourced and I am doubtful if the guys take proper care. I've had to have it done again at 3M. After this its goodbye to car wash at the ASC.

[Guru_GPS]

Originally Posted by GTO

Golden rule of authorised workshops : Never use them for wheel alignment (it's universally lame) and always go to a specialist. Exactly the same for detailing too - best to go to specialist shops.

Dealers treat these services as "invoice enhancements" and not really a value-add for the car owner.

Same happened with me GTO Sir, my Skoda dealer 'suggested' me wheel alignment. I did not opt for it.

However, on an OT feedback about the new dealer in Mysore, I give them 10/10 for their first service. They even worked on the suspension and it feels slightly more planted while snaking zigzag through the curvy roads.

[FloatingCanvas]

I have a i20 elite and in my previous service, the service centre messed up my alignment. They used so many wheel balance weights and still did not manage to get the alignment right. The car would slowly pull to the right in about 20 meters and I would have to correct it. Every. Single. Time..! Went in thrice to get it rectified. Each time they added more weights. Finally gave up.

Took it to a standalone wheel alignment centre and they could minimize the pull but not completely eradicate it. Since I was using an upsized set of wheels - 205/55 R16, which had about 5k KM life left, they just swapped the front wheels. So, instead of moving the steering wheel marginally to the left, it was much easier to rest the hand on the steering wheel to hold slightly to the right.

With the old GoodYears having gone hard and making a lot of road noise, I planned to get a new set of tyres. Bought a set of Yokohama EarthOnes at Universal Tyres, Basaveshwaranagar, Bangalore. The road noise has almost disappeared and the ride is much, much better. Better ride quality too. And the alignment is finally straight.

Specifically told the SA not to touch the wheel alignment during my recent service. Thankfully, it's going well as of now.

[rkw]

Originally Posted by TrackDay

Is it compulsory for cars in warranty to get alignment from the dealer itself ? Case I am talking here is for the 5th gen Honda city.

Wheel alignment is not related to warranty, I believe. So there should not be any problem in getting alignment & balancing from outside of ASS. Atleast this holds true for Tata, Honda & Hyundai cars as per my experience.

[rkw]

Originally Posted by motorguy

My son in law recently took his 2014 Hyundai Elite i20 for a wheel alignment at a Hyundai service center in Bangalore (would not like to mention the dealer name). After the alignment, the steering wheel was tilted slightly when the car is travelling straight which creates elbow pain especially on long drives.

I missed the post. But this brought back my experience with our Indica V2. Always had this problem after alignment & was so difficult to make the technician undestand as Maruti & Hyundai cars at the time didn't have such problem. Then started the practice of telling the technician before alignment to ensure keeping the steering wheel straight. But always felt odd & didn't know the reason for this tilt.

[jasjotbains]

My SA will never do the wheel alignment on my i10s even if I wanted him to! His response was always clear - let the experts handle their trade. Never did I ever get alignment and balancing done from HASS, but their overall service experience was (and still is) top notch.