[ashish.uno]

I bought a used Ford Fusion + around 6 months back. Lovely car. Only recently a problem has cropped up. The car pulls to the left and the steering wheel also has permanently taken a liking towards that direction.
I got alignment done twice but it didn't correct. Means that all will be fine on the screen and alignment will be done but take the car out of the garage and the problem is same as before. I got the suspension checked as well but to no avail and the problem persisted. What could be the possible reason.

Experts please advise.

[skumare]

Originally Posted by skumare

Thanks, I see that Camber and Caster are "red" on the screen, what are the implications if these are not corrected to zero/green?

Originally Posted by ajman28

Please provide the values - both actual and recommended.

Caster - L-2d04' R-2d10' (recommended 2d15' - 3d45')
Camber - L-0d06' R--0d04' (recommended 0 to 1d)
I see both of them are within acceptable limits, may be it is not required to work on them.

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by ajman28

I thought you could adjust the camber too in the Vista! Do you have a list of cars with adjustable toe & camber?



Please provide the values - both actual and recommended.

Maybe it is possible in the Vista. Am not too sure about that.

Originally Posted by skumare

Thanks, I see that Camber and Caster are "red" on the screen, what are the implications if these are not corrected to zero/green?

Get it corrected at the service centre. If it is uncorrected, uneven wear on the tyres could be the result.

[tarunt]

Thanks Nikhil. I qtook it back to the sokda service guys and they balanced the wheel by adding some weights. Interestingly the stick weights that came off were zinc and the ones they added were lead. Must be some regulations on using lead in the czech republic.

[born_free]

Had done second free service for my Wagon R today. SA recommended Wheel Balancing, but I don't see any symptoms that would warrant WB or WA. So I turned down the recommendation.

My car has one 4800 KM and is six months old, my question is that is it advisable to do both WA and WB at my next service interval at 10K Km's?

Noob question : Would getting WA and WB done outside of service center, harm my warranty? How much should it cost?

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by born_free

Had done second free service for my Wagon R today. SA recommended Wheel Balancing, but I don't see any symptoms that would warrant WB or WA. So I turned down the recommendation.

My car has one 4800 KM and is six months old, my question is that is it advisable to do both WA and WB at my next service interval at 10K Km's?

Noob question : Would getting WA and WB done outside of service center, harm my warranty? How much should it cost?

Please get WA/WB done outside the service centre. Much cheaper(between 500-600) and you generally get a better service as tyre showrooms would be specialists in this.

Also, Wheel balancing is done normally every 5k kms along with alignment. You may not feel any noticeable change but every small imbalance(even if it isnt noticeable by the driver) will add to the wear and tear of the suspension.

[VeluM]

Saw an XUV today which had camber comparable to the Piaggio Ape three wheeler's rear wheels. The XUV also had a similar and strangely extreme (positive camber) config for the rear wheels. Very noticeable, but not as extreme. This and negative camber, aren't these settings that can only be adjusted at the A.S.S?

OT: was very surprised to see that on a new XUV (as they all are).

[audioholic]

Is it a serious problem if we have a 0.5 degree offset in camber? I got the alignment done in Tyre professionals and the front right wheel showed a camber which was 0.5 degree more than what is permitted. The offset is due to an accident in which the wheel bore a considerable amount of impact. It has been 6k kms since the accident but there is no irregular wear. The car is an SX4 and the tyres, the stock useless vectras, still look new after 19k kms.

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Is it a serious problem if we have a 0.5 degree offset in camber? I got the alignment done in Tyre professionals and the front right wheel showed a camber which was 0.5 degree more than what is permitted. The offset is due to an accident in which the wheel bore a considerable amount of impact. It has been 6k kms since the accident but there is no irregular wear. The car is an SX4 and the tyres, the stock useless vectras, still look new after 19k kms.

Can you post the Alignment report here? It will be helpful in figuring out if it is ok or not.

Generally 0.5 degree (or 30') is a little too much. But it depends on the overall readings as well.

[riturajsharma19]

Guys, here's a query I have always wanted to make. For all the accolades that the Punto receives for its ride quality, I have personally never experienced it on my Punto. Now, don't get me wrong, on smooth roads, there is hardly anything to complain about. However, on broken roads with even minor imperfections (I am not talking about pot holes here), most of the bumps get transmitted to the cabin, requiring me to slow down. Can this behaviour be attributed to the stock 165/80/R14 J.K Tornado tyres? I don't think there is an issue with my alignment, as I have driven only about 1500 kms since the 2nd free service, where wheel alignment was carried out. If the JKs are the culprit, are they really that bad tyres?

[headers]

My punto runs 195/65 R 15 & I can cruise on bad roads at 3 digit speeds..fyi

I was on stock goodyear, and now am on Yokohama c drive.

[IndigoXLGrandDi]

Our Xylo has run 1,53,400kms.

Currently the RH Front wheel alignment faces problem of Negative Camber. Its (-1'04"). The Camber cannot be corrected as the setting has ended (as per the Wheel Alignment person). The person is good friend of mine. He suggested to change the Upper Arm only. No other part needs to be replaced.
Due to -ve camber, the tyre has worn out on inner side (towards engine side).

Would replacing only the Upper Arm solve the problem? Or should I have to replace any another suspension parts too?

This -ve camber is present since @27KKms ago. At that time the tyre was not facing any problem. Around 2-3KKms ago, the tyre was fine. My Dad had taken the car on a tour. After he returned last week, I noticed the worn inner side.

Please advise.

[IndigoXLGrandDi]

Today I got the Upper Arm and Stabilizer Link (That's what the mechanic told me) of RH Front Wheel replaced with new one. The old ones had become loose (a lot of play).
1) The Upper Arm 's End shown here is towards Front Bumper--



2) The Upper Arm 's End shown here is towards Cabin--



3) Stabilizer Link is shown here--




Then I went to my regular Wheel Alignment Center to check the improvement in Alignment. The Camber of Right Front Wheel improved from (-1'04) to (-0'27) even without doing any changes to Camber Setting (so much improvement just by replacing Upper Arm).

The mechanic who replaced the above parts had suggested me to do the following if the Camber did not become positive--

The bolts of upper arm as shown below (only one viz. the front bumper side is shown for reference) should be moved towards the Wheel (away from Engine) by drilling another hole towards the wheel for both bolts and shut the original holes by gas welding. The mechanic suggested to move the Bolt upto the point shown by Yellow Arrow Head (the outer edge of Nut to be moved up to the Yellow Arrow Head).
)

As both ends (towards the engine side of the Upper Arm will move towards outer side of car, the Camber should obviously become positive.


First I was against this solution. But now I think this is the only solution that can correct the camber (read bring Camber in Positive Range).



This photo of Upper Arm End is taken from below Front Right Fog Lamp--


Old Upper Arm--


Old Stabilizer Link



Please advise whether to go the mechanic way or are there any other solutions possible. The Camber Setting has ended i.e. the Camber Bolt cannot be rotated to make the Camber Positive.

[Nikhilb2008]

Yes. For a car that has seen such running, changing parts can make a big difference.

I will link you to a post which has a lot of info on alignment.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/bangal...ml#post2865034

[ghodlur]

Experts, pls advise.

One of the rear tyres in my Fiesta developed a puncture and I replaced it with the spare stepney. I had got the WA/WB done during the recent regular servicing schedule (couple of months back) with the former tyre. Would the balancing weight on the stepney which is different in any way affect the balance of the car. Coz I could feel the car responding a bit different, slight vibrations on the steering. Thecar felt sluggish to pull. Or am I hallucinating?