Anyone know how "proper" wheel alignment is done?

It works the exactly same as the other place. Difference is it costs=20 you more and the mechanics are more likely to spend time doing it.

Also cars do drift left slightly due to the camber of the road.

--=20 Conor

Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him.

Well yes it's a good point - kit only as good as them than can (and do) use it properly. But I know for a fact bmw specify the car be loaded with weights front rear and boot before setting the toe. This place didn't load it with anything.

Now, I can feel the car pulling slightly left - it didn't do that before. A question of degree I know, but I'm sure it's not right.

I was once told that 'correct' tracking is set to pull slightly left on RHD cars to help ensure you only kill yourself and rabbits if you fall asleep, not oncoming drivers.

I was once told that 'correct' tracking is set to pull slightly left on RHD cars to help ensure you only kill yourself and rabbits if you fall asleep, not oncoming drivers.

The message from La contains these words:

I've always though this pulling to one side 'cos of tracking thing is cobblers anyway.

If you shorten the rods slightly then /both/ wheels will face in. If you only shorten one, then /still/ both wheels will face it but the steering wheel will be slightly wonky.

The main causes of pulling to one side are (in order of appearance in my experience) flat tyres, mismatched tyres, suspension bent.

Yes.

If it's rack and pinion and miles out you might get some funny results on lock or over bumps as the geometry will be different either side.

And of course just after new tyres have been fitted. The car was pulling before with the old ones, and not (or not so much) with the new. But you think it is.

Any halfway good tyre depot will do a repeat check and adjust for free within a month of doing it, just take the receipt along and tell them it's pulling. If it was a long way off the settings will move a bit as the rubber bushes are loaded differently. I took one car back three times in three weeks. What they failed to pick up on was the worn rear swing arm bearings were wagging the French Lemons tail!

I had a full computer laser alignment check done at Derby Accident Center for about £45. Set the rear camber, front and rear toe in, zero thrust line (everything that could be adjusted by nut and bolt) and gave a before and after print out, caster, camber, sai, inc angle, set back, toe in, rear camber, toe in and thrust line [1].

or Yellow pages and ring round. Make sure you cut out any middle men. Lots of places may offer this but will take your car to the one place in the area that has the kit and then stick a big mark up on for parking it there all day.

[1]

-- Peter Hill Spamtrap reply domain as per NNTP-Posting-Host in header Can of worms - what every fisherman wants. Can of worms - what every PC owner gets!

The message from Dave Plowman contains these words:

True, but bump-steer ain't a major factor in straight-line smooth-road driving!

Yup with you on this one. Mined ewe if the tracking is out it can be a bugger on a cambered road in the wet. I had that on an Imp I owned briefly. On a cambered road the nearside of the road stayed wet and you could get the nearside front wheel to skid along and then catch suddenly as you hit a dry patch.

It should only be very slight.

That won't be Kwik-Fit in Bridlington then who were adament they'd done it properly despite the fact it scrubbed the tyre insides to canvas in

300 miles.

But it would be Kwik-Fit Borehamwood. They did tracking on my nephews

205 after it had needed major surgey to change front lower arm. Said it was miles out and he could bring it back at no addtional charge within a month.

Central tyre in Burton did my (ex) BX three times in three weeks without charge for the second and third goes.

-- Peter Hill Spamtrap reply domain as per NNTP-Posting-Host in header Can of worms - what every fisherman wants. Can of worms - what every PC owner gets!

Yeah but it's a major factor convincing me to get cold & change all the rubber bits on the front of my car

The last time I had a pull to the left, it turned out to be a fault in the power steering, presumably a valve allowing pressure to be apply to the leftsteer all the time.