Tracking!!

If your old front tyres were evenly worn, probably not

If your old front tyres were evenly worn, probably not

They were evenly worn, both on the outer shoulders, nothing to worry about then may be? Spend my dosh on myself for a change then.

Dave

Tracking??? Dealer only??? - Bull S.......

Very, Unless you want to replace the tyres every 1,000 miles.

Graham

Was each front tyre evenly worn across the width of its tread, not were both front tyres unevenly worn but the same as each other - you plonker.

nothing to worry about

2 degrees is bloody miles out which is why the tyres are scrubbed. Get it fixed.

Dave Baker - Puma Race Engines

I'm not at all sure why women like men. We're argumentative, childish, unsociable and extremely unappealing naked. I'm quite grateful they do though.

LOL

I bet it doesn't handle very well either.

It's not a dealer only job, I have mine done at the local garage.

Ok, thanks, I will do it tomorrow. Well book it in at the dealer anyway.

Dave

Handles quiet well actually, no problems. I look forward to the difference then once it's been done.

The place I took it to said the track rod arms would have to be heated or something and that it would fail on the next MOT if they done it. Vauxhall apparently have all the correct tools etc, etc. I phoned them up and they said it would be £75, ouch, but it's got to be done.

I will try my local garage first (not the one that fitted the tyres) to see if they could manage it, if not, Vauxhall has me by the short and curlies.

Dave

AFAIK heat is the only realistic way to shift the track rod ends when they become siezed on a Vauxhall, a lot of garages make an aditional charge if this is needed. It would only fail the next mot if the fitter driving the gas torch was a pratt!

Any decent tyre shop or garage will do the job, did the garage you went too even try to undo the track rods?

"Fred" >

They said initially it would cost £22, but after looking at the job probably realised it would take them a lot longer. I did enquire when I asked if they could do the tracking, they said they would have a look. So I don't know if they even tried.

But I will give my local garage a go before I toddle off to Vauxhall.

Dave

Or you could try National. A while back the tracking on the Astra van needed doing. Someone online had recommended Kwik-fit in Guildford (Walnut Tree Close), saying that they actually had had excellent service from them. I went there, and as they were seized they told me to take it home, un-seize them, put a load of copper grease on them, and then bring it back to them to get them to adjust the tracking. Yeah right!

I took it to National the next morning (would have taken it to them that day except they were flat out and couldn't do it that day), and they got the heat gun out without question and did it without moaning. As it happened one of the track rod ends needed replacing (had shit loads of play in it) so they did that as well - ok so they charged £17 fitted for the track rod end, but I got a good service from them, and they didn't suggest I did half the job myself before bringing it back for them to do the easy bit!

I mean, all these places charge around £20-£25 for what is essentially a 5 minute job. Surely they've got to just accept that now and again, this may become a 15-minute job requiring the use of heat to un-seize them, rather than telling customers they won't bother. Seems like a surefire way to lose customers if you ask me.

Peter

It was National that tried to do the tracking in the first place Pete. A friend took his Vectra to kwik fit and he saw them using a club hammer on the track rods!!

Obviously found a National garage of lazy sods then didn't I.

Sure is, well at least they didn't come out with a wooden frame and some string to check the tracking alignment.

Dave

Nothing wrong with a wooden frame and some string if you know how to use it.

Ah!! the good old days eh!!

I took my trusty old Omega to the dealers today to have the tracking done, they weighted the front footwells with 27Kilo's each side and proceeded to check the alignment. A few minutes later came back and said it was spot on. I told them National said it was two degree's out, they said did they weight the front footwells? That'll explain why it read two degree's out I was told, now I am happy the dealer only charged me £15 to check it. Phew!!! I explained about the tyre wear on both front tyre shoulders and they said do you want them to last forever? how long have you had them? I have had the car for 2 years, so I don't know how old the tyres are.

Normal wear and tear and feathering is what they said.

Dave

LOL. So when two people each weighing 80 kilos get in the car the tracking must alter by 80/27 x 2 = approx 6 degrees. Hilarious. With 4 fat blokes and some luggage the front wheels must stick out at 90 degrees.

You'll believe any old crap won't you. You must be a garage mechanics wet dream. "They all make this terrible screeching noise sir, it isn't a fault" "Oh - okie dokie then. Phew, that's that sorted"

, now I am happy the

"Oh - okie dokie then. Phew, that's that sorted"

Dave Baker - Puma Race Engines

I'm not at all sure why women like men. We're argumentative, childish, unsociable and extremely unappealing naked. I'm quite grateful they do though.

Well, more than one garage has told me it's the way Vauxhall do it with Vectra's and Omega's, and that's the way the dealer done it. I am no mechanic, who would you trust. Vauxhall or National?

Or recommend a national outlet that you know WILL do the tracking properly. Kwik Fit won't touch it, National can't do it, STS will not do it; My local garage more or less laughed at the idea and said it's a dealer job.

Dave

If the dealer is anything like Dixon's I'd trust National. However most tyre houses will tell you its out if its not as it's impossible to prove and they don't charge for checking, only adjusting.

I'd ring around your insurance approved bodyshops, they will have proper alignment gear and will know how to set the car up to manufacturers orignal specs. My 75 had crappy problems with rear wheel alignment, Kwik Fit said it was fine (after adjusting then re-checking a week later) but it wasn't and my local bodyshop set it up spot on.

Assuming you've had the car from new, and the steering wheel is still in the same position when going straight as it always was, I'd say it's unlikely the tracking is much different from when it left the factory.

It's usually hitting a kerb or other object that puts the tracking out, and since this only usually happens on one wheel, the result can be seen in the position of the wheel when going straight.

And take a car for tracking to a dozen places and you'll get a dozen different results.

Tyres that wear slightly unevenly across their tread are a fact of life with most independent suspension systems.

Yes, the steering wheel is centered and before and after the tracking was done, it would travel a straight line when I let go of the wheel.

And power steering doesn't help wear either with the feathering effect.

Cheers Dave

Dave

I think this explains why the Vauxhall dealer could never get my Omega to feel like it did when new(ish), my tyres always feathered on the outer edges and the steering just didn't feel solid.

Perhaps the local garage didn't weight the car and just adjusted the tracking so that I've got no feathering and the steering feels solid again. They did say it was quite a way out and it was one of the best =9C12.50's I've ever spent.