Hi guys, need some thoughts.

I have had loose steering on my Marea since I got it, which was causing abnormal wear on the outer edges of my front tyres. They got so bad that I ended up swapping the front and rear tyres to help preserve them.

Last weekend I took the chance to get it looked at while I was away on business (and had a hire car for a few days). It had previously been suggested on here that the issue was either a wheel bearing or a wheel bush that may need replacing. I suggested this to the garage who look a look and said both these where fine and the issue was a worn front suspension ball joint. This they duly replaced.

With two knackered tyres on the rear I took a trip to Kwik-Fit to get them replaced - requesting that they fit them to the front of the car and put the other two tyres on the rear (where they where originally). When I got the car I had some alloys on it which came with the car. Kwik-Fit took these off and said that three out of the four where damaged and refused to re-fit them. They showed the damage which was to the center of the wheels where you can see hairline cracks. This was at 4pm on a Saturday and I needed the car on Sunday to pick someone up from Heathrow airport!

After calling a local scrap yard I managed to get 4 steel wheels off a bravo with tyres for £104 which Kwik-Fit agreed to fit on my car and let me leave with.

However since this I have found my car wants to over-steer when I drive as well as having what I think is loose steering still. As I have been told the wheel bearings and bushes are okay and I have had this ball joint replaced I am at a lose as to what the problem is.

Does anyone have any ideas? I wondered if it was the new wheels but I cannot imagine that the difference between alloys and steel wheels would be that much or cause an issue like this. Since getting this car anything I have done with it has turned out to be a major issue when it should be simple (tyres became wheels, fitting new speakers was a royal pain in the ass and the stereo almost when through the window thanks to the lack of room in the dash!). I like the car but this problem needs resolving and I do not have the money to throw at it to put it in a garage and say "This is the problem, look into it and tell me what is wrong".

I really need some help as to what might be wrong here guys.

Here's hoping....
Max

Have you checked your tyre pressures ? My experince with Quickfit has been "mixed" and I no longer use them partly as result of getting the car back with the wrong pressures. I would also recomend a 4 wheel laser alingment it transforms my car. What tyres came with the Bravo wheels? Are they right for the Marea? This is 2 questions.

Renegade_8 said:

Have you checked your tyre pressures ? My experince with Quickfit has been "mixed" and I no longer use them partly as result of getting the car back with the wrong pressures. I would also recomend a 4 wheel laser alingment it transforms my car. What tyres came with the Bravo wheels? Are they right for the Marea? This is 2 questions.

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I will check the pressures tomorrow - oddly not thought of that. The tyres where part worn ones from the scrap yard that they fitted. They all have at least 3/4 of their tread on them so are in very good condition and road legal. But that is all I know, the tyres where fitted in front of me onto the wheels while I waited so all I know is that they fit the wheels and nothing more.

Max

i have had afew bad run in's with said garage and would never use them again, the alloys you mention i would get checked to make sure. they tried to con my dad a couple of months back he got quoted £120 for all new brake pads on his stilo, they got it on the ramp took one wheel off and said he needed new discs, cost £625 so he told them to put the wheels back on and he drove to a fiat specialist and he was told nothing wrong with his discs at all and they fitted all new pads for £100 so don't always believe what kwik fit tell you. plus i use to have a close family friend who worked there and he left because he couldn't believe what he was seeing!!!

Sounds more like the tracking to me,Both front wheels on the car are toeing in.This would give you oversteer and wear the tyres on the outside edge.
If you get it tracked at a garage you need to be there when they do it to make sure they actually adjust the track rod end adjustment, as, the lock nuts may be siezed and they may try hoodwink you and say they have done it when they havent. Tracking can take time and is not a two minute job if done properly.