I have been reading a lot recently about Panda's having a tendency to pull to the left hand side during normal driving. I think I have a solution should anyone like to try...
Assuming the whole front end has been checked recently for alignment, damaged bushes, shocks and wheel run-out then the solution is straightforward. Put a bit of 'toe out' on the right hand wheel. Usually 1 turn of the track rod adjustment is all that is required; maybe 2 at most. Be aware though that the adjustment thread is quite coarse so a small amount can produce a big result! The threads do need to be thoroughly clean and lubricated though as the lock nut can be an absolute pig to slacken off.
Another side benefit of this minor 'tweak' is that the steering looses some of its 'snatchy' characteristics and weighs up a bit more. Makes more of a relaxing drive.
The only down side of this is that the right hand tyre may start to wear a little more on the inside rather than equally across the tread. I will be monitoring this over the next few months and if there are any dire consequences I will report back.
Of course why this is happening in the first place is a good question and I suspect the problem is due to manufacturing process. Being a 'euro-car' it will be set up for left hand drive and I suspect insufficient allowances are made for right hand drive models. Just a thought.

mpin9020 said:

I have been reading a lot recently about Panda's having a tendency to pull to the left hand side during normal driving. I think I have a solution should anyone like to try...
Assuming the whole front end has been checked recently for alignment, damaged bushes, shocks and wheel run-out then the solution is straightforward. Put a bit of 'toe out' on the right hand wheel.

Click to expand...

The Panda when correctly tracked is somewhat camber sensitive and will naturally run towards the camber of the road, which is generally to the left hand side in the UK. It should run straight if you drive on a road with neutral camber, which on a suitably quiet, straight road can often be checked by driving down the middle.

Deliberately mistracking the car in the manner you suggest will likely cause handling problems and will certainly cause your front tyres to wear out much faster than usual.

However, on newly purchased ex-works Pandas, it is not normally necessary to adjust them if you want to run mistracked - the factory is more than capable of delivering them in that condition.