has anyone ever done their own tracking?


My Stilo's tracking is out, always has been. The two times I've had it in the garage since buying it I've requested the tracking done, and both times it has been done. Basically, my steering wheel is to the right to keep the vehicle straight, and if I straighten the steering wheel I start going off to the left.


Is there anything I can do myself to improve things, or am I stuck with trying to trust a garage to do a simple task?

There's a thread about this here: https://www.fiatforum.com/tech-talk/334953-steering-wheel-off-centre.html

I bought on of these http://www.trackace.co.uk/ a few years ago so I could do my own tracking.
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cheers Davren,


looking at that, I think I should just got to a garage and be a bit more insistent that it be tracked properly - I cant quite afford the Trackace just now, though it dos look a good buy. Ill just pay the garage to do it this time and make sure its done right.

Davren said:

I bought on of these http://www.trackace.co.uk/ a few years ago so I could do my own tracking.
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What's that like to use? And have you ever used that and then taken it to be checked to see how accurate it is?

Until you get used to it, it's a bit tricky to set it up. I think mainly, because it's light weight, you have to be very careful not to move anything once set up.

There would be no point in me taking it to be checked elsewhere. The reason I bought it was because other "professional" tracking places were getting it wrong.

Providing you set it up correctly, and the bar that holds the mirror never gets bent, then the geometry of it means it has to be accurate.
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I suffered terrible tracking on my Stilo and took it twice to a garage and just couldn't get it right. The tyre wear on one side was really bad. It would pull to the left one minute then after the garage had it it would drift to the right and I could never get the steering wheel to line up. So I had ago at doing it by eye daft as it sounds by turning the steering to the straight ahead position and looking at the position of the wheels. The near side was visibley out so over the next few days I slowly adjusted the tie rods and using my brief trip to work as a test I was able to adjust it to nearly spot on. It still pulls to the left ever so slightly but the wheel sits perfectly in the middle and there is no uneven tyre wear whatsoever. I'm sure it's still probably out but it's way better than than the garage ever did. I also applied the same tactic with my 126 with excellent results

Clivvy said:

has anyone ever done their own tracking?


My Stilo's tracking is out, always has been. The two times I've had it in the garage since buying it I've requested the tracking done, and both times it has been done. Basically, my steering wheel is to the right to keep the vehicle straight, and if I straighten the steering wheel I start going off to the left.


Is there anything I can do myself to improve things, or am I stuck with trying to trust a garage to do a simple task?

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Hello mate


I need my alignment sorting so I'm going to pay a visit to a company called ABC Car Services in Leeds, http://www.abc-carservice.co.uk/. I've read a lot of good reviews about them from other forums. I read peoples reviews about them when I was searching for 4 wheel alignment in Yorkshire. Apparently they don't use the Hunter system but people seem to be very happy with them.


Phil

i get mine done approx every 6 months or so, the garage i go to has 4 wheel track, they clamp the steering wheel in the correct position first before adjusting the track.
My steering wheel is always dead centre after.

roy lovelock said:

i get mine done approx every 6 months or so, the garage i go to has 4 wheel track, they clamp the steering wheel in the correct position first before adjusting the track.
My steering wheel is always dead centre after.

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good idea - im taking mine in soon to get it sorted. The last two garages definitely didn't do it, im 99% certain. One place was Kwik Fit, ha da service as well you see and I don't believe they did all I asked because my mate had his car done too and is friends with the manager. Just recently, he had another service done, and Kwik Fit didn't do the fuel filter (a basic service item)...so what else don't they bother with?


I suspect they didn't bother with my tracking, that's for sure/

ah quickfit, NEVER EVER AGAIN, ive had issues with that company and seen too many people have problems with them.
I wont say on an open forum what happened to me.

Four wheel tracks are expensive, (£50 last time) but they are well worth it if they do the job correctly.
At the mileage i do annually it pays dividens on tire wear, i havent seen the adverse wear pattern since i starting having 4 wheels done. They always wear evenly now.

these came up in an email, I've not used product so at buyers risk

http://www.thetoolacademy.com/product_detail.asp?productId=702

also get this if you are quick

I do my own tracking on both my cars with the trackace thingy davren posted

i had mine done on a hunter wheel alignment, it was so out when i bought it, but it needed new front tyres so had it done at the same time, they charged me £56 for the alignment steering wheel is spot on centre, no drifting, no pulling to the left or right, drives beautiful, the tracking was done almost 2 years ago now and still feels as goo as it did the day i had it done, but also it drove like a pig before i had it done