Technical Fiat Seicento wheel alignment

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Technical Fiat Seicento wheel alignment

Baz69

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Apr 17, 2014
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kent
Hi Everyone,

This is a weird one & something that I wish hadn't bothered getting done, I've have had my 2003 Fiat Seicento 1.1 Sporting for over 6 years now & it has been a great car, a a few weeks ago I fitted a pair of brand new front shocks as one of them was leaking oil & also two new front tyres, despite having the car for over 6 years I have never had the tracking checked, I must admit that the outside of the tyres have worn a little bit more than the rest of the tread but nothing that I was that concerned about as the car had always driven in a straight line, well anyway I decided to get the tracking checked ( big mistake)

I was concerned about the track rod end bolts would be seized but this was the least of my concerns, the guy doing the tracking said that the wheels where too small, I spoke to the manager about this & he said he was too lazy to change bars that go over the wheels.....

Well anyway after the guy had finished the wheel alignment on my car he drove my car back out & was saying that there was something wrong with my steering, I told him that I've had the car 6 years & I've never had a problem with the steering, I got in the car & the steering was pulling to the left & it wasn't right, he put it back on the ramps & I was asked to come & view my car, the drivers side wheel was rubbing on the anti roll bar at full lock, I told him that the steering was fine until they adjusted wheel alignment......

They said that they would put the wheel alignment back to where it was & gave me a refund.....

The car now veers to the left & it doesn't feel right compared to it driving perfectly in a straight line........

I took it to another place that was the same company (maybe franchise now) & explained to them about the problems (never mentioned the name) & they said that my steering rack bolts where not right, my coil springs where not lined up in the correct positions & that they would not touch it.....

I removed both struts & checked them & they where all lined up, steering rack bolts where fine, i also checked for play in both track rod ends & also wishbone joints, all where o.k.........

I'm wondering whether the guy who first looked at my car didn't know what he was doing ( wheels too small) or that he didn't really want to work on my car & that it was a burden for him to make the adjustments & that after being told by the manager to get on with it, he made matters worse.....

Sorry for the long rant but this has really got my goat up.....

Would appreciate if anyone has any suggestions regarding this matter.....

Thanks in advance...............

Baz
 
Firstly, sorry you've had issues with major outlets, most are best avoided, unless a local one has a good reputation with people you know. It all depends on the manager and staff, but most are under a lot of pressure to upsell as much as they can, and tend to employ the least able staff.

You need to find a local private specialist, there may be a small private tyre dealer that can do a proper 4-wheel alignment. Or, ask friends/relatives/colleagues who they trust, and then ask the garage if they can help.

You've posted this in the Sedici section, which was based on a Suzuki. Quite rare, and few people will look at this section. Some of us look at all new posts, many others only look at 'their' section, so create a new post in the Cinquecento/Seicento section for better help/response.
Tell people where you are, as someone may have a repairer recommendation.
 
Hi There, thank you for the reply & information, I will post it in the Cinquecento/Seicento section.....

Cheers

Baz
 
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