[Aluma]

Hey guys, are all forester steering wheels tilted to the right about 15-20 degrees when driving straight ahead? Both of my foresters have that "tilt" and when I took it to the dealer they told me that its fine and they can't fix it because the wheel has an indent on the hub that won't let you just take it off and rotate it one tooth over like in the past. I think they just don't want to fix it. Is there a way to correct it?

 

[TC2000]

I think they can set that when they align the front end I'm not sure though. But mines dead on straight so they aren't all like that.

 

[teiva-boy]

You could remove the steering wheel if it's way off... Or have the alignment shop center the steering wheel, lock it in place with a special tool they should have, then align like normal, adjusting the rods to make the wheels straight

the special tool I mention is nothing more than something to jam the wheel and the seat together, so it doesnt move while aligning. It could be a book or a block of wood.

 

[The Black Box]

the special tool I mention is nothing more than something to jam the wheel and the seat together, so it doesnt move while aligning. It could be a book or a block of wood.

I like to sit in the car and hold the wheel myself...

 

[Drewso]

OMG I have a 2010 forester and I am having so much trouble with the wheel alignment!
It has 7000 miles and has had 5 wheel alignments!!
HELP! Subaru can not fix it.
It has a 'pull' to the right and it is really noticeable on the freeway.
What to do?
Any advice? Legal?

 

[Drewso]

Hey guys, are all forester steering wheels tilted to the right about 15-20 degrees when driving straight ahead? Both of my foresters have that "tilt" and when I took it to the dealer they told me that its fine and they can't fix it because the wheel has an indent on the hub that won't let you just take it off and rotate it one tooth over like in the past. I think they just don't want to fix it. Is there a way to correct it?

Did you get yours fixed. I am having alot of trouble with my steering! It has had 5 wheel alignments and had only 7000 miles!
I don't know what to do. Subaru seems to be unable to fix it.

 

[stan_t]

You mean it's off-center when you are going straight, right?

My steering wheel is straight after the last alignment. Past few alignments it was off a bit, which was very annoying, this time I specifically stated I wanted it straight and it is. You can take it off and rotate it one spline (make sure to disconnect the battery and drain the charge, or risk getting killed by the airbag), but you'll find it tilted too far in the other direction -- been there done that.

Stan

 

[TC2000]

OMG I have a 2010 forester and I am having so much trouble with the wheel alignment!
It has 7000 miles and has had 5 wheel alignments!!
HELP! Subaru can not fix it.
It has a 'pull' to the right and it is really noticeable on the freeway.
What to do?
Any advice? Legal?

Roads are usually crowned somewhat and a slight pull to the right is sometimes normal.

 

[Aluma]

Well, down here..."alignment" means some guy puts sensor on your wheels and moves them or hits them so that it reads "green" on the 4 wheels...and that was at a Goodyear store with computerized equipment and lasers. I had words with that guy, but all I got was the equivalent to "don't worry about it so much, look, its green, the alignment is perfect" but in spanish. I did notice on the screen that one side had + caster and the other had - caster, plus the camber was + on some wheels and - on others...but within the outer limit of "green". I just gave up and traded in that car. I mean sure, there's a little drift expected, but my 08 forester would go straight no matter what road curvature there was. I have also noticed that most of the newer cars just are not up to those standards. Guess I just gotta live with it.

 

[The Black Box]

You guys need to look in your local forum on NASIOC to find the alignment shops that the track guys go to. Unless you have worn parts there's no reason to have the difficulties you are.

Like I said earlier unless someone or something holds the wheel while setting toe it's hit or miss getting the wheel straight....

 

[donkonkey]

Aluma, I have the same exact problem you do on my SF. I recently bought a set of 4 brand new tires and had them mounted and balanced. Afterwards I got the alignment done. The car drives straight, but the steering wheel seems tilted to the right a bit when going straight down the road. At first I thought it was my eyes playing tricks on me but it really does see tilted. I took it back to get it centered but still the same result. Anyone else experience similar results?

 

[funkymonkey1002]

Seriously, the black box is correct, find another alignment shop. It takes actual work to get the alignment correct, rather than just "in spec" (the specs are a very wide range, you want the specs to be even side to side rather than just within the range provided) Most places don't care one tiny bit about getting the alignment correct, its actually pretty hard to find a shop that will do it right.

There is no reason to have -any- trouble getting the car in alignment, if the shop can't do it, bring it somewhere else!

 

[The Black Box]

Yup. Within spec means you get a perfunctory measurement and absolutely no adjustment 99% of the time.

This problem is beginning to remind me of the warped rotor myth...

 

[funkymonkey1002]

Yup. Within spec means you get a perfunctory measurement and absolutely no adjustment 99% of the time.

This problem is beginning to remind me of the warped rotor myth...

Agreed. Alignment is not hard, to adjust toe they adjust the length of the tie rods so the wheels are pointing straight ahead, if the shop doesn't really care and leaves the steering wheel offcenter when they adjust the front wheels, then the steering wheel will be off! Its generally a sign of a shop that wants to get it "just good enough" but not "correct". If the shop can't get it to a satisfactory level, bring your business elsewhere, theres no reason to put up with techs that don't care enough to do the job right.

 

[The Black Box]

Most "performance" alignment shops charge a few bucks more than your average place but you get what you pay for. But seriously, it only gets done every few years so are you really saving anything by cheaping out? One trip back would cost me more than the cost of the alignment in my time and patience.

Not to infer that the O.P. did but considering what a lot of people spend on nonfunctional bling I'm surprised when people cheap out when it come to things like this.