Diagnosis?

[Scott May]

Alright here is my problem…

1 - My wheel is not in alignment.

I just had it aligned not too long ago when I got my new rotors put on, and I guess even then it was a little miss aligned but I didn’t think it a problem.

2 - It seems like my car is almost always being pushed around by the road..its a harsh ride to say the least...

…for instance whenever the road is not even I am taken to one or the other side. This could be just because I have 17” wheels with low profile tires, but it doesn’t seem to have done this the whole time I have had the car. But at the same time it seems like if I don’t have a hand tightly on the wheel it will just go wherever it wants… almost as if I have little power steering…

3 – A lot of times when I am coming to a stop I notice my wheel will do a half turn to the right

…It’s very odd. It’s like when I am going from 5 mph to stop my wheel turns all the way down almost, its crazy….

4 – I feel every bump in the road, it’s been a long time since my car has felt smooth by any means…

5 – My car vibrates at high speeds

Now there are some things to note… my wheels were balanced not too long ago. My right rear tire is going flatter faster then any other tire and I know that does influence the feel of the car quite a bit.

My question is this, I am getting new shocks and springs installed shortly and wanted to know if there is anything seriously wrong with my car? Will the new suspension get rid of these problems…of course I am getting a new alignment once they are put on…

Thanks very much, this has been bothering me sooo much.

[Polo M3]

well if when you stop your wheel turns sharply to the right this is not normal nor is it safe... It seems as though you probably have a very loose or warped tie rod and need to replace it. In my A4 i had similar symptoms with the pulling to one side and what not, and replacing it eliminated the symptoms. Either way i still reccomend bringing it to a mechanic.. they can tell you exactly whats wrong.

[Scott May]

I am taking it in for the install on the shocks tonight, i trust him to take a good look at the car. I told him all about the problems and i hope he will know what to do.