1. Steering wheel off center

[SaturnIONSLVUE]

Steering wheel off center GM does not want to fix it because they can't see it according to them after they replaced the steering column and struts. If I make the wheel straight then the car pulls to the right. Also they can’t find the clunk noise when turning the steering wheel. what bs

[Astra La Vista!]

Originally Posted by SaturnIONSLVUE

Steering wheel off center GM does not want to fix it because they can't see it according to them after they replaced the steering column and struts. If I make the wheel straight then the car pulls to the right. Also they can’t find the clunk noise when turning the steering wheel. what bs

Might want to try a different dealer. Everyone's idea of a horizontally "straight" steering wheel is a little different -- and that goes for customers and technicians. Some use the instrument cluster as their reference point, while others use the dash or even the horizon itself. Best way to get it right for the customer is to allow the customer to sit in front of the steering wheel and indicate "straight ahead" while the technician locks the steering wheel in place with the spring-loaded clamp. Double-check with the customer, and then escort him/her to the lounge for a cup of coffee. The alignment machine can then use that as a zero point and the toe can be set accordingly.

But that isn't the "correct" method. Every steering box or rack & pinion has a natural "center point" designed into it. This point is what you might call "neutral", with anything off a bit to either side being designed to "pull" the vehicle back to this neutral position (when tied in with all of the other angles and forces being transferred to it from the suspension). When an alignment tech installs the heads on the wheels and does his sweep, the machine is sensitive enough to detect it. The alignment is then supposed to be performed around that point, and the steering wheel removed and relocated on its splines if necessary to get it back to "nearly straight". Final tweaking can be done as a toe adjustment to get the steering wheel "perfectly straight", but the box/rack will then be off-center again by a small amount -- which may or may not cause a pull to one side or the other.

But to climb back onto the service side of the service counter, I often wonder why a perfectly straight steering wheel is so important. It isn't a protractor. The steering wheel does not dictate what is "straight ahead" -- the driver does (by ignoring the wheel and going by instinct instead).

[SaturnRaycer]

Originally Posted by Astra La Vista!

But to climb back onto the service side of the service counter, I often wonder why a perfectly straight steering wheel is so important. It isn't a protractor. The steering wheel does not dictate what is "straight ahead" -- the driver does (by ignoring the wheel and going by instinct instead).

It is perception and expectation. In over 30 years in the military I've driven many vehicles who's steering wheels were anything from "straight" to wayyy out of whack. The vehicles all drove straight, but I never felt comfortable with one whose steering wheel wasnt "straight". Most tactical vehicles have a 3 spoke wheel with the spokes forming a "Y" - straight for me was having the "Y" right side up and not looking like a malformed peace symbol.

[SaturnIONSLVUE]

I had it back at the dealer they could not find that it was not "straight". When I got the car new it was. So I have to bring it back monday becase the GM rep is coming to look at it. They do not want me to go ona ride with them I offered. It is the only GM dealer in my area 60 miles that will work on Saturns.

[SaturnIONSLVUE]

They are not going to fix the problem! They won't even have me drive with them. I think this is the end for me and GM!

[darek_dade]

Oh man... I am getting a much better treatment at my dealership in Toronto - they wouldn't let me out of the shop unless I was 100% satisifed.

[Astra La Vista!]

Originally Posted by SaturnIONSLVUE

They are not going to fix the problem! They won't even have me drive with them.

Now that is totally unacceptable. It seems that someone needs to be reminded of the true definition of "service". A phone call to GM Canada should get the ball rolling. Every dealer has a CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) that they try to keep as high as possible, and GM tends to come down hard on the ones that fair poorly. Just be sure to mention to them that the dealership refused your offer to go along with them on a test drive to better explain the problem. You'll probably get a phone call back from your dealer after that.

[SaturnIONSLVUE]

The problem is i have two other saturn and 95 SL and a 06 Vue. If i report them i will not have anything fixed in any of my cars then. This is the only dealer in my area. So it looks like I will have to pay 100 dollars to get an alignment not at that dealer, but a Dodge/Jeep dealer that i go to for my Jeep. That is for Balance and alignment, most tire store want 69 just for an alignment. If i make make waves about this i might never be able to get my other saturns fixed. See my problem.

[Astra La Vista!]

I can see your point, but I doubt that a dealership will refuse to work on any of your Saturns just because you went over their head for one issue. They might not be think too kindly of you afterwards, but you'd literally have to beat the crap out of the service manager before you'd be banned from a dealership. There are good customers and bad customers, but even the bad ones are entitled to equal service as long as they don't cross the line.

If your Chrysler dealership has the specs for your Astra in their alignment machine, then that's probably your best bet. Or a true "frame/alignment shop". Dealerships have to have up-to-date specs for their own makes, as well as other makes so that they can perform some repairs on their used vehicles and trade-ins. Hopefully those specs are up-to-date as well. Software updates cost a shop money and many smaller shops lag behind a few years because people usually tend to take their new cars back to the dealership while still under warranty. The last shop I worked at (a tire shop) charged over $100 CDN for an alignment and our specs were four years out-of-date. It just wasn't worth it for us to update our software every year or two for the half dozen alignments that we had to turn away each year because the cars were too new. OTOH, I remember a Chrysler dealer not far from us that was so small that they didn't have their own alignment machine and subbed everything out to an actual frame/alignment shop.

[SaturnIONSLVUE]

They have a machine there old one broke so they are waiting for a new one.

[dede]

if you know alignment specs for your car, you can go pretty much anywhere.

[SaturnIONSLVUE]

Thank for your help

[SaturnIONSLVUE]

I droped my other saturn off on tuesday for an appointment on tuesday and they are not going to get to it until friday! I think my next car choice will be a Ford or a Dodge!

[polizzi82]

Originally Posted by SaturnIONSLVUE

I droped my other saturn off on tuesday for an appointment on tuesday and they are not going to get to it until friday! I think my next car choice will be a Ford or a Dodge!

I don't think you'll be buying another Saturn (new) if you wanted, buddy.

[sdheavymetal]

Talk to the dealership manager? The manager should just get the front end guy to reset the front toe for you. Did they do a 4 wheel alignment? If its a warranty repair they won't do a four wheel alignment. Rear toe has alot to do with the steering wheel being off center. Maybe you could offer to pay for the rear alignment? $49.99(We charge $109.00 for a four wheel) Where are you located? I'm a Cadillac mechanic for 24 years. It's hard when you work on Buicks-GMC Trucks-SAAB-Oldsmoble(yes we still work in them)Cadillac and Hummer. Now Pontiac's and Saturns show up and we work on them too. If someone comes in with a Pontiac or Saturn with weird noise and we haven't worked on it it can be difficult to find the noise because we don't know the car yet. Here in San Diego they have hired Saturn teams at 2 dealers to do Saturns. I take pride in all the cars I do alignments on the steering wheel is straight. The Owner of the last dealer I worked at liked his steering wheels all very straight. I got good at getting the steering wheels straight. I have 3 Saturns 92sl 97sl 98sc Matt

[SaturnIONSLVUE]

I had it done at goodyear, It was soo off it was not even funny. I am going back to try to get them to pay for it.

[sdheavymetal]

Good job!