Hi all

Is there a service out there that can do steering wheel alignment

I have done so many alignmnents from many workshops but the steering wheel does not return to centre, keep pointing slightly to left and make it looks like the wheel alignment is off,

Since then i began to think it is the steering wheel needs adjustment.

Antone know such service exist?

Caveat : I am no fan of Wheel Alignment and hence do not know the 'ins and outs' of Wheel Alignment through 'lack of practice in local context' .

However as I understood it , the steering wheel alignment you referred to here is actually a basic and fundamental part of vehicle Wheel Alignment often mentioned in automotive world .

If the wheel alignment shop providing such service to you did not first 'centred' and 'locked' the steering wheel in a centre position prior to reading computer screen readouts and make adjustments of alignment angle(s) ........................
then it is time for you to walk away and never to return to this sub-standard wheel alignment shop .

However if the shop has properly 'centred' the steering wheel position prior to subsequent components of wheel alignment adjustment jobs , then computer screenshots before AND after the alignment job is necessary for any third party like us to comment or assess whether the alignment job was properly carried out or otherwise .

Besides , the experience and judgement of the guys doing the alignment job proper is sometimes critical to the 'success' too .

Have you got any latest alignment screenshots to share here for third party assessment on lowyat ?

This post has been edited by zeng: Nov 23 2020, 08:10 PM

Go to the service centre and get them to use the OBD machine to calibrate for you. My workshop did steering wheel alignment using that.

What car? Mostly steering wheel miss align only happen to car using EPS + Angle Sensor + VSC + TRC to solve it you need to recalibration and set it back to Zero Point.. even you make 1000 x wheel alignment wouldn't solve the problem..

This post has been edited by Oldskolboyz: Nov 23 2020, 10:44 PM

Not OBD machine.. actual name is Scan Tool..

usual.y wheel alignment includes steering adjustment as well

You might want to check your steering rack bushes as well

First check if there's any worn or damaged bushings/suspension components or even wheel/rims/tires.

No it's not the steering needing adjustments, at least not until you rule out the items I mentioned.

1. not every places that has an alignment machine knows how to do alignment
2. find a good alignment shop
3. when they do the alignment, they will usually put the steering to center and use a thing to lock it in place before doing the alignment

4. if even that doesn't work, there must be some part that is worn out already
5. your tyre pressure being unbalance affects your steering going slightly to 1 side too

A lot of factors contribute to these like worn suspension component (absorbers, bushes, joint, tie rod etc).
And your steering rack might be the cause as well, does it have free play.

Bring it to a workshop to check these components.

I changed all my absorbers, bushes and tyres (they are due for change anyway)
And finally sent for steering rack refurbish. There is a bit of free play before that

This post has been edited by twincharger07: Nov 24 2020, 11:33 AM

double post

This post has been edited by twincharger07: Nov 24 2020, 11:33 AM

Search at youtube.. title.. "Zero Point Calibration Steering Wheel and Angle Sensor".. Than you will understand why manual tyre alignment wouldn't help at all because EPS got ECU located below meter panel.. this ECU need to calibration back to Zero Point..

Any of you go to a trusted workshop for your wheel alignment? Name a few for us please.

Some say the most experienced in the business.

Ah Hee Motors at Salak Selatan. RM40 for front only (1.8L sedan).

For front axle toe-in toe-out only , I suppose ?
How about camber adjustment labour cost , any idea ?


Edit: I think I heard about this guy a long long time ago .

This post has been edited by zeng: Nov 24 2020, 02:26 PM

Long time ago I used to go to this guy in old klang road. The shop is located at the side of main old klang road. Jam packed with cars. Even police cars go there for alignment. I have stopped going there long time already.

BTW, that is one of the only shop I know that will never ask you to put camber nut.

This post has been edited by abubin: Nov 24 2020, 05:30 PM

steering point left, but car still go straight...or car also go left?

Thank you for your replies. I want to update you what have i fixed/replaced

1. Absorber front and rear
2. Absorber bush front and rear
3. Absorber mount front and rear
4. Stabilizer link front and rear
5. Stabilizer bar bush
6. Steering rack bush
7. Front lower arm with bush and ball joint
8. Steering fluid
9. All 4 tyres

Car handling is solid, like new. But the problem is with the alignment, which i suspect because one of the steering component (not the rack). Most probably the steering column(?)

When idle, turn abit the steering wheel to right feel nice and tight. But to the left, abit loose. But no play, means when i move to left the tyre it's moving. So no issues with free play.

When i drive straight because it is loose abit on left side, the steering wheel go left and cause it to steer to the left without my input. Seems to me it is not balance.

If engine is off, turn left and right is steady and balanced. No loose

After left corner, the steering wont return to center at 12 oclock but instead , only return to between 11 and 12 oclock (11.30 oclock). This is nothing for short drives but it will be uncomfortable and tiring for long drives as ibhave to contantly adjust the wheel to center manually

Fyi, handling of the car is good, no wobbling right and left like it used to. But the is aslight knocking sound on uneven road and after speed bump

I also dont think it is the steering rack, cause no fluid leak.

Am i right to suspect on the steering column?

Fyi, the steering system is hydraulic, not EPS

This post has been edited by clockpulses: Nov 24 2020, 07:20 PM

so older bmw?

one time I changed 4 new tires, after alignment pull slightly left, steering feel also off... swap front tires left/right solved the problem...

Its a Proton. I never see myself selling the car, planning to use it as long as i can that is why i am very particular on thr suspension issues and want to solve all i can

In the absence of computer readouts , it is most likely wheel alignment related IMHO .

Any further speculation on (mis)alignment could be running wild , without a computer screenshot .

In the unlikely event that the alignment were properly and professionally done , it could be tyre related .......

but heck , you have installed 4 brand new tyres !

Btw, what is the car model we are talking about here ??

Note : Oops, Proton . Which species ?


No, I don't think so .


Edit : Besides front axle toe adjustments , any other angle alignments ?
Alternatively , how much was the total charges for the alignment job ?

This post has been edited by zeng: Nov 24 2020, 08:35 PM

cool. well...I'd try swapping the fronts tyres first...if problem still, next to investigate is the hydraulics steering...a leaky internal seal or clogging can cause imbalance in the system and pull your car one side or not return fully to center...

edit: I just saw you also change steering fluids... maybe problem is related

This post has been edited by dwRK: Nov 24 2020, 10:44 PM

If Proton Wira.. just change steering rack to Koyo 4G91 one cost around Rm120 - RM150 now.. my 2001 Wira VDO also got same prob very slow return to center & sometime feel steering not at center even though drive on the straight & flat road/highway. After dismantle and found out rack gear tooth wear not evenly and cost pinion move without push/pull rack gear at the same time.. Solve those prob after change steering rack & cost me RM280 at that time (2013 or 2014).. About knocking sound I only heard when steering at the same position, some where between 12 to 1 o'clock & 11 to 12 o'clock.. other than that not heard any knocking sound..

This post has been edited by Oldskolboyz: Nov 24 2020, 11:33 PM

Just replaced steering rack in my car. The steering always points slightly to the right when going straight. The easy way to tell if it's the steering rack is to wiggle the steering wheels, check for freeplay. You might hear a soft knock coming from the inside of the steering rack - provided that your steering rack bushing is holding it solidly.

My steering rack have no leaks. Rubber boots is clean, not torn. After cornering the steering wheel didn't quite return back to center, I have to turn it myself (only notices this after comparing the old steering rack with new china steering rack).

My mechanic guy greased the inner rack first, and then he told me to use the car like normal and see if it fixes the issue. After I use it for a week, the grease inside becomes black. So it's confirmed la something is wrong inside the steering rack, probably the gears inside was busted. It's a 13 years old Persona.


This post has been edited by Steponlego: Nov 28 2020, 11:19 AM

Anyone can recommend an honest shop in PJ for alignment & balancing? Thx

i'm trying to solve the same issue too, it seems like replacing the steering rack is only half of the solution.

fiddled around with the front brakes, found out that the brake caliper pin was seized on both sides. plus my left wheel bearing is busted too. the left rotor has gone bad.

in short, almost all front suspension part can cause slight off in alignment. at this point i'm replacing all the front suspension part. but since this is the first time in 12 years, maybe it wasn't so bad.

This is my trusted wheel alignment shop. All my car no issue when doing there

Oh..BTW, when we go to shop and ask for wheel alignment, they only do wheel alignment? They won't do steering alignment? Or it's something that they do together?

Usually the steering wheel will not move. So nobody readjust it. Unless you specifically ask the technician to re-center you steering wheel because you take off the steering wheel for whatever reason typically after replacing steering rack. I just had my front wheel realign for RM30 plus RM5 for steering wheel recenter/adjust because the steering wheel is way off to the left even when the wheels are straight - this of course when the car is not moving.

But if the steering wheel is slightly off the any side when driving, chances are there are some other causes that you need to investigate...

At the initial stage of performing front (2) wheel alignment job , the steering wheel is always FIRST centred ,
prior to adjustment of camber and/or caster angles (which is often omitted by alignment shop) to be followed by toe angles adjustment at the tail end of the job .

Hence, centering of steering wheel is part and parcel of front wheel alignment job (whether or not front camber and/or caster angles are adjusted) and not separate apart .

This post has been edited by zeng: Dec 2 2020, 09:28 PM

Hmm...if I remember correctly, seems like some shops don't follow this. Maybe my memory is just bad but I do see certain shops not centering the steering or maybe I missed that part.

Even if they do, will they like ignore it when found steering base not aligned?

During the middle of the wheel alignment job in progress , one has to be standing next to the driver side glass window looking downwards into driver seat and directly at steering wheel to see/check if the steering wheel is properly restrained .

Hey OP, just sharing here. Finally my steering wheel is centered. Main problem was bad steering rack, left wheel bearing gone bad, left rotor warped and seized caliper pin on both sides of the front brakes. Now my Persona feels ok.

In hindsight, the steering rack was probably still good to use for a few more years, probably better to move from cheaper parts first - brakes and bearings, and then work your way up to the expensive part.

like I advice u previously it could be the original/adjustable camber nut bengkok or gave up already... bend knuckle and misalligned subframe also can caused the problem...lastly it could be the rack.. cos preve si famous with inconsistent steering like u said left and right doesn't feel the same. oops forgot it could be also the power steering pump..

Knuckle can bend? I mean, how much force do you need to bend the knuckle?

can why cannot, happen to my flx before.....

The bold is after another subsequent or redo wheel alignment or caused by 'repairs' or other parts (rack,brake) replacement that followed after 'original' alignment ?



This post has been edited by zeng: Jan 19 2021, 11:04 PM

My first attempt at alignment had the steering wheel properly centred , but car pulling left when hands off the steering wheel despite of camber and toe angles were in the green zone .

A subsequent redo has improved the pulling left problem , but the steering wheel is senget slightly to the Right when driving straight ahead .

This post has been edited by zeng: Jan 19 2021, 11:08 PM

Did alignment many times, the steering wheel always points slightly to right. I have faith in the technician doing the alignment, he seems to be quite proud and thorough with his work. It goes like this: i get some part replace>go to alignment>replace another part>do another alignment.

Anyway, the steering rack is actually not the culprit. It was a bad front wheel bearings on both sides. Had to diagnose it myself because the bearings does not show usual bearing problem (wheel freeplay and grinding noise) and most workshop prefer not to spend much time on it. The only symptoms I experience is occasional clinking noise coming from the brake pad clips and rhythmic thumping noise when cornering to one side.

The bolder part exactly like my situation lol

So your bearing produce any humming sound at high speed?

I got this kruk krak sound on left side on uneven road and kuk soubd from right side after bump, both from front, don't think it is steering rack too, either the bearing or the brake pad clip or both. Weird thing is my last workshop can't find or the source of the issue, they said not bearing either. Also no humming sound at high speed, or maybe got lah but very minor and cannot be heard

Anyway no budget allocated yet for 2021 lol, maybe in few months time. I'm gonna change both the bearing and check the brake caliper area

This post has been edited by clockpulses: Jan 19 2021, 11:20 PM

On centering or locking the steering wheel as part of wheel alignment procedure ...
Youtube at 12.03 .....

This post has been edited by zeng: Jan 19 2021, 11:22 PM

The reason why my wheel bearings does not present with the usual grinding/humming noise is because the bearings only started to become bad. I detected it too early. When the mechanic took the bearings out, they were mostly intact, only the grease has totally gone and dried out.

Here I diagnose the bearing problem: Jack up the front wheel(s). For regular auto transmission can jack only one side no problem, for CVT cannot. Not sure for manual. So preferably both front wheels. For 4WD probably need to jack all wheels.

Start the engine, put the car into drive with both front wheel above the ground. Then visually inspect the wheels. Look for abnormal rotation or something. For my car, the wheel can be seen clearly have some side to side movement which causes the clinking noise. And then finally, grab the springs on your suspension. If your bearings is bad, you can feel rough vibration traveling through the springs. It is unmistakable. It feels like rolling a piece of metal on fine sand.

Make sure to hit the brakes first or put the car into N and let the wheels stop before turning off the engine. Don't be like me who immediately shift to P when the wheels are moving.

Another thing I learn is that you can never really tell from which side the abnormal noise is coming from. Don't rely on cabin noise when driving because noise is vibration and vibration travels throughout the body of car.

This post has been edited by Steponlego: Jan 19 2021, 11:41 PM

Not trying to be argumentative here , I beg to differ that the front wheel bearing sets on both sides were bad (as in bold above) and it causes the steering wheel pointing right previously . But heck you were driving the car , who knows you could be right .

I would speculate the steering wheel pointing right problem was resolved not by the supposed bearings replacement on both sides per se , but mainly by the latest and last wheel alignment job in 'correcting' the front camber and toe angles . It could have been solely resolved by the optional/additional Rear wheel alignment , if such option was carried out in your case in point .

Just as my current steering wheel pointing right problem could not be resolved by replacement of parts (such as bearings, brakes,steering column etc) but by another more thorough/comprehensive redo on front wheel alignment ,IMO .

Note:I suppose your Persona rear wheels are adjustable , IDK .

This post has been edited by zeng: Jan 20 2021, 01:08 PM

I believe the rear alignment has always been okay after first alignment job. The tire shop guy would never let go an opportunity to charge me extra. First alignment job he charge RM50 for front and rear, subsequent alignment after that he charge RM30 for front only. I used to think that his alignment job was crappy, until I go to other alignment shop.

The latest and last alignment job after front bearing replacement the guy did front angle camber adjustment.

But yeah, I only suspect it was a bad bearing because that's the last thing I can replace on my front end - now everything on my front suspension is brand new. Figured that the wobbly wheels from bad bearings might cause the steering wheel not centered when driving, but the angle measurement on the alignment machine all within spec.

Bro should i change the wheel bearing hub too?

Front and Rear alignment charges at RM50 , and sort of fully resolve your issue ...... ? That's a very good price to pay . Do you mind sharing the location of the alignment shop ?

I too paid RM30 for Front Camber and Toe angles adjustment , but this is outside Klang Valley where I happen to pass by visiting relatives .

This post has been edited by zeng: Jan 20 2021, 07:01 PM

Not sure man. This is my first experience having the car fixed at the mechanic until it really fixed. I think just the bearing without the hub is the norm on the front side.

Close to Rm2k actually. I literally had all front suspension parts replaced over the span of 3 months. The right bearings was the last thing I replaced. Left bearings 2nd last. Only noticed right bearings also bad when noise issue and alignment still persists. I throw parts at the problem until it fixed.

https://goo.gl/maps/wKtRsFEev6yyV9yh6

just an inconspicuous kampung tire shop. the boss there is very thorough with his job. tried 3 other shop before this, he's the only shop that make sure the tire pressure is right before doing anything. do ask him to check for steering wheel centered or not, last time he charged me extra RM10 for adjusting the steering wheels after steering rack replacement.

My alignment shop is done it manually and not using machine. After done, they test it properly. Sometimes it went until 3-5th time on testing until the mechanics satisfied.

Price on slightly at high side. Most went there are conti car. Opposite Jusco Balakong, besides highway. Silverstone signboard, Ah Man Tyre Centre (ML) Sdn Bhd

Thank you very much, Sir for the location map .

Having done the repeat alignment job but the pulling left problem remains not fully resolved though its severity has lessened or improved , and it came out with a 'new' found problem of steering wheel pointing Right now whilst driving straight ahead (which was pointing straight before current repeat job) .........
as typical of most alignment works , I'm quite disappointed with the current alignment shop .

However I will continue monitoring to see if my current 'problems' persists and continues on ( short of swapping tyres between Left and Right ) , meanwhile I am shopping around for a good and reliable wheel alignment shop should the need arises .

Your link above will surely be one of my considerations in times to come .

Btw, I spent RM1750 on suspension parts replacement about a month ago just before and prior to the wheel alignment job in question .

This post has been edited by zeng: Jan 21 2021, 02:44 PM

Dats why I chose to let the expert (wheel alignment guy) work his mojo on my cars. I mean he is supposed to be doing this job >9hours a day and 6days a week, and he would have figured out things we don't.

I only need to drive my car to my wheel alignment guy, sit there and chat with him while he works on my car, pay and then bid adieu. I have always treat the process as a friend meetup since more than 15yrs ago.

Not sure if you can travel to his place during this MCO period as there maybe roadblocks along the way.

Really envious of your long time pleasant experience with real competent alignment guys ..... which ,unfortunately I don't have one for decades not years .

No, I won't be visiting this place intro'ed by @Steponlego yet under current MCO as I'm assessing current predicaments/frustration and see how it goes .

This time round I wish to attempt seeking out the service of one or several socalled alignment 'experts' hoping that my long time unfavourable 'misconceptions' (or otherwise ?) against the wheel alignment industry are drastically altered ..... for good .

This post has been edited by zeng: Jan 22 2021, 09:07 AM