[Closed] Fixing your own tracking on a car

You can get tracking and alignment done at a professional garage (or Kwik-Fit) for about 47 pence.  Why on earth would you cock about trying to do it manually?

Also, haven't you got rid of that clearly bollocksed Passat yet?

I guessed that the steering had become toed out

Using a piece of string to measure it would be a step up from guessing. Taking it to a garage to have it done properly would be a step up again.

sounds like a stupid thing to do to save a small amount of money and potentially screw a pair of tyres.

Had to replace the track rods on my car cos the old ones seized, and heating them up to move them resulted in the tracking going out immediately when they cooled.

Eh???? Measure the new TRE to make sure it's the same size as the old one. Undo it counting the threads, leave the old locknut in place and count the new TRE on/snug it up against the old locknut. Heating/cooling -doesn't make any difference.

Steering wheel in a straight line? Car doesn't deflect offline when hitting potholes? Stops in a straight line with hands off wheel under hard braking? Then generally okay.

Wrap a piece of string round all 4 wheels if your bothered but take it to a decent garage that does tracking - not Kwikfit type monkeys who adjust everything with a pair of stilsens.

Measuring the toe in/out directly is difficult without the proper gear.

You can get a drive-over gauge pretty cheaply. They directly measure road shear, so you can see whether they're toe'd in or out pretty easily.

For vehicles with very specific needs (in terms of degrees or mm in/out) you might not get the accuracy, but most FWD cars are perfectly happy with wheels parallel or a smidge of toe out.

I got hold of a traceace tracking gauge ( considerably cheaper than they are now) it's paid for it's self many times over

Easy to do with right gear just guessing can get you something that drives fine but still banjoes tires

You can get tracking and alignment done at a professional garage (or Kwik-Fit) for about 47 pence.

About £45 actually, and they keep buggering it up.

As for measuring the old rods, I had to cut them off to get the boots off, so guessing how much I'd cut out turned out not to be accurate 🙂

professional garage (or Kwik-Fit)

Hmm, professionals, or monkeys? 🤔

From past bad experiences with the latter, they're likely to screw it up and then try to flog you something you don't need, and don't give them your phone number else you're on their automated daily spam call list for insurance.

Anyway, surely just bash the wheel against a kerb somewhere to knock it back is all you need for a cheap fix? 😀

String line and measure off the discs, you can use the wheels if you know the rims are straight. Basic is just string on a set of axle stands, or you can buy or make a jig to go on the front and back.

You can get a magnetic camber gauge.

You can buy laser tracking gauges for about £200 now.

Make sure you roll the car after each adjustment if you dont have slip plates.

I just get it close enough after suspension work then take it for an alignment to somewhere I trust.

You can yes but it's not easy. I think there is very little chance you've tweaked it to the correct place as the movements required can be small for a big change.

I guessed that the steering had become toed out

Using a piece of string to measure it would be a step up from guessing. Taking it to a garage to have it done properly would be a step up again.

👍🤣

Have to say though, in my defence that is..

That taking it to a garage to have the tracking fixed is a bit of a lottery.

On my previous car I kerbed the front nearside alloy enough to get the wheel replaced, took it to Ovlov and the car came back with a slanted steering wheel.. not centred. So I went back, and back, and back, and back, and back (there’s more) and back and back, and baaaaaack and the last time I refused to leave the forecourt until the damn thing was centred PROPERLY!

Even the skilled mechanics in the Volvo garage couldn’t get it right. So I complained loudly by pointing my finger and swearing a lot, I went a bright pink hue and feigning a faint before they called a mobile tracking bloke who fixed it in 11mins flat.

So, heed that warning. Even dealerships can be random when faced with simple tasks.

I think there is very little chance you’ve tweaked it to the correct place as the movements required can be small for a big change.

I made small adjustments. Starting with 1/8 of a turn. Probably did about half a turn in total.

I've set up my own tracking on a couple of cars using a stringbox, ruler and some fairly simple trig. You'll need 4 axle stands, a couple of lengths of wood that are wider than the car and obviously some string or white thread.It needs to be done on a completely level surface to get repeatable results. Once you've got the stringbox set up and aligned with the stub axles the front wheels need to be set so that your measurements from the rims out to the string are equidistant on both sides. This might mean that the steering wheel isn't centered but that's ok and can be rectified later.

It would probably be better to do a bit of light reading prior to taking this on. Alan Staniforth's "Competition Car Suspension" goes through everything in minute detail.

If the front end has developed excessive toe out this usually characterised by the front end getting a bit wandery on straight and level surfaces and sharp turn in when cornering.

I hope you've got plenty of time :o)

D.

About £45 actually, and they keep buggering it up.

Those professional mechanics with thousands of pounds' worth of equipment keep buggering it up, so you can do better with a bit of string, some sticky-backed plastic and a cricket bat?

🤣

"Those professional mechanics with thousands of pounds’ worth of equipment keep buggering it up, so you can do better with a bit of string, some sticky-backed plastic and a cricket bat?"

I guess it's attitudes like yours that keeps  paying for the big windows.

I wonder if some people think that because the steering wheel is not straight that the tracking must be out?

Its perfectly possible to have the steering wheel way out and the tracking bang on.

I guess it’s attitudes like yours that keeps  paying for the big windows.

I'm not arguing against DIY per se, rather the reasoning.  Doing it cos it's interesting, sure.  Doing it to save money, fair enough, you know better than I do what value you'd put on an afternoon of your time.  Doing it because you think you can do a better job, pff.

Well I learned because I had had enough of getting my car back with the wheel off centre.

Any monkey can make the car track straight with the wheel at 45 degrees. (Laziness generally caused by only making the adjustments at one side.

It seems only a few of the "professionals" take the time to adjust the wheel to centre by adjusting evenly on both sides as per required.

Those professional mechanics with thousands of pounds’ worth of equipment keep buggering it up, so you can do better with a bit of string, some sticky-backed plastic and a cricket bat?”

I guess it’s attitudes like yours that keeps  paying for the big windows.

Yep, sums it up for me in my experience....all the gear and no idea and often with a bit of common sense and ingenuity you can do a better job on your driveway. It’s car spannering, not rocket science.

i did just this many years ago when a mechanic with all the gear and no idea adjusted my tracking and he  steering wheel was off centre. After three attempts he still failed to correct the issue and carry out this very simple procedure correctly, so I ended up doing it myself on the driveway with three lengths of wood and about an hour of my time.

Those professional mechanics with thousands of pounds’ worth of equipment keep buggering it up, so you can do better with a bit of string, some sticky-backed plastic and a cricket bat?

I must've taken it in four or five times.  Each time something's gone wrong - possibly due to the sticking/heating up thing.  So I replaced them, had it done, it seemed to settle slightly out so I made a tiny tweak based on feel and the steering wheel centering.  Took me about 20 minutes of driving.

I might get it done again next month but NOT at Kwik Fit.  Not sure if they are leaving stuff loose to try and get repeat business.  VW do it cheaply but they were unable to budge the stuck ends last time hence using Kwik fit.  But that problem is solved.

VW do it cheaply but they were unable to budge the stuck ends last time hence using Kwik fit.

If a proper garage cant do something, Kwik Fit is never the answer to the problem

They were able to free up the ends though where VW could not.  Perhaps VW were fishing for me to tell them to replace them, dunno.

and now you've had to go back "four or five times" - I stand by my comment

I've never found a trustworthy garage I feel comfortable with, other than VW, and even then they let me down with the tracking thing.

That's a big part of why I do my own work.

String and baking pans (under front wheels to reduce any grip on floor.

Have used this method before with good effect.

National tyres seem to constantly have a half price tracking voucher on their website. £15 seems quite reasonable and if you're up Brecon way @molgrips they actually seem to care about getting it square and straight. I use them for most of our cars, they've only admitted defeat with my current shed recently, needs new track rod ends really, just age and abuse related.