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New kia ceed steering wheel not centered - road ca

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3.2K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  chris140472  
#1 ·
Hello,



I would like to get some of your experineces and advices in my kind of
problem. I have a new Kia ceed SW 2013, 1,6 diesel. I had problem with
some wierd knockin sound from the front of the vehicle. My service
firstly checked an manage to change stabilizator bearing on front left
and changed the rubber seals. The knocking sounds remained. Then they
changed my EPS system because the thoguht there were the problem. But in
the end they found out it were loosen screws from the dashboard
carrier!? I think this is a huge factory failure and should be
considered with caution from Kia side. But I don`t think my sevice took
it seriously.



But my true question is about something else, maybe connected to my
previous problem. My steering wheel is off centered for a few degrees.
It is strange to drive on a highway in a straight line and have steering
wheel turned left for 5-10 degrees (driving on right side - Eastern
Europe). I took it to my service to have steering wheel alignment and
wheels alignment. But the problem remains. I suspect the car is camber
sensitive because if the road is crowned to the other side then the
steering wheel is aligned. But I still think this is a problem and
because I mostly drive on highways driving this kind isn`t a pleasure.
Is this kind of a problem a common problem with Kia ceed and I should
let it go or should I be persistant and go back to the service?



Please give your opinion. Every of your post is appreciated and welcome.



Also I googled this out and don`t know what to think:
<blockquote>
Another problem with steering center has to do with the type of
roads that are driven on. Most roads are crowned to allow for water
drainage, and unless you drive in England, Japan or another country
where they drive on the wrong (sorry) left side of the road, you usually
drive on the right side of the crown. This may cause the vehicle to
drift to the right so that the steering wheel will appear to be
off-center to the left on a straight road. The best way to compensate
for this is as follows:



If there is a difference in caster, it should be that the left wheel
is more negative than the right wheel, but not more than 1/2 degree.
Check the specs for any specific recommendations on side-to-side
differences.



If there is a difference in camber, then the left wheel should be
more positive than the right wheel. Check the specs to see what the
allowable difference is.
</blockquote>
 
#2 ·
My steering wheel is correctly positioned when driving in the UK. When driving abroad in other cars I have never noticed any change in steering wheel position from driving in the UK. Not taken my Sportswagon abroad but cannot see why it would behave differently to any other car. Looks to me like you have a problem!

In addition to feeling uncomfortable to drive, you will probably find your front tyres wearing very quickly so my advice would be to insist that it is sorted. Is there another dealer locally to whom you could take it to for a second opinion? Your experience with the current dealer does not instill confidence in their abilities!

It is worrying that your car has had parts changed unnecessarily. Torque wrenches are built in to every assembly tool in the factory. In my experience, few garage mechanics take this amount of care when replacing components!

Hope you get your car sorted and become able to enjoy it.
 
#3 ·
I bet the tracking has been reset by adjusting one side only. Take it back and make them do it correctly. If you try and set tracking from one side only your Ackermann linkage will be out of line and the car will never feel right. off centre steering wheel is a classic give away of this. For more info follow link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackermann_steering_geometry