jdt1970 Posted July 30, 2016 Report Share Posted July 30, 2016 I had a dealer alignment done to my 2012 Shelby Gt500 SVT after a replacement set of Michelins where put on due to inside rapid tire wear on the front. The dealer adjusted the Toe but got the steering wheel crooked in the process. After three attempts by the dealer to get my wheel back straight failed I received a refund and took my car to a shop that specializes in alignments. The new shop realigned the car and installed camber bolts and the specs are near perfect. Despite a second attempt the steering wheel is still slightly off center. I am tired of trying to get these guys to get my steering wheel straight so I plan to do the adjustment myself. If I understand correctly I just need to mark the current tie rod position and then shorten one side and lengthen the other by the exact same amount the test drive and repeat as necessary until I am satisfied. I just wanted to check with you guys and make sure I wasn't missing anything. I am most uncertain about the steering assist computer (not sure of the official name). Do I need to remove power from the car and do anything else to make sure the electronics know the new neutral point or am I over thinking the tech? I appreciate the help. She is going up on jack stands in about an hour! Best Regards, JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Patten Posted July 30, 2016 Report Share Posted July 30, 2016 Correct - if the steering wheel is low on the left then toe out (extend) the driver's side tie rod end and shorten the passenger side an equal amount. Vise-versa if the steering wheel is low on the right. You should not have to reset or alter your steering center steer signal sensor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdt1970 Posted July 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2016 Perfect! Thanks for verifying and the quick response. It's jacked up and on stands so I will make the adjustment and post the result. Thank You, JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdt1970 Posted July 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2016 (edited) My steering wheel is straight again! It was an easy fix: 1-Raise car so you can get to both tie rods (jacking instructions found on this forum) 2-Mark original location of tie rod (I used white out to do this - it is easy to remove and shows up well) 3-Mark equally spaced positions on the piece the tie rod threads into (female thread) for reference while making adjustments. You should now have the original position marked and additional marks at equally spaced intervals (I used 1/2 inch intervals in the attached pictures). It took me two times to get the steering wheel in the correct position. The first time I did 1/3 of a turn which was twice as much as I needed so I went back 1/6th of a turn (my marks are at 1/2 inch intervals and the circumference of the female piece is 3 inches). I now know that moving the tie rods 1/3 of a revolution will result in about 2 inches of movement at the circumference of the steering wheel so if someone else needs to do this they can have an idea of how much adjustment is necessary. Hope this helps someone else with a botched alignment. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In the future I will insist upon setting the steering wheel straight before they align the car. They should do this but you know how things work. More or less straight as seen while reaching through the window to set it is not the same as sitting in the seat and doing it. I will attach the pictures in separate replies due to file size limits. Edited July 30, 2016 by jdt1970 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdt1970 Posted July 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2016 Mark both tie rods original location before picking up a wrench! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdt1970 Posted July 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2016 Measure and add reference marks for your adjustment (you can loosen the jam nut anytime after you marked the original position). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdt1970 Posted July 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2016 (edited) My reference marks are 1/2 inch intervals from the original position. 1/2 inch mark in the picture equals 1/6 rotation of tie rod which in turn equals 1 inch of movement at the circumference of the steering wheel (approximate). Edited July 30, 2016 by jdt1970 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSGT500 Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 You can check the toe yourself with a set of toe plates. They rest up against the wheel and you measure the distance between them with a tape measure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdt1970 Posted August 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 Thanks, I will check into them. I am hoping that by moving them the same but opposite amount on the left and right I preserved the perfect toe setting and corrected the steering wheel without throwing the alignment off. It is driving pretty good but I will check into the plates or get it checked to make sure I don't wear the new tires unnecessarily. Best Regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShelbyGT5HUN Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 Kind of bothers me to hear a dealer can't even do something so basic as an alignment correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdt1970 Posted August 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 Me too! A coworker of mine has been having problems with the same dealership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShelbyGT5HUN Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 (edited) Sort of like the dilemma I was in. I considered a GTR at one point, but after dealing with huge service problems with our 2012 Altima, I decided I can't own a car that can't be fixed by the selling dealership. The dealership I used and bought my Nissan from was a "GTR Certified" dealer, so it should have an above average service department. Went with a GT500 for many reasons, but the incompetent dealership where I would have to take my GTR to, definitely factored into my purchase decision!! I found a great SVT dealer near me, and they do top notch work. Funny though, they can't align my GT500 because it is "too low". So I take my car to the local BMW speed shop, where they have an ultra super modern Hunter machine that uses lasers, and you don't have drive up a lift, the car stays on the floor. Edited August 3, 2016 by ShelbyGT5HUN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdt1970 Posted August 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 I think the problem with service happens when the employer and they employee don't have a vested interest in the success of the company. I call it big business syndrome. If someone feels that they will get paid for just doing the minimum then it is there motivation to do just that. Why bust your ass when the slacker across the room gets paid the same for doing crap work. In small business the owners and employees and the customers form a personal relationship and they do their best because the work they do reflect on who they are as a person. It takes strong leadership to make that happen on a large scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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