Seat car maker in Spain owned by VW? There’s your problem. I bet if you park your car so one side is in the hot sun and the other side is in the shade you can feel a difference when driving initially?
sure can and sometimes even when the car has been parked on an uneven surface side to side… it’s the reason i adjust my tire pressure before every shift. Why did this come to mind ? is there something beyond just temperature fluctuations side to side at play ?
Funny you mentioned that, i’ve even noticed after a length of time driving that one side my tire pressure sits lower than the other side, despite setting them correctly before setting off driving… so i do check them a few times through my shift… i just put it down to cornering and or bumps on road.
But as said my tire pressures is only half the issue… the alignment is either good but the wheel isn’t being centered properly despite me taping where i want it set or it is being set where i want it and aligned correctly and something else is the cause.
It’s honestly the worst car i’ve ever driven… and got it based on the amount of other taxi drivers having one…there is so much play in the steering… light… feel every bump on the road… i could go on… but it has a nice sound system lol
The alignment you posted is very good… although the right rear camber would tend to steer the car to the right a small amount because it is 0.06 degrees more negative than the left rear. And the thrust angle is more than zero.
You didn’t say whether you drive on the right or left. I’d guess left. If it pulls slightly left while driving on a crowned road on the left side, it would naturally lead left and the alignment shop MAY have left the right rear camber they way they did so It would tend to go straight ahead when on a crowned road.
You could reduce the tendency to drift around in the front by adding just a little more toe-in. 12 minutes of a degree (or 0.20 degrees) is pretty small. something like 0.25 to 0.30 degrees or 15 to 18 minutes toe in would still be in spec and remove a bit of looseness.
well the above printout was taken yesterday as the tyres were almost brand new i wanted it done right.
when i left the alignment shop, i felt a slight difference as the toe had been out a little but as soon as i centered the steering wheel the car was driving into right lane almost instantly… i just guessed they hadnt got the steering wheel centered where i wanted it…
So i took it back today and again taped where i wanted the steering wheel and told them it was going into the right lane when the steering wheel was centered…
30 mins later he came back and said it was driving straight now as he had added a little more toe in…so took it onto the motorway held the wheel straight where i had taped it and although it wasn’t as bad as before it was still going towards the right lane and when i let go of the wheel for a second was pulling to the left along with the tyre scrubbing a little which it hadn’t the day before when they aligned it to spec.
when i got home checked the tyre pressures and both the right side tyres were 2/3 psi higher than the left side… adjusted then took it a drive car was now back to going straight to the right lane instantly…
So i’m guessing the difference in psi was helping on the journey home but when corrected car is still acting the same way…
You mentioned the right rear camber being more negative than the left side, would the side with more positive not be the side the car pulls to ?
Sounds like you have a squirrely car. Did not see what kind of car it is, but at this point I would rule out tires and alignment, worn suspension parts might be a next, but that should show up as a problem during the alignment. What is left, a sloppy joint in the steering, maybe, missed tie rod failure,maybe, road conditions maybe, what car and how many miles?
it is a seat toledo 2017 plate with 20,000 miles just had it serviced at 18,000 miles.
I have had so many alignments i have lost count… one guy got it bang on however it was short lived as it goes out of alignment very easily and getting appointments with him is hard as they do insurance work but on the day i had visited he was in himself and the place was meant to be close so did it on the side…
the reason i think he got it so good was he asked me to jump into the car and set the wheel where i wanted it, then he clamped it and i jumped out and he went to work and it drove a treat… he was the one that told me to tape the steering wheel at the centre point on the wheel and behind on the dash for future alignment guys to use.
yes very squirelly… if i hold it centered it will go right… if i turn the wheel slightly left to compensate it will then go left… so i am constantly moving the steering wheel even on a flat motorway to keep the car going straight and cornering feels unstable.
I’m just gonna hound the guy that did it right as he is the only one to get it spot on…
However i would be interested to see what cavell meant by the last part as this is very true of my car when initially setting off on a journey
Also now i come to think about it, the technician that did my alignment yesterday asked me something that got me thinking he might not have centered the wheel before making adjustments…
When i was in the waiting room he came out to me with a before and after printout ( the one i posted above) and asked if i was happy with how it looked, and i said yes looks great!.
He then said great it won’t be long i’m just going back to tighten it up, and do you want the wheel centered where it’s taped ? to which i said replies yes…
Did he possibly adjust the steering wheel after aligning the wheels first ? and fluffed it.
Do you notice a difference in how the car drives with or without passengers? I think you need a new approach
I wonder how this taxi drives if the passenger insists on setting in the rear seat on the same side as driver. Is the OP going to make the passenger move to the other side so the vehicle will go straight?
when it is aligned properly the added weight of passengers makes no difference… even if the car wanted to pull one way or the other due to any extra weight side to side… being able to hold the steering wheel dead centre would keep the car tracking straight… but not being able to have the car go straight with the wheel centered and constantly having to move it back and forth messes with this.
I basically think they haven’t got the steering wheel where i want it both times which i find a bit maddening as i had taped it for them to use… unless the guy has a dodgy eye and seeing it differently lol
Is it easier to drive at night when it is too dark to see the position of the steering wheel?
lol opposite more time to obsess over it between jobs.,…
I don’t know i’m just clutching at straws… despite what it says on the alignment sheet the car doesn’t drive straight and going by the word used earlier by another poster feels squirelly. and dont get me started on how it behaves reversing… i tried eliminating it by changing all four tyres… maintaining proper pressure… and i imagine if anything was broken worn or bent it would have showed up on the alignment… so not sure where to go with it next.
Every problem you’re listing can be explained by “CHEAP” tires.
Alignment,Pulling, Cornering.
The air pressure can be from checking and adding/releasing air multiple times a day or faulty schrader valve.
Where and how are you driving that you are having so many blowouts.
In the last 40+ years of driving and buying quality tires, I have never had a blowout or a flat tire.
At an average of 25,000 plus miles a year, that’s 1 million miles.
Blowouts ? you mean flat tires ? i have only had one blow out in the last year ? i replaced the tyres as there was uneven wear due to the alignment being out and hoped a fresh set and alignment would solve the issue.
Well driving around bumpy roads… the tire pressure varies throughout the shift, last night for example after going down a crap road my front left was at 34 psi and the front right 36psi… they had both been set to 36psi at the start of work…
But i agree they are mid range so maybe my next set should be better ones.
Scotland man.
If you’re driving down roads that are so bad that it can change your tire pressure, No wonder you can’t keep the alignment in spec.
welcome to scotland 
Yes they aint massive potholes but just all torn up… then take into account the massive speed bumps and the car is constantly taking a knock, don’t get me wrong i’m very careful going over them and have never went up onto a curb in my life… but yes my tire pressure through a shift is constantly needing readjusted… i could just leave it however i thought it best to jump out and even them out between jobs as it only takes 2 mins should i just leave them alone and ignore the 1/2 psi differences ?
Iknow it sounds nitpicky but when driving 12 hour shifts and with passenger safety it’s just a pet peeve to be constantly having to re adjust the steering and the car feeling a little unstable i will put better tyres on next switch and see if it helps… i might even just bite the bullet next week n replace all four.
Check them before you start your shift, leave them alone, don’t even check them until the next day, check them before you start your shift, They should be the same as the day before.
Check them once daily before you start your shift for a couple weeks, if they stay the same, go to once a week.
i know for a fact they are never the same all round at the start of the shift… as cavell mentioned earlier there is usually a difference from side to side from being parked overnight with the road crown and one side in shade etc… ill hold back from checking during work though… the air pressure machines at pertrol stations are gonna be taking a big hit in profits this week
If they are within 1 psi of each other I’d leave them alone, chances are they’ll be exactly the same the next day.
With all the money you save you’ll be able to afford better tires next time you need them.
with all the money i save i’ll be able to afford a better car next time round.
Anyways i’m off to work cheers for all the input and ill keep you posted in the next week of the ongoing alignment saga…
Those string DIY alignment videos are looking more and more appealing.
Have a good day peeps 