4 Wheel Alignment

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Have you asked them why they have a castor tolerance if it cannot be adjusted - Items where you cannot adjust are normally the rejects that do not pass inspection at the factory.
Have they said how this could have changes since the car was built, if it hasn't then the car dids not meet Audi's standards as new and by their standards was not merchantable quality!
Has the car ever been in an accident that may have caused these changes?
May be worth getting an AA/RAC/Manufacturer report on the tyres (manufacturers will normally provide a brief report on premature failure free), but do not dispose of them yet. How many miles did they do and how old were they (there will be a date code on the tyre somewhere) - could be much older than the car.

I would have a long and loud discussion with the Service Manager on a busy Saturday afternoon in the middle of the showroom. But then SWMBO would dis-own me - again. If that didn't get some attention would then write to the GM of the dealer.

Good luck

Ian

2002 1.4 Petrol SE, silver with climate control for SWMBO, Honda Accord Tourer 2.2 iCDTi for me.
 
Hi Ian,

The tyres had done 19k. Loads of tread in the centre and worn on the inner edges. Had the car since sept 02, new. Hasn't been in an accident. I have damaged one wheel, very recently, but not at speed, just when I parked I scraped a broken kerb, certainly nothing that would put the adjustments out that much?

Fi

2002 TDi Sport Cobalt Blue, winter pack, leather, rew
 
What are the following 5 angles Fiona?

Front toe
Front camber
Front castor

Rear toe
Rear camber

They might be something like 1.2 degrees, 0.2 degrees, 7 degrees, 1 degrees, -2 degrees for example. However, these ones are not for the Audi A2. They are from a different car altogether!
 
The values are:
Rear camber L -1.4 1.29
R -1.5 -1.28

Rear Toe L +0.1 +0.10
R +0.17 +0.12

Front castor L ? +4.44
R ? +4.37
SAI L ? +13.55
R ? +14.07

Front camber L -0.53 -0.37
R -0.41 -0.54

Front toe L +0.08 -0.06
R +0.04 -0.07

The left readings are after the first adjustment and on the right when I went back a week later and straight off with no adjustments. Obviously the decimal point should be a degree symbol - but can't remember how to do that on my keyboard!!


Fi

2002 TDi Sport Cobalt Blue, winter pack, leather, rew
 
Interesting set of figures. Is the Left Rear Camber figure of 1.29 a typo? I guess it should read -1.29

The front toe angle doesn't look right, but at least it's easy to adjust. I guess -1 degrees would be more appropriate.

These 5 figures don't tell you everything though. For example, whether the front wheels are inline with the rears.

To summarise the figures:

Front
Toe 0 (don't think this one is correct)
Camber -0.5
Castor 4

Rear
Toe 0
Camber -1.5

I guess the tolerance for most of these angles is +/-0.5, with +/-1 for the Front Castor.
 
The 0 degrees front toe angle may be ok, because you were getting wear on the inside of the tyre before.

As the A2 is front-wheel drive, the 0 degrees angle might become 1 degrees while on the move when the engine is pulling the car forward.

So to summarise, there is no need to adjust the front toe angle if the steering feels ok when cruising.
 
I took my car to an independant tyre specialist with a proper 4-wheel optical alignment jig. He diagnosed excess camber on one side, which means that the tyres are further apart at road level than at the top. This had led to excess tyre wear on the inside of the tread. He said camber is not adjustable.

I showed this to my Audi dealer who smiled and said the specialist did not have the adjustment tool. I watched the mechanic repeat and confirm the diagnsis. He slackened three bolts on the side that was faulty and used a special tool similar in function to a pit prop to correct the camber whilst watching the measurements change. Took about 40 minutes and cost about £40 (in Belgium.)

I asked about a warrenty claim. He said that officially he could put in a claim up to 10000km, ie 6500 miles, after which the factory would not reimburse him because customers are expected to identify manufacturing faults by this distance.

My Audi dealer said rear wheel alignments are impossible. The complete axle has to be replaced. If the alignment is outside the factory limits then either the axle was bent when the car was assembled or it got bent some other time.

Chivers ':)'
'02 A2 1.4TDi SE
 
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