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Alignment Problems from the Factory

13K views 61 replies 21 participants last post by  Uriah 
#1 ·
There is no TSB on what I am about to post, so please don't ask.
Many of the early (I'm not sure what the VINs are) Touaregs have been shipped from the factory with incorrect alignment specs. This has resulted in abnormal tire wear regardless of tire type.
Based on my limited discussions with other Touareg owners and posts on this site, it appears as though the most common alignment problem is "toe out" which results in abnormal inside treadwear. In my case, I had all four tires replaced at 12,000 miles due to poor tire wear. They replaced all four because I rotated mine every 5,000 miles and bad wear occurred on all four. There was no debate or discussion with the VWoA rep. who came to authorize replacement. He just signed off.
To make you feel better, Porsche had the same problem early on with their Cayennes. It was worse than the VWs because Porsche couldn't figure out what the alignment specs were supposed to be so they used the Touareg spec until they figured it out.
The two specs similar but NOT the same.
Also, there are specific instructions for your service garage to do the alignment; particularly if you have air suspension.
Some of the more important instructions are:
The front and rear wheels must be measured and aligned each time. (The rear wheels have adjustments just like the front)
Vehicle must be empty; fuel tank full; windshield/headlight washer reservoir full.
Difference in tread depth on a given axle to be no more than 2mm
Tires must be inflated to specific pressure.
For air suspension vehicles: Manually measure distance between center and underside of fender.
Perform basic setting of steering angle sensor G85 with VAS 5051 (VW's VAG-COM computer).
For vehicles with air suspension: After verifying ride height and/or conducting level compensation of ride height sensors with special tool VAS 5051, select raise for 7 seconds and press lock. Then, install break pedal depressor, start engine, set vehicle to off road, then to sport, then to normal ride height. Turn engine off. Remeasure ride heights to confirm they are within specs. If ride height measurement is incorrect then adjustment with VAS 5051 is required.
Specs for air suspension are as follows:
Front: 497mm +/- 3mm or 19.57 inches +/- 0.12 inch
Rear: 502mm +/- 3mm or 19.76 inches +/- 0.12 inch
Now, here's where my story gets interesting.....
My dealer didn't have their alignment machine set up for my wheel size yet. So, he sent my vehicle off to the Chevy dealer down the street for alignment. I picked it up, took it home and got a call from my SM who said they didn't do the alignment. Well, no **** they didn't do it, because they can't. So he said to bring it back in tomorrow morning and he would take it to the Porsche dealer and have it done. Well, I thought, cool, the Porsche guys can do it right. (never thinking about the requirement of the VAS 5051 which the Porsche guys don't have). So I took my TReg to the Porsche dealer and actually watched the mechanic do the alignment. Yes, my vehicle is within specs, but he didn't follow any of the instructions listed above and I now have a vehicle that pulls right.

I should note that even though my tire wore unevenly, I had a vehicle that tracked straight as an arrow before the alignment.
So, tomorrow should be an interesting phone call to my SM and ask him to explain how the Porsche guys could have done my alignment. Plus, I had only a quarter tank of fuel in it when I took it to Porsche.
Moral of the story: Go check your tire wear (on all 4 tires) and make sure your vehicle is tracking straight. If you have uneven tire wear, make an appointment.....now. Don't wait. Rotating tires will NOT solve / resolve uneven tire wear problems. And, don't let them tell you you knocked it out of aligment when you drove over the curb last time you were at the post office.
The bottom line is the factory screwed up and they need to fix it. Don't let them pass the buck on the alignment issue.


Modified by bravocharlie at 9:42 PM 4-21-2004
 
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#27 ·
Re: (spockcat)

OK, late enough:
 
#29 ·
Re: Alignment Problems from the Factory (bravocharlie)

I sympathize with you BC... my TReg had the same problem.. It's ok now... but the steering wheel is about 4 degrees turned to the right and I'm about $400 bones in the red.. .. I'm going to get them to fix that on the 15K service... next week.... here's my story.. http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1293142...
VWoA sucked on my claim.....
 
#30 ·
Re: (escaflowne_song)

Quote, originally posted by escaflowne_song »
WOW. Crystal Clear difference in between the inter & outer rim!
Just out of curiosity, is it taken from your T-reg?
Thanks!! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

Modified by escaflowne_song at 3:20 PM 5-6-2004

Yes, this is on my car which is why I am getting it aligned.
 
#34 ·
Re: (idiot2)

Sorry idiot, I can't see your picture. The tires measure 2/32" on the inside and 5/32" on the outside.
 
#35 ·
Re: (spockcat)

Just an update on this thread....
I spoke with a regional field rep today. He said that VW produced a TSB for this on May 4th, available to dealers on the 5th.
The TSB references a list of VIN ranges that are known to be shipped from the factory with a mis-alignment condition. If your Treg falls into the VIN range, you can get the tires replaced and a four wheel alignment.
I have not verified with the local dealer that they have the TSB, but this is what I was told Today.
 
#37 ·
Re: (xplay)

Quote, originally posted by xplay »
As soon as somebody finds out the official VIN range (or even if their treg is one that is covered), please share it with us!

Now, I don't mean to be a smart ass, but why not call your service manager and ask him to check the TSB?
 
#38 ·
Re: (bravocharlie)

Smartass ;-)
No, seriously. *somebody* from this site is going to be on the phone first thing tomorrow, why don't we save all of us the 20 minute phone call (and save the poor VW service centers 100 calls) and just post the range here.
 
#39 ·
Re: (xplay)

Quote, originally posted by xplay »
Smartass ;-)
No, seriously. *somebody* from this site is going to be on the phone first thing tomorrow, why don't we save all of us the 20 minute phone call (and save the poor VW service centers 100 calls) and just post the range here.

Right, so my point is why don't you do it and report back.
 
#43 ·
Re: Alignment Problems from the Factory (bravocharlie)

So here's an interim follow up. (Read the original post in this thread for all the gory details.)
As a preface, my Touareg was aligned at the Porsche/Audi dealership because my dealer didn't have his equipment set up. Furthermore, I am a customer at the Porsche/Audi dealer as well. They come pick up our car for service all the time. The P/A dealer is about 20 minutes farther than my VW dealer is.
So, I had my Touareg aligned at the Porsche dealership. It now pulls right and the steering wheel is not straight. Before, my steering wheel was fine and the vehicle tracked straight as an arrow, it just had lousy tire wear due to toe out.
After 2 weeks of hearing nothing from my service manager, I emailed and inquired what the status was. He called this afternoon and said that the Porsche dealer would do it again and I was supposed to call them directly and set up an appointment.
So, I did. I asked them to come pick up my Touareg just like they do with our Audi and guess what? They won't come pick it up.
Nope, even though they did the alignment and bunged it up the first time, they won't come pick it up.
Now, if I weren't already a customer of the Porsche/Audi dealer, I could understand that. But they fricked up the alignment the first time so I guess its my problem.
So, my patience is starting to run out. I called my Touareg service manager back and told him that I'd drop the vehicle off and he can deal with it. I just wonder why it takes more then 6 weeks to get your alignment system set up for the Touareg.
Oh, and get this......my service manager said that he spoke to VW about the alignment issues I raised (see the original post in this thread). He said that VW said it isn't necessary to raise, lower, and measure the vehicle unless suspension components were replaced. spockcat, are you listening?
Just another day in VW dealership paradise.


Modified by bravocharlie at 11:48 PM 5-10-2004
 
#44 ·
Re: Alignment Problems from the Factory (bravocharlie)

Quote, originally posted by bravocharlie »

Oh, and get this......my service manager said that he spoke to VW about the alignment issues I raised (see the original post in this thread). He said that VW said it isn't necessary to raise, lower, and measure the vehicle unless suspension components were replaced. spockcat, are you listening?

I would take this to mean that the car's alignment does not change as the car is lowered or raised. As I haven't changed any suspension components, I shouldn't have an issue.
 
#45 ·
Re: Alignment Problems from the Factory (bravocharlie)

Let's see if I understand this:
Car has alignment problem (toe-out).
Dealer can't do alignment, subcontracts to different dealer.
Different dealer screws up.
This shouldn't be your problem. If I were you I wouldn't even communicate with the Porsche Dealer and let your VW dealer deal with it all the way. It's his responsibility. (Sounds like you're starting to do just that.) Good luck.
 
#46 ·
Re: Alignment Problems from the Factory (sciencegeek)

Quote, originally posted by sciencegeek »
Let's see if I understand this:
Car has alignment problem (toe-out).
Dealer can't do alignment, subcontracts to different dealer.
Different dealer screws up.
This shouldn't be your problem. If I were you I wouldn't even communicate with the Porsche Dealer and let your VW dealer deal with it all the way. It's his responsibility. (Sounds like you're starting to do just that.) Good luck.

Yea, you have it right, except that I wanted to go the first time to the P/A dealer to see the aligment done. It was good I did because they didn't follow the instructions. I only called P/A directly because I know them and they know me. I just wanted them to come pick up the Touareg. When they said "no", I dumped in my service manager's lap. Its their problem.
So I guess we're saying the same thing.
 
#48 ·
Re: Alignment Problems from the Factory (Chazvegas)

If it helps anyone, my TREG was misaligned when I took delivery with single digit miles on it. Was aligned by an alignment shop the VW dealer uses because they "didn't have the setup for 18" wheels."
I have the print out for the alignement. It tracks straight as an arrow, to borrow from BC.
I could give you guys the number but don't have a scanner. A mechanic friend looked at the numbers and said that the alignment was done by someone that 'knows his stuff." I believe this now since no problems since then.
If someone wants the numbers, IM me and we can setup a phone call or I can fax the sheet to you. Any takers? One stipulation. Post here that you are IM'ing me so that I don't get 30 people asking for the same. Then you can post the scanned info here, so that everyone can benefit from the info.
I'm glad to help you guys out as much as I can.
 
#49 ·
#50 ·
Re: Alignment Problems from the Factory (Jack F)

Quote, originally posted by Jack F »
If it helps anyone, my TREG was misaligned when I took delivery with single digit miles on it.

Maybe having single digit miles was the problem.

I thought I read somewhere that all Touaregs underwent 17 miles of testing before they were put out for sale?
 
#51 ·
Re: (jim.bresee)

IF that's the true, I LOVE YOU MAN, FOR LETTING ME KNOW!!!!!!!!!!! I've suffered enough to think about LEMON.
http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

Then, what's the VIN range?
 
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