In fact having been driving it around now for a while, I'm not sure it does need adjusting, hard to tell with road cambers. The left side seems to be permanently lower than the right by an inch or two though
If you are going to do this yourself I would advise buying an earth strap that goes round your wrist and earths you to the car. You can buy these from any decent electrical wholesaler (e.g. Maplins, RS). If you don't use an earth strap you risk a static charge from your clothes accidentally igniting the airbag. Needless to say this could end up quite quite messy
As already mentioned you are unlikely to get a proper alignment from moving the wheel on the plines. Far better to get a proper 4 wheel alignment done. If you don't fancy paying BMW £160+VAT for their KDS service you can get exactly the same thing done at somewhere like http://www.imperialtyres.co.uk/ who will charge you £75 + VAT (from memory) and any future adjustments will be £45 + VAT. This is a full camber, castor, toe adjustment both front and back + You get a full before and after print out of all your settings - Highly Recommended!
I DID have a KDS done last week, got the before and after reading (it was virtually spot on before) but the wheel is about an inch high on the left. With the camber it is so hard to work out if it's just compensating or genuinely out. As you say, a KDS should make it perfect again, but it feels like it is 1 spline out to me.....
I DID have a KDS done last week, got the before and after reading (it was virtually spot on before) but the wheel is about an inch high on the left. With the camber it is so hard to work out if it's just compensating or genuinely out. As you say, a KDS should make it perfect again, but it feels like it is 1 spline out to me.....
As long as you've got the right tools and you're careful there's no reason why you can't move the wheel yourself. You'll need a breaker bar for the nut that holds the wheel on + DO NOT reconnect the battery without the airbag wired up first. If the SRS (airbag) Sytem fails to see the airbag when the ignition is first on it will record a fault in its memory and put a warning light on the dash. The only way to clear this fault and put out the warning light is by taking it to a dealer or independent garage who will use their diagnositic machine to clear the fault memory.
One further thought Mike, your KDS should have set your steering wheel to centre, if it's not spot on take it back to the garage and insist they sort it out free of charge.
One further thought Mike, your KDS should have set your steering wheel to centre, if it's not spot on take it back to the garage and insist they sort it out free of charge.
This is good advise. Most mechanics will only adjust one side when adjusting toe. The problem is this puts the pitman arm off center which increases play in the wheel. The steering box is designed to have minimum play when centered, in fact the box and pitman arm have marks in them so you can tell when they are lined up.
So, the proper procedure is to line up the pitman arm and box, then check the alignment and adjust each side separately. This should leave your steering wheel centered.
My car had a new steering box and new front legs, so it all needed adjusting. It was KDS'd by Barons in the way you said, it is not scraping the wheels on full lock so I'm pretty sure it's centred on both sides, and the steering wheel SHOULD be centralised, I agree. But it is still bugging me as it does still feel like it's slightly high on the left side....
My car had a new steering box and new front legs, so it all needed adjusting. It was KDS'd by Barons in the way you said, it is not scraping the wheels on full lock so I'm pretty sure it's centred on both sides, and the steering wheel SHOULD be centralised, I agree. But it is still bugging me as it does still feel like it's slightly high on the left side....
I'm pretty sure the wheel stops are what's keeping the tires from rubbing, not the centering of the steering box...
Most mechanics don't understand the importance of lining them up, but if you just paid for a new box, you should get the full benefit! Take it back and have them show you it lines up.
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