BMW 3 Series - Steering wheel not centered - Please help

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Sat 5 Jan 2019 14:04
BMW 3 Series - Steering wheel not centered - Please help - Andrew Constable

Hi all

I am wondering if I could ask for some guidance - as i'm not too handy when it comes to cars.

I purchased a BMW 3 series 17 plate in June 2018 - I noticed that to keep the car in a straight line, the steering wheel has to be slightly turned to the right, the degree of turn increases when I increase my speed.

I initially thought this was a simple alignment issue, so I took it in to the BMW garage to fix. The first time I took it in, there seemed to be no change, so I took it in again and aligned the wheels using the laser machine (it was only very slightly out). However, the steering wheel is still not centered properly when driving in a straight line at high speed.

Before I go back to BMW, do you have any thoughts on what this might be? Could be a simple steering wheel issue?

Cheers

Andy

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Sat 5 Jan 2019 14:09
BMW 3 Series - Steering wheel not centered - Please help - FP

Maybe the re-alignment was done by adjusting one side only, which is not ideal. Unlikely to be a steering wheel issue.

If the amount of turn is still increasing with an increase in speed, that suggests a bigger problem with the front wheels' geometry.

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Sat 5 Jan 2019 14:21
BMW 3 Series - Steering wheel not centered - Please help - bathtub tom

Because of road camber, cars in the UK tend to drift to the left, resulting a little 'right hand down a bit' to counteract. This causes the tyres to wear unevenly, exacerbating the situation.

If the front tyres are not rotational I'd suggest swapping them over. If they are rotational you could try swapping front to rear.

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Sat 5 Jan 2019 19:17
BMW 3 Series - Steering wheel not centered - Please help - focussed

The steering wheel should be clamped or held straight and then the front wheels should be aligned. Like this:-

www.amazon.co.uk/Tool-Aid-66400-Steering-Depressor...2

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