I took delivery of a new Renault Grand Scenic 1.9 Dci and drove immediately to France. In England the steering was fine. In France on their cambered roads it pulls to the right. Two dealers cannot find a problem with the geometry. Any ideas?
Sorerightarm
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Are you back in England now, and is the steering OK again? If yes, then it is the way that the steering is set up for UK roads. Just keep an eye on your front tyre wear across the tread, this will give you an indication if anything is wrong.
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Hi,
Usually, cars are set up not to pull to either side, when the car is on level ground - they all pull towards the gutter to some extent.
Only if the car pulls on level ground, is there a problem.
number_cruncher
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Yes, you're right but this is noticeable hence my thread author's name. I might have to live with the problem.
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Ivor
Steering is fine in UK. I've done 10's of thousands of continental miles in other cars/camper vans and if the geometry is correct, the car never steers right. I think the steering set up must be more sensitive to the French camber.
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Hi,
What does the car do on level ground?
number_cruncher
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Hi Number cruncher
Car is fine on level ground.
There is some left pull on a left side camber - but not excessive.
I found a heavily cambered road and reproduced the right side pull at low speed.
I am speculating but the car has traction control and electric steering. One of these might have an influence? Or it could be the castor angle set up for UK.
There is no tyre wear in 1900 miles of use (the car was new at end July) Tyre pressures are OK and monitored electronically.
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Hi,
I would be v. surprised if there were different UK settings for steering. Also, I don't think traction control will have an effect.
If the electric steering is sensing torque on the steering column when there really isn't any - that could give your problem. I don't know how column torque is sensed on yout car, but some sensors types can be sensitive to their zero setting (I'm thinking of strain gauge type sensors particularly - I don't know about the surface acoustic wave types). While I don't know about your particular car, it may be possible to get a read out of what steering column torque the system thinks is there using (Renault?) diagnostic equipment.
Or, much simpler - it is possible that there is something asymmetrical in the geometry that your garage hasn't picked up (different castor settings side to side?). It may be worth having a more comprehensive geometry check done elsewhere.
number_cruncher
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I would agree with the above. It is *highly unlikely* that Renault set up steering geometry differently for different markets. I think they would all be set up symmetrically.
A good geometry check (camber, castor, king-pin inclination etc.) would be worth doing. Also don't neglect a binding brake.
Can you disable the EPAS and try it then (in a safe location, of course)?
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Suggest that pull to the right it is more apparent on French roads (i.e. when driving on the right) in a righthand drive car than the pull to the left is over here due to the position of the driver in the car and the fact that pull to the right requires effort pushing upwards with the right arm where as pull to the left requires pulling down with the right arm which is mechanically easier for the driver.
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Hi Cheddar
I partially agree but taking hands off steering on the French camber always results in an immediate pull right. Even the French garage owner reproduced it!
You are right about the steering mechanics though. In France I have to hold the steering wheel with the left arm. In the UK there is a small bias to the right arm.
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On a previous car, an incorrect camber angle on ONE front strut (the other was prefect) caused this problem. The amount of error was tiny, but the effect was as you describe. It took a good suspension setup mechanic using good equipment to find it.
Fast fits were hopeless, usually just tinkering with tracking, often undoing what another had just done, and with both pronouncing 'problem solved'.
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Argh. Wretched Tosh Tecra laptop keyboard that rtansposes (there it genuinely goes again) characters if the second key is pressed before the first is fully released...
prefect=perfect
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Hi to all replies
Thanks for all your suggestions.
I am inclined to agree with the geometry set up being the problem but I will turn off EPA and try.
I had a Pug 406 with a similar problem and it took an ex Pug mechanic to fix at a tyre fitter in Chessington.
Contrary to previous comment of mine I will pursue this and report back in the future.
thanks
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It could be of course, that there is nothing actually wrong with it. Could be that having felt this on heavily cambered French roads, you now are sensitive to any slight normal steering feel on British roads, Until you went to France there wasnt a problem?
Still only you can know that. Its just a thought.
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sorerightarm
I got my new Scenic in July and within a week I had taken it back for a full alignment check. This, I am told by the garage, is done with all sorts of electronics nowadays and took 2 hours.
The reason I took it back was that I felt that it was being pulled too much by the camber. As the steering wheel is "artificially centred" then I think this made it feel slightly worse. I felt that I was pulling against the centralising force, if that makes sense?
Anyway, it still drives the same way, but I have checked this out on various roads and it always pulls to the camber but, interestingly, drove straight ahead when I drove in a car park with no camber.
Think its just a characteristic of the car.
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