Wheel alignment

[Plod45]

Hi,
My Cooper is an ex Mini UK car. Since buying it I have noticed that on a straight road the steering wheel is slightly left hand down. The dealer has said this is not a fault as the wheel alignment etc was checked by the factory before the car was sent out for sale.

The car drives fine, doesn't pull either way, but the wheel is not centred. How easy is it to get the wheel adjusted?

Thanks

[The Nun]

Normally if the steering wheel is not centred horizontal in the straight ahead position it affects indicator cancelling? cancelling early in one direction and later in the other?
Should be straight, mine is.
The car could have hit a kerb that might have knocked the steering out of alignment slightly?
I suppose it might be possible to remove the wheel and move it around one spline? you could do this on the old cars easily, but airbags complicate matters these days.
Whatever, it would be possible to adjust it back into the straight position during a steering alignment adjustment.
The way the steering wheel usually get off centred is down to lousy handy work where by they have only adjusted on one side instead of a bit on each side.

[Plod45]

I think that it has had the wheel alignment reset at some point and as you say whoever did it wasn't that careful. But the wheels are undamaged so I suspect they will probably say its within tolerance when the car was made......its just abit anonying!! I did try explaining to the dealer that it wasn't the tracking as the car drives fine, just that the steering wheel is a little off centre.....sometimes I think they all assume you have no mechanical knowledge which I do.

So apart from some of the trim that rattles abit (probably down to the fact its a convertable), the engine is a little bit more tappety that you would expect from a BMW based car, especially on start up, and the wheel thing, the car is a real pleasure to drive........its just so different on the inside to any other make. Puts a smile on my face everytime I get inside.

oh but whoever deisgned the openometer to measure how long the car has been driven with the hood down really needs to get out more........perhaps in a Mini!!

Cheers

[Macguyvic]

Probably worth another 4 wheel alignment. Then you can see the variance if any on the print out. Who know what happened between the factory and the place you purchased the car. The dealer knows the wheel should be centered.

[Plod45]

True.....I'll keep trying to get them to sort it. Years ago I would have got my local mechanic to adjust trackrods.