steering wheel off-center - dealer's fault

WaKramer

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2003
Location
Bellingham, WA
TDI
2003 Golf GLS, Indigo Blue
After two trips to the alignment shop, my steering wheel remained off-center to the left. I was about to go back and ask them to adjust the tie-rods but then I remembered that the dealer had removed the steering wheel once for a warranty fix of the cruise control stalk. On a hunch, I decided to see if the steering locks were off-center as well, and it turned out that both locks were off to the left the same amount as the steering wheel was off-center. The Bentley says that the steering wheel has an alignment mark and that it must be kept on the mark because the ESP system has a sensor for steering angle. I took the airbag off to check it, and as I suspected, there was a paint mark on the bolt showing it had been removed once and the alignment mark was off by two splines to the left. I took the wheel off and lined it up with the mark and now the steering wheel is perfectly centered. More evidence of lousy work by a VW dealer.

The airbag was a pain to take off until I found a site that told exactly how to do it. With the steering wheel at a 90 degree angle, the trick is to have the handle as low as possible, touching the steering column, and insert the blade as high as possible. Then lift up on the handle, prying the internal spring down.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Those airbag clips are funny. Sometimes I get them off right away, in seconds, first try. Then other times I fight them like a red-headed step child for half an hour. :mad:
 
Top