Tracking.

[Millsi197]

Hey everyone, just bought a 197 and it's pulling to the left quiet badly. The bloke at the garage knocked £25 off the price to get the tracking done as they didn't do it there. Anyway I went to motosave yesterday to have it tracked and after about 20 mins the bloke came back and said they can't do it due to both track rod ends seizing up. He said he'd tried to heat them up etc and nothing would budge them. He wanted to burn them off and fit new ones. £60 Inc fitting. But when he got the parts they were too short? (guessing they were for the Clio not sport). He advised me to get the parts from Renault so I had a trip through and Renault want £58 per track rod end! As apposed to his £60 for both Inc fitting. Are Renault ripping me off or is that about right?

Thanks and sorry for the essay - new member

 

[BenW]

Sounds like a bargain from Renault to be honest, have heard of these costing well over £100 each, possibly even over £200 each.

I'd get back to the garage you bought it from to he honest and tell them its costing you a lot more than the discount they gave, all they can do is say no

 

[RalphyBMW]

Track rods are around £50 each, track rod ends are the same again. I am sure someone on here used Unipart track rod ends, which were cheaper, and possibly from a Megane?

 

[ken182]

track rod ends are £44.74 each from renault. Part numbers 77 01 474 795, 77 01 474 796

the tie rod ends are clio sport specific but the track rod ends are off a megane and lots of other renaults. £16 each from unipart

 

[Soot1e]

How about trying GSF and ECP, They usually sell OE and aftermarket parts.

 

[Millsi197]

Sorry what's unipart..?

 

[ken182]

unipart make partern parts and distribute to the motor trade and have sales counters for the public

i have unipart track rod ends ready to fit to my car as soon as the tie rods come from renault. i have had the car up and checked and theyre the right ones.

 

[Arran]

I'd go back to the garage if I were you and ask for some money back!

 

[Millsi197]

Went to another garage and they tracked it up. Still pulled to the left so took it back and they stripped it all down checked for play etc. Checked all the track rod ends and suspensions and re tracked it a 3rd time and it still pulls to the left!! They didn't charge me anything but they couldn't find anything wrong with the car and they're very respectable garage.. Any ideas? Cheers

 

[Willis]

It's a common ''characterisitc'' on these cars.

I read something about VW using more Castor on one side than the other on Mk.3 Golfs and Bora's, the theory behind it being something along the lines of the wheel being ever so slighlty further away from the bulkhead on the drivers side incase of an accident. I wouldn't like to speculate that the Clio's have the same thing as frankly it could be a load of b******* considering the minimal amount of difference 1 Minute of Castor would make in an impact.

 

[ken182]

Have you checked your tyre pressures?

All cars pull to the left a little bit. Are the track rods and tie rods definitely not worn?

 

[BenW]

The camber on the road will make cars pull to the left, can't say I've ever noticed it on mine though

 

[Arran]

Mine pulls to the left too. Only a bit. I was going to try and get a decent tracking laser thingy done on it to see if there was anything they can do after Renault said it was ok.

 

[Mike Roberts]

Willis maybe onto something, VW set the car's caster up to ever so slightly pull left (right on the continent), the natural camber of the road will make it feel worse, try finding somewhere quiet and do a few hundred yards of the opposite side to see if it feels better?... does it pull left under braking too??

Bit bizarre and I think they've stopped doing it now, was something to do with falling asleep at the wheel on the motorway and having it head for the "safe" side.

To cure it, you slacken the subframe and straighten it up to even out the caster. Dunno what you'd do with the Clio?

 

[Millsi197]

Fitting the spacers yesterday I realised the front tyre rotation was backwards. Swappe it round and the car no longer pulls! Magic.

 

[Liambo-201]

Mines pulls quite bad, this has got me thinking.. My other problem is my steering wheel isn't sitting directly straight either. Grr.

 

[Millsi197]

My steering wheel is slightly to the right also