MondeoGhiaX

It's a good job I don't own one of those machines. I would be there all day trying to get every reading perfect, not just in the green. I imagine that's virtually impossible given the way one adjustment can affect another.

Thanks. Yes, I believe it's one of the few places in Cornwall that have the Hunter machine. You can watch the adjustments being made on a monitor while you wait, which is interesting!

Hi all. I had alignment done on my current Mk3 Mondeo today (mentioned in my post of 22 November 2021). It became apparent that both front tyres were wearing excessively on the outer edges, but the left front in particular. That, and the obligatory off-centre steering wheel (right hand down). As the car was otherwise handling ok, I decided to leave everything alone until I needed to replace the front tyres (a few days ago). Everyone loves a before and after alignment print-out, so here they are. Does the +ve toe on right front explain the tyre wear that I've described? I think it might. The rear alignment was ok, so I only had the front done (rear tyres are wearing evenly). It's early days, but just from the drive home it looks like I might finally have a Mondeo with a centered steering wheel, and hopefully even tyre wear.

Does this imply that garages are (or might be) using generic alignment settings that are different from those used when the car was built? That might explain why more often than not, when I've had suspension work done on cars, and then alignment, they've never been quite the same again (usually drifting to the left).

An episode of Wheeler Dealers I watched yesterday featured an Aston Martin DB7. While carrying out four-wheel alignment, it was mentioned that the alignment on this car was biased to suit UK roads (i.e. driving on the left). So is this typical? Would it explain why the last several cars I've owned, even after four-wheel alignment, have had a tendency to drift to the left, particularly if they've had suspension work done?

So basically they are watering down the petrol while whacking the price up. And we get poorer fuel economy into the bargain!

I was going to start a new thread, but might as well carry this on. My old Mk3 Mondeo Titanium X has finally bitten the dust. But don't panic, as I have another Mk3 Mondeo! Amongst the comprehensive paperwork is a receipt with before and after printouts of 4 wheel alignment that was carried out earlier this year. I have deduced that this was done after replacement of a suspension part. Everything is well in the green on the post-alignment printout. However, one of the first things I noticed when driving the car is that the steering wheel is slightly off-centre (right hand down a bit) when driving on a straight road. Surprise, surprise, eh? I think it's highly unlikely that the car has had any work done since the alignment. I believe that the car is actually drifting slightly to the left due to the road camber, and my subconsciously correcting this is causing the steering wheel to be off centre. It's not a huge amount, but this sort of thing does my OCD head in. Surely all Mk3 Mondeos weren't like this from new? Do manufacturers ever deliberately bias a car's geometry to suit driving on the left or right? Assuming the toe is set correctly, I was wondering what people's thoughts are about minor DIY adjustment of the tracking (equal amounts each side), to correct the steering wheel position. I could be pretty accurate with this, but have no idea how much to turn the track rod(s) in order to rotate the steering wheel a couple of degrees, so it would be complete trial and error. I haven't done a thorough inspection of the tyres yet, but the wear looks pretty even to me.

Well, it's a year and a half on and I've just noticed that the right front tyre is well worn on the inner edge again, exactly the same as before! It's almost like it happened after I stopped checking it regularly (I kind of lost interest during the lockdown I suppose). It was not mentioned at the last MOT, but that was last November. To be honest, I think this car's days might be numbered now anyway, so not going to get too obsessed over it, but thought it was worth updating for the record.

Perhaps it's too soon to be certain the problem has gone away, but the thin grooves on the very inside edge of the tyre are still there. It could be that some previous suspension work I've forgotten about had already fixed this.

Just to update, there is no sign of this problem recurring after 1,000+ miles. In fact, all my four new tyres appear to be wearing evenly. Thanks for the help.

After a bit more driving, I think my initial observation about the steering wheel not being centred was incorrect. What is actually happening is that the car has a tendency to drift to the left (or more likely it is sensitive to the camber of the road) and I am correcting it. I reckon that on a ramp or a perfectly flat road, the steering wheel would be dead centre, as it is some of the time anyway. I think it has always been like this, to be fair. I have yet to test my theory out by driving on the other side of the road - I might try this on my way home tonight, if it's not too foggy. Anyway, at the end of the day it's the tyre wear that's the most important thing. I have uploaded the before and after printouts if anyone is interested.

I have had the alignment checked and adjusted today. If anyone would care to interpret the before and after printouts, I will post them up tomorrow. Very briefly, though: Before Front - Camber and Castor green both sides, Toe just in the red both sides, Total Toe green, Steer Ahead in the red. Rear - Camber green both sides, Toe in the red both sides (miles out on the left), Total Toe miles in the red, Thrust Angle -0deg06min. After Everything in the green, Thrust Angle 0deg00min. So, all would be appear to be good now, but... driving home I'm almost certain the steering wheel is slightly off to the right. I don't know why this would be but it's going to play havoc with my OCD. Surely the machine can't lie? I may try swapping the front wheels around, as I have known this to have an effect before (but not this car). What else would cause this? Could it just be sensitive to the road camber? Car has done 161,000 miles, but I really don't think there is anything broken or even that worn - I've had all this checked.

Hopefully, I will be visiting the Hunter place on Wednesday, armed with some basic knowledge.

Lead definitely reduces knocking and is an octane booster. It's also a lubricant, which was was the biggest concern for classic car owners I think. It's unfortunate that it's poisonous too, though!

I'm a bit rusty on this subject now, but I think engine knock/pinking is more down to the octane rating and can be adjusted out by retarding the ignition slightly. As mentioned above, ethanol is known to rot older rubber fuel lines and seals. Most of mine have been replaced now, and I use an additive to combat the effects of ethanol in petrol, along with the absence of lead.