Austin Posted June 24, 2007 Report Share Posted June 24, 2007 Hello, I'm totally new here and ignorant as sin about most things to do with cars. But I'm about to lay out over £4K on a Mondeo 2.0 Zetec (late 2001) and have suddenly got the shakes about the marked pull to the left I noticed on the test drive. It seemed ok otherwise, but I couldn't find any bumps to check for knocks or any other clues. It's done 43,000 miles. The dealer said it was just down to tyre pressure and that he'll have it sorted for when I pick up the car next week. But I've heard this problem can be down to the rear subframe bushes and/or wishbone, and this seems to be confirmed by what I've read on this forum. Can you tell just with a visual check (without the car on a jack or ramp) if the bushes or wishbone are shot? I've heard that it will set me back around £350 to get the bushes changed (I'm not a mechanic). No idea what the wishbone would cost. I'd like to go armed with a bit of knowledge in case I have to ask for a reduction to fix something. Failing that I suppose I can press for him to honour the warranty if I find anything when I service it, or just take back my deposit and walk. Don't want to do that though. I'd be grateful for any advice. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted June 24, 2007 Report Share Posted June 24, 2007 Hello and welcome to wim. You issue is hard to define without any history.. There are so many reasons why a car can pull this thread could go on forever.. Is it not reasonable for you to tell them you are interested in the car if they can stop the pull? I must say that 99% of pulls are pnuematic... Simply moving the front wheels side to side has a high probability of solving the pull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted July 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2007 Hello Tony. Thanks for the welcome - should have got back to you earlier but have been run off my feet with one thing and another and haven't had a chance to pay much attention. I was just about to post a new one about this when I found the original and your reply. Well, in my hurry I took the car, as when I drove it again at the dealer's it seemed to have been sorted. Had it a few weeks now and that pull is back with a vengeance. Having driven it for a bit longer I think my original description was a bit off. What it tends to do is twitch quite a lot round town. But as well as that, on braking over short distance (so reasonably heavy on the pedal) it tends to tug the wheel heavily to the left, sometimes nearly a quarter turn. What seems odd is that when it tugs, it sometimes stops straight but sometimes it takes a real sharp dive to the near side. I've never noticed it go the other way on braking - only twitching sometimes when driving, although that's usually to the near side as well. I have 18" wheels with 225/40 Falkens and I'd read on other threads that this combination can result in a bit of tramlining as the tyres try to follow every feature of the road. So I though the twitchiness might possibly be down to that. However the tug when braking is a bit worrying - on the motorways next week and I don't want any surprises as the car will be loaded with roof-box, 2 kids and all the rest. Not to mention the possibility of clipping a cyclist in the cycle lanes around town! I've also noticed a bit of extra wear on the outer edge of the near side front tyre. Any advice would be very welcome indeed. I do intend to get the geometry looked at when I get the chance - maybe while down in Somerset at the in-laws next week, before we head up north. Can anyone recommend a place in the Wells area? Once again - many thanks for taking the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 23, 2007 Report Share Posted July 23, 2007 This may seem odd but.... Is the pull under braking there as soon as you begin your journey or does it appear after a few miles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted July 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2007 To be honest I've not really noticed and most of my journeys so far have been just that - a few miles. Most of the time I've just been paying attention to what actually happens when it plays up. I'll take it out later and I'll pay more attention to how long it is before I notice it. Any particular reason you ask? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 23, 2007 Report Share Posted July 23, 2007 To be honest I've not really noticed and most of my journeys so far have been just that - a few miles. Most of the time I've just been paying attention to what actually happens when it plays up. I'll take it out later and I'll pay more attention to how long it is before I notice it. Any particular reason you ask? Thanks My position is "remote elimination". It appears the struts/wishbones are in good order... The tyre wear is on the outside confirming there is no excessive play.. So why the pull? I think you may have a binding front caliper... When the disc is cold there would be little or no pull... As the disc heats up (after a few miles) it amplifies the pull... In addition if the disc is cool in the shop whilst they test it there would be little evidence of a bind other than a "blued disc". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted July 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2007 OK - I'll pay proper attention later and will get it into a trusted shop for a look if this tallies with your process of elimination. I'll let you know how I get on. Bye for now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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