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definitely an alignment issue. and a toe kick is the easiest alignment to do. plus with an alignment done you will most likely see longer tire life and better fuel economy. I worked the alignment rack for the last 5 months or so before the dealership closed down and centering the steering wheel is part of the alignment (or go find a different shop)
if you take stuff apart and try to twist it around now it will make it worse for the tech when you get it aligned. replacing stuff yourself is fine (I count threads and check with tape measure myself) but you would be best to just leave the steering wheel be till its on the rack.
listen to what some of these guys have said, its not going to fix the problem, in the end its a bandaid that pulls hairs when you remove it. Just go out, squirt some pb on the threads, live with it till it gets aligned, and make sure the tech knows.