I am usually lurking the older truck forum but would appreciate some help from you newer truck guys if you could....

I took my 2005 5.4l 4x4 F-150 Supercrew w/ 40K miles to Ford dealer for oil change. Picked it up 2 days and $1000 later with new rear brakes, new rear rotors and a new right tie rod end, as well as a new brake light switch (which was the only thing actually I complained about when I took it in!) Driving home I notice the steering wheel is ****-eyed; I have to steer towards the right side to go straight. It is only a few degrees but it really bothers me when I go down the road. I called the dealer and asked if they could fix it since I did just personally bail out Ford with my $1000 oil change and it wasn't like that when I took the truck in. He says "sure, bring it in on Friday." 2 minutes later the service girl calls and asks me about the steering wheel and tries to tell me that "when the F-150 is aligned to spec the steering wheel will be turned a little to the left. That is the way Ford designed it because if the steering wheel was straight the "toe" of the front wheels would be off and tires would wear too quickly."
Now I am an idiot when it comes to the newer vehicles but does this make sense to anyone, or has anyone heard this before? What does the position of the steering wheel have to do with tire wear? Couldn't the steering wheel be adjusted to point just about any direction and still drive the truck down the road?

 

You might not be being BS's as much as you think about the steering wheel cocked left. I recent had 3 alignments at three different places and the steering wheel is tilted left to go straight. I have argued with the dealer for the past week about it and just about an hour ago i finally got to take the alignment tech for a ride and i showed him that to go straight on any road i have to keep the steering wheel to the left, i then said here is what happend when you straighten the steering wheel to center, and i did it and we went right off the road. And he agreed that it shouldnt do that, so now its back in the shop and they are going to correct it. This is after they told me over and over again over the past week that there is nothing wrong and it drives straight. Just some thoughts. I also have a thread going about the problem. Here:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...ring-rack.html

 

When i got my truck aligned after my leveling kit my steering wheel is still straight. Did you technically ask for all that stuff to be fixed? If you didnt and you have the paper work to prove it, I wouldnt pay it. You have to watch them, they will get you. I went in for an oil change and they told me i needed new struts cause the rubber bushing was coming off.

 

You got BSed.They use a bar that locks the wheel straight before they start adjusting the alienment.

 

If the roads and streets in your area are crowned (higher in the center than at the sides) to facilitate water runoff you will have to steer slightly left to go straight down the road. If the roads in your area are dead flat from side to side then you should be able to go straight down the road with the wheel in the centered position. A properly aligned vehicle will have the wheel centered or straight up, however, the road type in your area will dictate whether or not you have to steer slightly left to go straight. The girl that called you was probably not speaking correctly. (b s ing). Dan

 

I call BS on the dealer. I had an alignment done Monday as part of having a level kit installed and on a level road (one without camber...what y2kfordparts said is correct) my steering wheel is perfectly straight.

 

These are all good thoughts and I appreciate the input.

I did give my permission to do the repairs by phone when they called the day I took it in. I'd like to believe that a Ford dealer is reputable enough not to suggest unnecessary repairs to pad their bill but I am rethinking that after the service girl called me with her questionable explanation.

We do have crowned roads here in Ohio but I have to steer the wheel right, towards the ditch, rather than left, towards the middle of the road, to go straight. Otherwise it drives fine and if I don't mind the wheel cocked a little to the left its all good, but I do mind it!

I forgot to add that the girl actually claimed that the reason I needed my right tie rod end changed was that the wheel wasn't cocked to the left per Ford specs before I took it in to be serviced! I am going to take it back to let them fix it but it will be on their dime, not mine, and I think I am going to find another dealer to work with.

 

I cant tell you how many times Ive explained thoroughly something to a service writer, only to have the service writer call the customer and tell them something completely different. Before you write them all off as fools, maybe you should get a technician to explain it to you or shop foreman, manager, etc. No telling what you may hear differently then.

 

I would ask to see any bad parts that they replaced. As to the alignment, I think that they bs'd you. I don't buy the explanation on the tie rod end at all. If you did not have any play in the steering wheel before they did the work, it probably did not need an inner tie rod end. It sounds to me like it was a quicky alignment. The techs do get paid on flat rate commission. It is really easy to miss the centering of the steering a little when you doing things fast. It does not mean that the settings are off a lot, but they could be off a little. Having watched and done alignments in the past, it's possible that only the tie rod was replaced and toe in set. The rest of the alignment could have been ok. Of course they'll charge the full price for the alignment. Most shops operate that way. I have found it's nearly always better to find a local shop that is competent and honest to get my work done at. The only reason I would use a dealership is as a last resort or for warranty work.

 

Take the truck to a flat parking lot. Take your hands off the steering wheel and SLOWLY drive across the lot. Turn around and drive back the way you came. If the truck drives straight in both directions the wheels are aligned. If it pulls to one side (left or Right) in both directions it is out of alignment. If it pulls left in one direction and right on the reverse direction the lot is not flat. The steering wheel should be centered when the alignment is correct. It is not the alignment persons job to "adjust" the steering wheel to allow for the road crown.

 

I have found in the past that not too many techs really know how to properly align a ford. Most of the time the wheel is off to one side or the other. I finally found one who does it correctly.

 

A competant tech will ask what kind of roads you normally drive on or will know from experience and will set your alignment so that the wheel is centered when you leave. It's possible to miss it by a little if in a hurry. Usually the error will occur when checking the runout of the wheels and zeroing the settings when checking this before any adjustments are done. It's easy to miss the true zero setting slightly when in a hurry. Most techs will gladly readjust if they know that they've missed it a little. It does not necessarily mean that the toe-in is off. Most times it's easier to talk with the tech that does the work in your local shop instead of the dealership. Dealerships are loaded with bureaucracy that you have to navigate thru to get things done. And your local shop does not charge as much per hour because the overhead costs are lower. It's just what my personal experience has been. I have nothing against dealerships, but I tend to use them as a last resort ( the only ones who have the expertise or equipment to do the repair) or for warranty work.

 

The steering wheel should be straight when it's on the alignment rack. Period. The newer machines that use the lasers and mirrors even tell the tech to make sure the steering wheel is straight before they click to the next screen. You got BS'd.

 

Yeah...wouldn't we all. Too bad. It's situations like these that cause most folks to avoid the dealer.

 

Im going to agree with the others, thats total BS about them telling you its ok for the wheel to be slightly crooked. I have owned my 04 since new and have never had to align it and the wheel is as straight as it was the day i drove it off the lot with 7 miles on the clock and i just turned over 70,000 tonight. Ive even replaced the tires and breaks and have never had to touch the alignment. My wheel is perfectly straight and even on a crowned road i dont have to correct it too much at all. Find another shop to align it and see what happens.