[EjS]

Thought I hit some cobble stones with front left wheel yesterday. They were just up an inch or so from the tarmac. Hit them at 5 mph.

Afterwards, after 2 miles I noticed steering wheel were out of alignment. Maybe 10-20 degrees.

This morning the steering wheel seemed to be back in neutral when going straight.

What the heck?

Ordered 4 wheel alignment and front toe in was somewhat out of alignment (-0.05 instead of +0.05) and camber on front and rear also just a bit out of bounds.

I’m sceptical as to this yielding steering wheel offset?

Then, on my way to the garage suddenly I get “Stabilitrak initializing” while driving.

Am I spooked by stabilitrak???
I swear - I heard no ticking or brake booster action while the steering wheel was misaligned (as in stabilitrak working).


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[EjS]

Undercarriage look good!

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[EjS]

Before and after...
Feels better now for sure.

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[Joseph Upson]

I was just about to ask about the alignment printout. Your camber settings look like mine, the left front can use some work. If the steering wheel was VISUALLY off by that much perhaps someone needs to take a look at the steering linkage. The appearance of a steering wheel misalignment, followed by stabilitrak warning suggests it was not a fluke. There is a steering wheel position sensor present and an irregularity in the steering may have tripped the stabilitrak warning.

 

[Lifespeed]

Look for stored codes related to Stabilitrak? How many kilometers on your car? Do you hear any slight thunks or feel them in the steering wheel when entering driveways? Suspension wears, it is possible a bad bushing and/or ball joint got pushed to one end of the slop and then settled back in place. Of course if this is the case there won't just be one worn component.

While this is likely unrelated, your alignment guy appears to be one of those "good enough" types, the front camber mismatch is ridiculous! If you care about how your car drives and handles I would suggest getting it aligned correctly, not to the mile-wide window that are factory specifications. I used these performance-oriented specs and noticed a marked difference from the good enough alignment. But there isn't much point in aligning worn suspension . . .

 

[EjS]

Thanks. Its at 90.000 km. It got new bushings at 60.000 km but perhaps steering components are worn. Also got 4 new hubs as a preventive measure at 60,000 km so strange with the abs issue. Tend to believe more in steering wheel sensor which was also a pain on the 1st gen.

It goes in for service in two weeks when I have holidays so he will be asked to fix everything. Including taillights, roof drains etc.

The camber is not possible to change. We found the oe instruction but it lacked some certain screws in the suspension to do adjustments.


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[Lifespeed]

Thanks. Its at 90.000 km. It got new bushings at 60.000 km but perhaps steering components are worn. Also got 4 new hubs as a preventive measure at 60,000 km so strange with the abs issue. Tend to believe more in steering wheel sensor which was also a pain on the 1st gen.

It goes in for service in two weeks when I have holidays so he will be asked to fix everything. Including taillights, roof drains etc.

Good move on the hubs, I replaced all mine as well. It is unusual to replace bushings only, typically these are serviced as control arm assemblies. It sounds like you're careful about this aspect of maintenance, and would recognize signs of wear. And to be honest the mileage is not high enough that you are likely to be in the situation where everything is worn.

The camber is not possible to change. We found the oe instruction but it lacked some certain screws in the suspension to do adjustments.

While I admit to not having personally aligned my car (I hire this service like most) so am not intimately familiar with the adjustment mechanisms, I find it hard to believe a better result cannot be accomplished. The alignment expert I hired did comment the rear control arm adjustments were primitive and difficult, basically just elongated holes with pinch bolts through the bushings that are loosened, pryed into place, and torqued down. But that is the rear, and your alignment problem is at the front. Perhaps you should try another alignment mechanic?

The alignment you have is really not acceptable, in my opinion.

 

[Joseph Upson]

I understand as of recent that the front camber adjustment on the CTS requires a special tool that some, possibly many do not have and that might be why the left front toe was adjusted and the camber left as is. A before and after printout is a must as indeed some of the techs take a "green is good" approach to alignment.

 

[EjS]

Thanks guys. I will take the report to my mechanic. He has ocd about these things so he will align it again if necessary.


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[EjS]

Update: it is something with the new bushings I got in. They are aftermarket and should be stiff for better control during hard braking etc.

But apparently they are loose, because the whole subframe is moving just a little bit.

When I depart from home the steering wheel is like this going straight:

After turning wheel all the way to right stop it looks like this going straight:

Going in for service and I take it easy meanwhile.


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[Long]

Damn cobblestones.

 

[Lifespeed]

Damn cobblestones.

Damn aftermarket parts . . . and you guys think I'm a crazy for avoiding that junk.

 

[EjS]

Yeah we’ll see if it is tightening or new bushings needed.

When the AM bushings went in my mechanic owned the vehicle. So if they don’t work he will asked to put in oem


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[Lifespeed]

Yeah we’ll see if it is tightening or new bushings needed.

When the AM bushings went in my mechanic owned the vehicle. So if they don’t work he will asked to put in oem

Which bushings? There are many locations.

 

[HurstGN]

Which bushings? There are many locations.

Why ask? Don't you just replace them all? Sorry, couldn't help myself there.
i'll try to behave in the future.

 

[EjS]

Front subframe.


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[Lifespeed]

Why ask? Don't you just replace them all? Sorry, couldn't help myself there.
i'll try to behave in the future.

For the most part, yes. This approach has served me well, and I'll wager my gen II CTS rides and handles better than any on this forum. Not many car owners truly maintain their rides, they wear them out and sell them off all the while experiencing the fruits of their neglect as the car wears and ages. Which I have done also, depending on the car. But for me, the CTS is a keeper.

You may notice a lack of posts from me complaining about Stabilitrak errors (wheel bearings), harsh bouncy ride, which tires to make it ride better, uneven tire wear, brake pulsing, etc.

 

[wcthunder]

Update: it is something with the new bushings I got in. They are aftermarket and should be stiff for better control during hard braking etc.

But apparently they are loose, because the whole subframe is moving just a little bit.

When I depart from home the steering wheel is like this going straight:

After turning wheel all the way to right stop it looks like this going straight:

Going in for service and I take it easy meanwhile.


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DAAYUM!!!

 

[EjS]

Is it a good time to tell I was doing 250 km/h the other day...?

So pretty sure it will keep together. I will take it easy until next service.


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[Abbey]

Thought I hit some cobble stones with front left wheel yesterday. They were just up an inch or so from the tarmac. Hit them at 5 mph.

Afterwards, after 2 miles I noticed steering wheel were out of alignment. Maybe 10-20 degrees.

This morning the steering wheel seemed to be back in neutral when going straight.

What the heck?

Ordered 4 wheel alignment and front toe in was somewhat out of alignment (-0.05 instead of +0.05) and camber on front and rear also just a bit out of bounds.

I’m sceptical as to this yielding steering wheel offset?

Then, on my way to the garage suddenly I get “Stabilitrak initializing” while driving.

Am I spooked by stabilitrak???
I swear - I heard no ticking or brake booster action while the steering wheel was misaligned (as in stabilitrak working).


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