I have about 900 miles on my new Clubman. Since the day I picked it up, I thought the steering wheel was a little off. Over the last week or so I have been trying to figure out if its the suspension, the roads, or my head that need work.

I have determined that when going dead straight the wheel is a few degrees off in the clockwise direction, as though you are trying to make a very gradual right hand sweep. Its not the noticeable until you correct the wheel and the car crosses the yellow line. I have gone through this exercise on many different roads to ensure its not the pitch of the road. I also checked my tires and found that the right side was about 2 lbs higher than the right, but even after bringing them all to the same PSI, I still have the same problem.

Has anyone else had to have their new Clubman's alignment adjusted shortly after taking ownership. Am I crazy to expect a new car to track perfectly straight with the wheel perfectly centered. I guess this wouldn't be such an issue in a car with a lot of play in the wheel, but the sport button exacerbates this issue.

 

Yes you are crazy to expect that, at least that's what the dealer would tell you.

It sounds as if it may be farther out that what you expect but i have never had a car that was PERFECT at this. They all seem to have some (maybe a degree or two) variation. Much of it depends, I believe, on how well the alignment shop gets the steering wheel straight/level before finishing the alignment.

I can say that mine is off about two maybe three degrees. but i don't let it bother me as long as the tires are not wearing.

Just my 0.02 cents

 

My Clubman had the same problem at around 1800 mi. The steering wheel was not centered and it was bugging the heck out of me. A trip to the shop resulted in an alignment under warranty and everything has been straight ever since. The car has about 10,000 mi on it now.

 

Okay, that's not strictly speaking alignment. If you're on flat straight road and you take your hands off the wheel, and the car tracks straight (regardless of the position of the wheel), then the alignment is pretty close, if not completely correct. What's off is the position of the wheel on the steering shaft (or what passes for a steering shaft in a car with electric PS). Either way, the dealer should be able to fix it pretty easily.

 

Thanks for the feedback! I have an appointment on Monday.

 

Yes, the car tracks straight so the problem is the alignment of the wheel. I assume that the wheel is keyed to the shaft somehow to prevent misalignment, but maybe not?

 

So the dealer had two folks test the alignment via a test drive. I am sure they only went around the block. They say there is nothing wrong, and if it's off then its not much and I shouldn't mess with it.

I gave it a couple of days and called back today to tell them that answer does not suffice for two reasons. One, that is a subjective response to a problem that should have an objective solution, i.e, actually checking the alignment. Two, I drive at least 50 miles a day on all types of roads and it continually looks as if I am slightly turning into the curb.

They responded that the crown of the road could be playing tricks, but if that was the case, wouldn't I be turning aware from the curb assuming it slopes to my right. Anyhow, he said that they leave the factory perfect and MINI does not pay for alignments ($230) so unless they can find fault, its my dime.

I am having the shop foreman test drive the car (with me) next week. Hopefully he agrees and they will do something about it. I cannot wait to get the next survey!

Can anyone do an alignment on a MINI, or is the dealer the best option?

 

My '08 Clubman (5k miles) tracks perfectly, and the steering wheel is dead-on centered. I had a steering wheel alignment issue similar to yours on my old '02 BMW wagon. I had an alignment done by the dealer (about $175), and that fixed the steering wheel issue. I would expect a car with under 1K miles to have a perfectly aligned steering wheel, and to track straight. Call the MINI customer hotline if the dealer won't fix it to see if they can help get your problem solved.

 

yep, it should be straight. I think alignments are covered under waranty until 2000 miles.