New Steering Wheel Not Centered

[yuphorix]

Hi all,

I recently had a Honda Dealer install a new steering wheel for my 06 Civic Si because I managed to damage the leather on the old one beyond repair. Afterwards, I noticed that the steering does not feel centered, even on flat roads.

I've been looking online on how steering wheels are installed and from what I understand, center the steering wheel is not an exact science but more of just eyeing it.

Could you guys help me out? Is it possible to get a steering wheel aligned perfectly centered, or is this a common problem that is difficult to overcome?

P.S. I've had my steering wheel aligned twice since I've owned this car, the last time in the past 5 months.

[Chuck D23]

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[atruhondagrl]

Take it to another dealer. Maybe. Erg. Not too sure what to say man.

[4door]

tilt your head

[SIcivic07]

well...for the paast couple months, ive had what seems to be a mis alignment with my wheels..even on flat roads, ill have my steering wheel straight as an arrow, and the car goes right...people have told me to go get the alignment to see if it fixes my problem, but i dont feel like spending the 70 bucks to get it done...other say i may have a mis aligned steering wheel, and it may not be an alignment at all...so im stumped on what to do, so the next time i go to the dealer for something, ill have them check it out.

[atruhondagrl]

Originally Posted by SIcivic07

well...for the paast couple months, ive had what seems to be a mis alignment with my wheels..even on flat roads, ill have my steering wheel straight as an arrow, and the car goes right...people have told me to go get the alignment to see if it fixes my problem, but i dont feel like spending the 70 bucks to get it done...other say i may have a mis aligned steering wheel, and it may not be an alignment at all...so im stumped on what to do, so the next time i go to the dealer for something, ill have them check it out.

Blame the roads. I do. All the roads in VA and DE seem to lean down (to drain better) really bad. I hate it. For a while, I thought it was the car.

[yuphorix]

Hey SIcivic07,

What I did was I bought a lifetime alignment from Firestone. It cost me $150, but you can take it in as many times as you like. I've had my alignment done twice in a year already and their computer has shown that both times the alignment was off by a decent amount. If you have a firestone near by, you can try seeing if they have that deal, but it's definitely worth it since a single alignment can cost anywhere from $60-70.

[Whocares05050]

Originally Posted by 4door

tilt your head

[radiocontrolhead]

You don't have to remove the steering wheel to replace the leather wrap.

[yuphorix]

After searching online, it seems that this is a common issue when installing new steering wheel. Apparently, either due to manufacturing imperfections or just installers incompetence, a new steering wheel can be off center.

Apparently doing an alignment can fix that by using a piece of equipment to center the steering wheel and then adjusting the tie rods to compensate for the misalignment.

There is some debate on whether this is considered a standard procedure or not. I do see one sort of issue. If you adjust the tie rods to compensate for the misalignment, would this affect the turn radius of a car. I'm not mechanically knowledgeable about these things so I was wondering if anyone else would know.

[Firestrife]

yes they can work on it when getting an alignment and so but you have to request it otherwise they wont do it.

[TOMMIELOEKO]

Originally Posted by 4door

tilt your head

nah.. you need to drive with a gangster lean!!!

[sjlarue]

Originally Posted by yuphorix

Hi all,

I recently had a Honda Dealer install a new steering wheel for my 06 Civic Si because I managed to damage the leather on the old one beyond repair. Afterwards, I noticed that the steering does not feel centered, even on flat roads.

I've been looking online on how steering wheels are installed and from what I understand, center the steering wheel is not an exact science but more of just eyeing it.

Could you guys help me out? Is it possible to get a steering wheel aligned perfectly centered, or is this a common problem that is difficult to overcome?

P.S. I've had my steering wheel aligned twice since I've owned this car, the last time in the past 5 months.

Happens all the time, that's the problem with a spoke that isn't keyed, or slotted. While it is almost imposable to get it perfectly centered, it should be close.

How to test:

1st test. Turn your wheel all the way to the left make a note of where the "H" is pointing is then turn it all the way to the right and make note of position. It should be equidistant from center on both sides. Meaning that if it is pointing to the left 30 degrees, it should be close to 30 degrees to the left with in 5 degrees. This is true for all Honda makes and models other than DXs. Don't ask me why, I can't figure it out myself.

2nd test. Get on a flat road. The 3 degree slant shouldn't matter, because you are checking the steering wheel, not the alignment. But if it makes you feel any better, get on a country road and straddle the lanes (!!!unsafe!!! Don't say I didn't warn you). move steering wheel so that the "H" is straight up and down. If the car moves, not drifts, one way or another it's suspect. Get back to center and let go of steering wheel, if "H" is straight up and down your OK if it points right or left, get it fixed.

BTW DON'T FIX IT YOURSELF. Unless you like getting hit with a pillow at 200 miles per hour. If you do...naughty, naughty, naughty.

[Brivis]

Originally Posted by sjlarue

BTW DON'T FIX IT YOURSELF. Unless you like getting hit with a pillow at 200 miles per hour. If you do...naughty, naughty, naughty.