[whiott]

Hello All,
This is my first post to the website. Thanks to whoever put this together...it has been my primary source of info since purchasing my touareg in June. I have had several issues with my car (though I generally love it) and will talk about one here and see if I can get some help:
When I test-drove the car (I bought it in June and it had 11K miles on it) I did not notice that it tracked to the right, but after driving it for a few days I definitely did. I did some research on the problem here and found that for my car's VIN # there was a TSB from VW of A to check alignment and fix if necessary. I finally talked my dealer into doing it free (they wanted to charge me at first) and they came back and said that it checked out and did not need adjusting, and that the pulling is due to crown on road. I have had a lot of cars and have never had one pull like this when the alignment is supposedly right. Does anyone have any experience with this problem that they can share to help me get this right? It's got to be better than this!
Thanks...

 

[jos4ever]

I have a V6 model 05 with 2000 km and have also noticed the car is pulling to the right. The car is equiped with air suspension and the dealer mentioned that i need to bring the car next week late afternoon, the car can loose all air in the evening and they will fix it the morning after. Next week i will inform you with the result!

 

[Good-EG]

Interestingly enough, my Treg seemed to be just fine until I had the tires rotated at the dealer. Now it tracks slightly to the right. He offered to re-rotate the tires but I decided to live with it for now.

 

[fmorse]

pull to right

I have the same problem with the pulling to the right. I now have 14000 miles on it. It has been aligned twice, they say to two different VW specs.
I now have the third set of tires on the front. Also was given the reason of crown in the road. However does it on road that is flat. They took wheels and tires off a new one on the lot and and tried them on mine and said that it seems to improve the problem and therefore am waiting for another new set of tires. I hope that it does solve the problem as I love my Treg but I just feel I am always correcting from the pulling. No problem so far with VW paying the tab.

 

[Redneck]

The Touareg has a tighter turning circle than most SUVs 38ft. vs 40 ft., so the steering may be more sensitive to road crowning. There have been times I tought mine deviated to the right and I made sure the right front tire had 1 lb. more pressure that the left front and that solved it.

 

[boudinski]

I have a V8 with air suspension (18 inch Continentals) and also have noticed the pull to the right. On a recent 1,200 mile trip from California to Oregon and back, however, I had an opportunity to look for the pull on dozens of different freeways and highways. What I noticed was that on many roads that appeared perfectly flat, it pulled to the right. On others, it was either straight or even pulled to the left. Prior to the trip, I inflated the tires to the factory spec on the door jamb (39 front and 45 rear). My conclusion from all this is that road crown does have an impact on how the Treg behaves when you take your hands off the steering wheel.

I also have an Audi A6 Quattro all-wheel drive, which has no pull or drift at all and do find the Treg sensitivity a bit annoying and could very likely be a design flaw. I think I'll try adding a pound or two more pressure to the right front tire and see what happens.

 

[chetz]

I have enjoyed, no, loved my V8 Touareg for about one month now. Have experienced a few of the common problems reported in this site, including window condensation, jerky shifting, rough idling and pulling to the right.

Happily, my VW dealer has dealt with all these issues quickly, with the exception of the alignment problem, which is no better than the day it went into the shop.

While the road crown diagnosis seems plausible, I am not convinced that this is the cause of my less than acceptable alignment. I have road tested my truck on a 5 mile route (255/60R18), then immediately drove the same route in my wife's FX35, which has similar sized rubber (265/60R18). The Infiniti stays straight as an arrow, while the Touareg can pull a full lane to the right in about 5 to 10 seconds!

I will take this up with my dealer again, but despite this problem, I absolutely love this truck...more than the FX, even more than my previous car, a 2000 BMW 540i.

I'd be interested in hearing from other members as to whether they were able to resolve their alignment problems.

 

[ewstreet]

2004 V-6 Touareg Pulling to Right

My new Touareg pulls to the right as well. Will try the extra pressure in the right front tire. We had it at the dealer today and they checked the alignment to factory specifications and said it was fine. Then, they said the pulling to the right was a SAFETY FEATURE! ??? Has anyone heard that one? Supposedly, it's to keep you from swerving into on-coming traffic if you take your hands off the wheel. ??? Sounds like Texas B.S. to me. If anyone knows anything further about this, please let me know. I'm not happy with getting B.S'd by the dealership, especially for the amount of money I'm spending.

 

[chetz]

Pulling to the right as a safety measure is just a BS explanation!

An update on my continuing alignment woes....truck dropped off today (Friday) and dealer called to inform me they need to keep it until Monday. They have brought in a technical rep from the Alignment equipment manufacturer (Hunter) to consult with them. The dealer is suggesting that the air suspension configuration is complex and therefore is making the alignment a challenge, esp camber settings. I wonder how many others with alignment issues have air suspension equipped Touaregs?????

Fortunately, my dealer has treated me well and provided a loaded Phaeton demo until my Treg is fixed!

 

[ewstreet]

Pulling to Right BS!

Thanks for the reply. Our TREG has steel suspension (regular - no air), but that is no excuse. Glad to hear somebody got a good loaner. We were handed the keys to an '04 stock Jetta that had a trashy interior including a used straw and fast food napkins and smelled like a locker room! No dealership name, but it is located in Arlington, TX. When the dealership calls me and decides to fix my "safety problem" I will stop putting their location on the web. Unfortunately, I need this car to drive and do not have time to go back and forth for B.S. So when my tires are worn unevenly because of constantly steering to the left, they will replace them or I will be camping on their front door.

 

[GordoG]

We just purchased our V6 last Tuesday and I was out of town the rest of the week so my wife was driving it. When I FINALLY got a chance to drive my Touareg, I instantly noticed the pull to the right. I went in today and told my dealership about the problem (also the steering wheel is not centered), which I thought might be contributing to the right pull. After I made the appointment I then found this site(great site!), and printed out all the post from this thread and the one concerning the dealership making the costumer pay for the alignment and new tires due to the right pull. Also I printed out the sticky thread noted all the TSB's and gave that to the dealership. I live in RI and I havn't seen too many Touraregs on the road, so when the dealership said they havn't seen or heard of this common problem, it really didn't suprise me much. I drop the car off tomorrow and they said they will investigate the right pull, fix the steering wheel and see if my truck needs any of the TSB's (The VIN is in the 65000's, so I wouldn't think I should need to many....we'll see). The one other issue I have is the interior door framing by the side air bag is coming lose and I supect over time would only get worse, so they said they would look at that as well. Over all, the little I have driven the car has been a delight! The best car I've ever owned to this point. I'll keep the board posted on the outcome of my service vivit tomorrow.

Patrick Gallagher
V6, Venetian Green, bi-Xeon lights, leatherette interior, upgraded sound system

 

[4x4s]

Gordo, welcome :wave: , and congrats on your new Touareg! :joy:

It's short notice, but why don't you join us for the NE Fall Touareg Rally. Click the link to get to the post, then email BravoCharlie and he will send you details. It will be a great time, and we want a couple more Touaregs so we can beat the SoCal rally's count.

 

[sjwass]

GordoG - My pillar cover was also loose. Dealer replaced it.

Regarding pulling to the right, I observed this on my test drive and requested an alignment. Dealer said they aligned it but I still think it pulls right. Dealer also said its the crown of the road. BS. I've only had the Treg a week so I'm still observing & will try more air.

When a car is aligned, is there a printout that proves the alignment has been completed?

 

[KALADARE]

yea me too my T-REG turns right when I drive I thote its the tyres and I went an fixed the tyre pressure but still the same..i think i have to call the dealer an make an appointment I didn't know its that seriouse..thanks for opening my eyes more...
and one thins its for whom who didn't drive on mountains and deserts....your 4 wheel drive motor will not work after you use it many times in the desert or mountains ...here in the UNITED ARAB EMIRATES we always go to the desert and most of the people faced this problem..and am one of them

 

[GordoG]

Evening T-REG owners,
Update on my service visit today:
I dropped the T-REG off this morning at 730 to have my concerns addressed (see above 27 Set 04 post for all issues). It was not done until after 5 p.m. There were three outstanding TSB's, Update to remote control antenna BD12 (completed), Update of Power Steer/TRANS Cooler VQ12 (completed), and Trailer Module Update (no trailer hitch) not needed. An "A" Pillar was ordered to replace the pillar that holds the side air bag, dealer says it will take 2 or 3 days to come in. At that time I'll have to drop the truck off again to have it replaced. And last but certainly not least the steering wheel/right pull problem. I'm not sure how to react to this one but.....the dealerships rack required a software update in order to perform an alignment so neither the right pull or steering wheel was addressed today. As soon as they recieve the software update they will call me to bring it in for the alignment and at that time they will look to see if the off-centered steering wheel has any bearing on the right pull problem. I was kind of suprised when they said they needed the updated software for their alignment equipment. They had told me yesterday that they see an average of 2 T-Regs a week for service and none of them required an alignment? They don't have the upgrade so......I think I'll hold all negitive comments until I see how long it takes to get a call for the alignment to be done and if it's sucsessful in fixing the right pull. Anyway thats my story and I'm sticking to for now.

Patrick Gallagher
V6, Venetian Green, bi-Xeon lights, leatherette interior, upgraded sound system

 

[chetz]

Pulling to the right

Well, I am happy to report that after two attempts, my VW dealer has successfully corrected my alignment problems. I have had my truck back for three days and 200 miles later, the truck stays straight as an arrow irrespective of road crown conditions.

My dealer (VW Richmond Hill, north of Toronto) has treated me extremely well....when I picked up the truck and dropped of the Phaeton loaner (nice ride!!), they "donated" a full set of TReg monster mats to compensate me for the return alignment visit. An excellent relationship with your dealer is key as VW works through these little bugs, but they are capable of Lexus-like service!!

 

[4x4s]

Chetz - caongrats on getting it straightened out, and especially on the good relationship with your dealer.

Too bad you had to lose the saftey feature of automatically pulling to the right to avoid oncoming traffic. :confused2:

 

[Cutter]

I realize that this post does not really add much to the thread, but I thought I'd get involved. I just purchased a V8 Touareg (no air suspension)6 days ago. I absolutely love it.

I have noticed over the last three days that it does pull to the right. I haven't tried any air-pressure-manipulation because I want the dealership to "deal" with it. I don't think I should have to have 1 or 2 lbs more of pressure in one tire to have a vehicle that drives straight.

I'm calling the dealership tomorrow to tell them about the problem. I'll let you guys know what happens.

Perfect thread, BTW. I googled "Touareg" and "alignment" and found this thread. Good to know there are others with the same problem out there.

 

[Cutter]

Well I talked to the dealership. I'm bringing it in next week. They said if they find that the alignment is, indeed, off, they would definitely fix it at no charge....

 

[Cutter]

Well, I seem to be conversing with myself in this thread, but, hey, I like to hear myself talk.

I took the Reg in yesterday AM, got a spotless '05 Audi A4 3.0 as a loaner for the day.

There were two problems:
pulling to the right - they did a 4 wheel alignment and now it's fixed!
rattle in the back somewhere - also fixed! (I think it was from that privacy-cover-thingy that slides over the back cargo area; they apparently "insulated" it, and now no rattle at all!)

Overall, very satisfied with the service at my VW dealership (St. James Volkswagen in Winnipeg). :joy: