[kayakaddict]

Have a 2014 TDI LUX with SWS off and on since new. After having gone through what many in this forum have, we now have new Michelin Latitudes and life was good until the 10k maintenance (tire rotation and balance). After that it came back and they can't get rid of it. Our dealer notified the QTM from VW (?) and he told them to order a new steering gear. He said this gear is newly designed in 2015 and will fix our problem? Anyone heard of this "new steering gear"? Haven't read all the threads in here, but I don't recall any mentioning this? Part should be in next week, fingers crossed.

 

[MK__]

If your dealer is like mine, they can't for the life of them properly install the wheels. I gave them the TSB, everything, steering wheel came back shaking after service every thime. I finally went to Harbor Freight, bought a jack that can lift the Tuareg properly, loosened up the lug bolts and torqued them down myself in star pattern and my wheel shake went away.

I hope the steering gear will be an improvement, if it is, I'll be sure to ask my dealer about it.

_MK

Have a 2014 TDI LUX with SWS off and on since new. After having gone through what many in this forum have, we now have new Michelin Latitudes and life was good until the 10k maintenance (tire rotation and balance). After that it came back and they can't get rid of it. Our dealer notified the QTM from VW (?) and he told them to order a new steering gear. He said this gear is newly designed in 2015 and will fix our problem? Anyone heard of this "new steering gear"? Haven't read all the threads in here, but I don't recall any mentioning this? Part should be in next week, fingers crossed.

 

[noddahTDI]

I have the same 2014 TDI LUX and tires as you and have had the steering gear changed out.

In my case everything was fine till 4k and then started having the cold tire issues followed by a tire rotation at around 7k where the steering point left and the vehicle drift to the right. "Normal SWS behavior" The next step came to play where I had an alignment, steering rack replacement and rfb. (This almost but did not quite fix the problem) Now I have the Latitudes and am back at the cold tire issues with a slight right to the steering wheel to the right until the tires warm up. (Shakes still come and go even after warm / approx 20 miles - but not as force full)

No... I was told the steering gear is not new.

 

[kayakaddict]

After our Latitudes were installed, we had 7k of "shake free" driving. Only after the rotation and balance at 10k did it come back. After the 10k they told me 2 tires were out of balance, but after rebalancing the shake was still there. Now the steering gear(?). Interesting to hear this part has been redesigned in 2015 and that there's nothing official from VW out there stating that. Heard about this from my service tech. at the dealer who was told by the VW QTM. Will post my findings once the parts installed and I've got some miles on it. Hopefully I'll have some good news.

 

[OsirisTDI]

With two Touaregs, 2012 & 2016, I have had the SWS with both vehicles. IMO, SWS is fixed by mounting the tire/wheel with the tire carrier at Noon position, I apply sequential star-pattern amounts of torque until all bolts are at 140 lb/ft. Of course, I assume your wheels & tires are without issues.

If you are unable to DIY, your dealer service folks should welcome you to the bay to watch the wheel mounting.

I would stay away from anyone replacing steering parts, overall, Touaregs are put together very well the first time.

Also, you should pay attention to the amount of wheel weights the techs use to balance the wheel & tire. My experience has led me to purchase Porsche spec rubber, N0, N1... The tires with the Porsche spec are several pounds lighter than a non-spec tire the same size and balance with fewer wheel weights.

 

[OsirisTDI]

I think all Latitudes for the Lux factory wheels are at least on a N0 spec.

 

[noobytoogy]

Toured tires normally wear pretty evenly.

I would definitely NOT rotate them.

Put the wheels back where they were and torque them as per the TSB to 133 ft lbs.

 

[m-fine]

I agree first step would be to put them back as was, hand torque in a star pattern in several steps until you reach 133. If there is still a shake, have someone else test balance. If that checks out OK, I might consider letting them try the steering gear.

As of now it is to coincidental that something would go bad in the steering gear just as some low paid tech rotated your wheels as quickly and cheaply as possible. If you didn't watch, I would bet they used an impact wrench and paid no attention to the star pattern or torquing them up in steps to an even 133 ft-lbs. that takes too much time and physical effort.

 

[182RG]

I think all Latitudes for the Lux factory wheels are at least on a N0 spec.

Non-Porsche spec tires work just fine, too. This isn't a factor.

 

[OsirisTDI]

The weight of the unsprung tire does matter, less mass = less imbalance given the same size of the rubber is my point.

 

[m-fine]

The weight of the unsprung tire does matter, less mass = less imbalance given the same size of the rubber is my point.

But the Porsche rating does not actually mean the tire weighs less. For example, the Pirelli Scorpion Verde in 275/45/20 110V XL come in a regular and a N rated version. The regular weighs 34lbs per tire and the N0 one weighs MORE at 35lbs. One pound won't make any difference on whether a tire can be balanced.

The Porsche rating means the tire was tested to meet their specifications on speed, dry and wet grip, noise etc. and I do not believe weight is a specific criteria.

So, I have to agree with Mr. Skylane, the N rating is a non-factor.

 

[Spiegelglatt]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know why the T3 suffers from this versus the T2--what specific part is responsible? If simply installing the wheel correctly is the solution (as I seem to read on here), why wasn't this an issue on the T2?--my T2 has been abused at the dealer the same way and never an issue (meaning idiots with air tools that tighten one lug at a time).

Does it seem like a part was changed that essentially allowed the wheel to be installed off center? Never understood this.

 

[OsirisTDI]

I cannot speak to the T2's, however, with our T3's (150k total operating miles) we purchase the lightest weight all-season tire.

 

[throttlelink]

I am convinced that a properly mounted wheel is the solution to this problem. Last year, when I had new summer tires and wheels mounted to my Touareg, I had the first appearance of the dreaded steering wheel shake. Once I detected the problem, I had the tires road force balanced and watched to make sure the tires were installed per the the tsb regarding steering wheel shake(hanger at 12:00, bolts tightened in a star patern incrementally, etc.). Once I had this done, there was no steering wheel shake, and my treg drives smooth as silk.

Fast forward to spring of this year. I have an Audi allroad that I use as my daily driver. I have a separate set of snow tires mounted on the oem wheels(18") that I use for winter. I had a tire shop switch out the winters for a previously mounted set of after market wheels(19") with slightly wider summer tires on Thursday. To my dismay, I had a slight amount of steering wheel shake on my way home. I had the summer tires and wheels road forced balanced and installed the previous summer with no shakes at all. Given my experience with the Touareg, I decided to reinstall myself the summer set with a similar installation procedure to the tsb, given that it is a 60 mile round trip to the tire store and I have access to an enclosed shop. I only had a floor jack and no jack stands, so I did not rotate each wheel hub to the 12:00 position, but I was very careful to tighten the lug bolts in a progressive, star pattern using a wheel hanger. Long story short, I have now eliminated steering wheel shake in two VAG products just by using a disaplined mounting procedure that used to be the norm. I am sure that the original switchover on the Allroad was preformed as quickly as possible with an air gun and no regard to tourque specs, pattern or progressive tightening.

These are finely engineered vehicles and require an attention to detail that is hard to find in service shops not familiar with our vehicles. I am happy to trade a little aggravation finding the correct service procedures for our vehicles in exchange for a driving experience that can not be duplicated with other vehicle makes.

 

[Spiegelglatt]

Here is what I wonder: (note that I have never worked on a T3) on my T2s I can say fitting lugs into the front (or rear) wheels is a pretty precise task. When lifting a wheel onto the truck, it can be held in place by being just snug enough to remain there w/o any lug bolts in place (or person / thing holding it there). You can rotate left / right to align wheel, rotor, and knuckle to thread in your lug bolts. As you progressively tighten in star you can visibly see the wheel seat--BUT it would remain dead center even if you gently cinch it flush with one bolt (not recommended).

It seems like either the wheel itself or the component that centers the wheel has more play on the T3?

 

[noobytoogy]

I agree. I never had any problem on my T1 with either myself or others removing and replacing wheels -and they were off three times for tire replacements, once for new rotors all round, and several times for puncture repairs - and I never even bothered with a torque wrench, just used an extended wheel brace to pull the lugs up tight, albeit in the traditional star pattern.

 

[kayakaddict]

Update on my thread a month or two ago…. Dealer changed the steering gear and I've put appx. 1,000 miles on our Touareg w/o any shake. Been out in different temps, road conditions, speeds, and have had no shake whatsoever. As mentioned before, the VW QTM (who I presume is the regional tech. advisor/engineer for VW) told our dealer this steering gear was newly designed in 2015 and would correct the SWS. Part number for this gear is 7P6 422 063 EX. Seems like many in this forum have had success either following the TB, or with the latitudes, but for those who haven't, maybe this will help.

 

[noobytoogy]

Thanks for coming back. One or two others had a new steering rack [?] a good while ago which didn't work for them so it's good to have part number.

Glad you're sorted.

 

[s7000]

Wow!
That is a $1400 part.
No telling what the install cost is or the time and labor if I attempt myself.

All that out of pocket expense to fix a factory known flaw eh?

Thanks for the info!

I'm not real happy about the situation though, to say the least.

 

[kayakaddict]

Dealer told me it was a day + job to change the steering gear/rack, whatever it is, and I have no doubt the parts expensive, but thankfully we're still under warranty. We'll have fingers crossed for awhile as we've had success before only to have the SWS come back. Lot of frustration with this recurring problem, especially when our nearest dealer's about an hour away, but overall we've been very pleased with the vehicle and our dealers willingness to help correct the problem.