Hi guys,

I've been driving my Fabia vRS around for just over a week now and there's one problem that's become immediately apparent - it won't seem to go in a straight line!

The car has already been into the dealer to be looked at but they could find nothing wrong with it and reckoned to have checked wheel alignment, suspension, geometry, tyre pressures etc. All found to be within tolerance. Judging by the ODO they've been out in it for around 10 - 15 miles too so they've obviously road tested it.

I've ruled out torque steer and tyre pressures as being causes and thought it must be to do with the road camber or something like that. Even on as flat a road as I could find though, i.e. several different parts of the motorway, the car still has a tendency to drift left if I let go of the steering wheel. I can even feel myself holding the steering wheel slightly to the right as I'm driving along - surely this can't be right?

Chris, the service manager, suggested that I drive the car for around 1500 miles and see if the problem sorts itself out, otherwise I should bring it back in for them to locate the problem.

Aside from the door cards buzzing, this problem is literally driving me nuts!

Has anyone else had this problem or is it just me?

Might be worth swapping the wheels front to rear, I had one doing the same and a tyre wasnt made right with a tread deviation which was causing it to pull.

Failing that get a four wheel alignment done through the dealer with a computer print out so verify everything is top notch.

Agree with having a proper 4-wheel alignment being done. Not all main dealers have this facility as it's a proper bit of kit, not the usual you see down the local Kwik-fit.

Do a local search for quality tyre dealers who have the equipment Scott, last time I had mine done on the Touran it cost me £50 and changed the cars handling ( last summer on holiday in Gt. Yarmouth of all places ).

At that mileage I would have thought it would be done under warranty and for a dealer to claim that they need a before and after printout on an approved type of machine so it should be a propper 4WA.

mine drives to the near side skoda say it due to the road camber

mine drives to the near side skoda say it due to the road camber

Exactly what my dealer told me but I don't believe that for a second.

I've been lucky enough to own several new cars in my relatively short but colourful driving career and not one of those cars has ever had a problem like this.

I drive the same roads I've always driven yet all of a sudden these roads cause my car to drift to the nearside? I'm not buying that load of bullish*t.

I'm ringing the dealer again next week with both the buzzing door cards (all but one door would you believe?) and the steering issue. I'm not taking the car back until they fix both issues as I haven't got the time or patience to be fobbed off with 'could be' explanations.

I don't know what the cause of the steering issue is but it sure is hell not the road camber!

Edited 29 January, 201115 yr by scottpcs

Sounds like it could be alingment. Agree that the usual tyre dealer kit is very poor. I once got mine done by Farmer autocare and left with the same fault as yours with a definate pull to the side. Got it fixed at another garage and fine again.

Bodyshops tend to have the best kit for alingment, got a my passat checked by one through a VW dealer and the report I got back was very comprehensive. Why not try their demo to see if it is any different?

Sounds like it could be alingment. Agree that the usual tyre dealer kit is very poor. I once got mine done by Farmer autocare and left with the same fault as yours with a definate pull to the side. Got it fixed at another garage and fine again.

Bodyshops tend to have the best kit for alingment, got a my passat checked by one through a VW dealer and the report I got back was very comprehensive. Why not try their demo to see if it is any different?

Basically I'm thinking that as the car is brand new, why should I inconvenience myself by going to different garages?

There is a definite pull to the left and I can't believe the technicians at my dealer thought there's nothing wrong with it. Even with a severe camber, the car shouldn't immediately start pulling to the left as much as it does.

It could be tyre tread alignment or some other sort of alignment but whatever the reason, my local dealer will have to sort as it it's under warranty. If they don't have the kit to sort it then they better find somewhere that does but I'm not doing the work for them. I've had words with Chris, their service manager on more than one occasion so he knows I won't tolerate much more (or should do by now!)

Slightly worrying that I'm not the only one with this problem though?

Basically I'm thinking that as the car is brand new, why should I inconvenience myself by going to different garages?

Because

A) You want to get this sorted

You'll know if garage has been spinning a line to you

C)You might get it sorted

D) If you do then get it sorted, or have evidence that there is a problem you can:-

1) get supplying dealer to pay for this check

2)Will know not to take the car to same gobsh*tes for any servicing.

Also, I'm pretty sure there were plenty threads of a similiar vein with regard to the previous Fabia model - although I have to admit that I never experienced this with mine.

Edited 30 January, 201115 yr by PD75

I'd be tempted to think this was an alignment issues as suggested. However I'd also want to eliminate the braking system, so might be worth from cold having a run without using the brakes too much for a few miles, then checking if there's any obvious difference in temperature between each pair of callipers.

Also with all the electronic aides maybe an issues with one of these ??

Good luck.

*UPDATE*

I've just heard from my dealer that the car is now sorted.

Turns out that after an inspection by a specialist, the alignment on the left hand side was out by 1 degree, but within tolerance according to Skoda. Apparently the right hand side would have been set to within the same tolerance and was also out by this amount - this caused the car to drift to the left.

Due to UK roads being cambered to the left, the car should be setup to compensate for this so the specialist adjusted the car to be within 'true' spec and not simply 'within tolerance' as set by Skoda. According to their technician the car now runs straight and true.

I'm rather relieved that the problem has been cured but also a little apprehensive as I haven't tested it out yet (I pick the car up tomorrow from the dealer as I'm in Hull at the moment, some 70 miles away from my dealer.)

Once I've tested the car fully I'll report back with the final conclusion.

Scott, don't worry. In my experience, it's nearly always a slight front wheel alignment issue as you have been told, or a tyre issue. In 30 years as a tech I never came across a new car that had any other problem causing it. There's always a first time though! Hope it's sorted now.

Glad it sounds like its all sorted, I know how much it would of bothered me.

Glad to say the car is much better now. I can really feel the difference, it took long enough to get there!

Even though the car has been in the garage for 4 days it's still got to go back in unfortunately for some new rear speakers that are on back order. Once these have been sorted, along with the usual door rattling / buzzing problems we all seem to get on new cars, I can really start to enjoy the new motor!

I was going to say if its any consolation, my last Golf Mk5 Bluemotion and my current Mk6 GT both came with their steering wheels slightly off centre.

With the Mk5 it really bugged me so go my local dealer to do a full 4 wheel allignment; dropped it back at the office and they'd completely buggered it. In a straight line the steering wheel was about 30 - 35 degrees off centre! What annoyed me even more is that some pleb had driven it back to me and it would have been obvious it wasnt right! Had to go back again and their "allignment specialist" fixed it but it was never quite right.

My Mk6 has the same issue but from my last experience I havent bothered having it addressed.

Also my door cards rattle quite badly with certain types of bass when I turn my stereo up. Sounds good but they clearly arent that well insulated. Where as the Mk4 was completely over engineered for quality (but drove badly) the Mk5 and 6 are produced more cheaply but drive well.

A mate at VW told me that it cost VW as much to develop independent rear suspension for the Mk5 as it did to develop the entire Mk4, hence why material and build quality dropped through the floor when the Mk5 was produced.

I'd say its likely a similar thing with the Fabia, I doubt the Fabia 2 is as well built as the Fabia 1 as in order to modernise certain things they've had to save cost on others, namely materials and build complexity.

I got a VW because I thought it wouldnt rattle.....it does a bit and I've got to the point where I'll just live with it.....damn sight nicer than any Astra or Focus in any case and about as close as I'll get to an Audi for the time being!

I got a VW because I thought it wouldnt rattle.....it does a bit and I've got to the point where I'll just live with it.....damn sight nicer than any Astra or Focus in any case and about as close as I'll get to an Audi for the time being!

That's what turned me off VWs a few years ago - they weren't any better built and in most cases actually felt less well built than the Skodas. At the same time they were (and still do) charge a premium for supposedly better quality and a couple of grand on top of that for the badge.

I disagree with the build quality of the Mk II Fabia over the Mk I. I was fortunate enough to have owned a Mk I Fabia vRS and the build quality of this one feels much better compared to the original overall. Even the Mk I Fabia had its fair share of rattles and buzzing but this was all sorted out under warranty.

Dealer service at VW I've always found to be of a poor standard and more often than not the car would leave with more problems than it went in with. I can only speak for the 2 or 3 VW dealers I've dealt with in the past but none were any better than the other. The last VW I owned was a Mk IV Golf TDI SE which was a cracking car but since the Mk V I've not bothered with them for a number of reasons but mainly due to poor dealer service and VW build quality. Since then I've stuck with my Skodas (I'm on my 3rd one now.)

When this one goes back in for the speakers replacing, the dealer has offered to pack out the doors with sound deadening material in order to eradicate the buzzing. It's only at certain frequencies and the overall sound is lovely compared to pretty much any other small car in its class.

I've never had a problem with steering alignment until now though. Having driven a fair few cars in my short but colourful life I've never had one that doesn't run straight and true on a flat road!

I've got to say I have noticed this on my car. Just a tendency to pull to the left ever so slightly. It's not too bad and I didn't worry about it as when I was reading reviews prior to buying I came across this as one of the "quirks" with the car. Can't remember which review it was. I do hope the OP will report as to whether the wheel alignment cures the problem as I will take mine back for the same fix if it does.

I've got to say I have noticed this on my car. Just a tendency to pull to the left ever so slightly. It's not too bad and I didn't worry about it as when I was reading reviews prior to buying I came across this as one of the "quirks" with the car. Can't remember which review it was. I do hope the OP will report as to whether the wheel alignment cures the problem as I will take mine back for the same fix if it does.

It's as cured as it's ever going to be. I must stress that it was only after a trip to a specialist that an alignment problem was found and even then it was only by 1 degree on either side of the car. Big wheels and low profile tyres on a small car will only exaggerate the problem too.

To be perfectly honest, most cars will drift slightly to the left, eventually, simply due to the camber of UK roads but it should never 'pull' nor 'drift' to one side or the other with immediate effect.

After the alignment correction, my car does feel much better and I'd recommend you have your car looked at if you feel it drifts to the left (or right) IMMEDIATELY after you release the steering wheel on a straight and flat road (I recommend a large, empty car park for this.) Obviously I must stress that having no hands on the steering wheel is NOT recommended under normal circumstances and should only be tested in a safe environment, not a public road.

According to my dealer, Skoda have denied that this is a known issue and that to their knowledge, no customer has made a complaint about it so far. That means that the problem is either isolated to my car only or many owners are accepting that this is a 'characteristic' of the car.

Just be sure that it's not torque steer or adverse camber that's causing the car to drift but otherwise get it booked in at the dealer. I'm glad I did and I can now enjoy the car properly

It's as cured as it's ever going to be. I must stress that it was only after a trip to a specialist that an alignment problem was found and even then it was only by 1 degree on either side of the car. Big wheels and low profile tyres on a small car will only exaggerate the problem too.

To be perfectly honest, most cars will drift slightly to the left, eventually, simply due to the camber of UK roads but it should never 'pull' nor 'drift' to one side or the other with immediate effect.

After the alignment correction, my car does feel much better and I'd recommend you have your car looked at if you feel it drifts to the left (or right) IMMEDIATELY after you release the steering wheel on a straight and flat road (I recommend a large, empty car park for this.) Obviously I must stress that having no hands on the steering wheel is NOT recommended under normal circumstances and should only be tested in a safe environment, not a public road.

According to my dealer, Skoda have denied that this is a known issue and that to their knowledge, no customer has made a complaint about it so far. That means that the problem is either isolated to my car only or many owners are accepting that this is a 'characteristic' of the car.

Just be sure that it's not torque steer or adverse camber that's causing the car to drift but otherwise get it booked in at the dealer. I'm glad I did and I can now enjoy the car properly

Cheers mate, I'll let you know how I get on. It was most noticeable on the motorway where I just aways had the feeling I was having to keep pressure on the steering wheel to keep it straight. I think it's possible to know by experience what is camber and what is the car pulling and mine is definitely the latter. I have just been up the A16 and on a long clear stretch was able to straddle the centre line of the road and still, with hands off the wheel I would eventually end up in the nearside ditch!. Got to say it is VERY minor but noticeable.

Had the alignment checked. 2deg out on nearside they said. Checked tyres and they are fine. Feels better but I haven't had chance to do more than a couple of miles so will report if there is anything. Just on the above remark about possible build quality Mk11 vs Mk1. I've owned both and got to say there is no difference except as you'd expect Mk11 feels more modern. Oh! and I never EVER want to go back to the leaky rear doors of the Mk1 thanks!! Both great cars though.

That's what turned me off VWs a few years ago - they weren't any better built and in most cases actually felt less well built than the Skodas. At the same time they were (and still do) charge a premium for supposedly better quality and a couple of grand on top of that for the badge.

I disagree with the build quality of the Mk II Fabia over the Mk I. I was fortunate enough to have owned a Mk I Fabia vRS and the build quality of this one feels much better compared to the original overall. Even the Mk I Fabia had its fair share of rattles and buzzing but this was all sorted out under warranty.

Dealer service at VW I've always found to be of a poor standard and more often than not the car would leave with more problems than it went in with. I can only speak for the 2 or 3 VW dealers I've dealt with in the past but none were any better than the other. The last VW I owned was a Mk IV Golf TDI SE which was a cracking car but since the Mk V I've not bothered with them for a number of reasons but mainly due to poor dealer service and VW build quality. Since then I've stuck with my Skodas (I'm on my 3rd one now.)

When this one goes back in for the speakers replacing, the dealer has offered to pack out the doors with sound deadening material in order to eradicate the buzzing. It's only at certain frequencies and the overall sound is lovely compared to pretty much any other small car in its class.

I've never had a problem with steering alignment until now though. Having driven a fair few cars in my short but colourful life I've never had one that doesn't run straight and true on a flat road!

I'm not too sure I agree that Skoda's necessarily are better built that VW's. Both are on a reasonable par I think. Without doubt the quality of the interior plastics and fit and finish detailing are better on a VW (only have to sit in a MK6 Golf to appreciate this) but i'd go as far to say that they are probably bolted together just as well.

That said the two Fabia's I test drove (both 60 plates with approx 4K on the clock) both had their share of rattles which was a little disappointing.

My dad had a MK4 Golf GT TDi 110 years ago and the quality was on another level back then, everything was so slick from the aluminium boot struts to the sound system which was simply fantastic (no Golf since has had such a good one)problem was they didnt drive particularly nicely (well they rolled around like a sponge pudding unless you had sports suspension, then they just cracked your teeth!). The move to the MK5 did reduce the quality feel somewhat but they did drive much better (on account of most of the development budget being spent on the cars new independant rear suspension).

I love the Fabia vRS as its basically a Polo GTi for a lot less dough. Wife wanted a small & cheap estate car with an auto box, I wanted something that was going to be alot of fun to drive and we both wanted to stay with VAG if we could. This was the only car that fitted the bill!

Edited 12 February, 201115 yr by pipsyp

The car is going back to the dealer AGAIN on Tuesday for this issue.

Although it's better (slightly) than it was before, it's still not right and it's really spoiling my enjoyment of the car now.

Having to put pressure on the steering wheel just to keep the car going straight isn't right surely? As soon as I stop putting pressure on the steering wheel it 'snaps' to the left by a degree or two. This is enough to start the car heading off to the left with immediate effect.

Interestingly, the steering wheel has more resistance when turning it to the right than turning it to the left. It's not apparent when stationary but once moving it's noticeable. Don't know if this has anything to do with the problem but I've noticed it all the same.

What's worrying now is that the dealer reckons to have checked all the wheels, changed the tyres round and even had the setup checked by a specialist and all is within tolerance. What they can do now is beyond me.

Well, the car is in the dealer again today and guess what - no fault found.

I spoke to their stand-in manager about half an hour after I dropped the car off who said that 2 technicians had taken the car out and both thought the car was ok. The only thing they did notice was the steering wheel moving 'slightly' left when in a straight line but otherwise they both came back saying there's no fault.

It was a very awkward conversation with the manager as he said that he couldn't correct a fault that as far as he's concerned doesn't exist. The last word was that he'd contact Skoda direct today to see what else can be done.

So I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. Skoda say there's no fault, I say there is.

What on earth do I do now??

Well, the car is in the dealer again today and guess what - no fault found.

I spoke to their stand-in manager about half an hour after I dropped the car off who said that 2 technicians had taken the car out and both thought the car was ok. The only thing they did notice was the steering wheel moving 'slightly' left when in a straight line but otherwise they both came back saying there's no fault.

It was a very awkward conversation with the manager as he said that he couldn't correct a fault that as far as he's concerned doesn't exist. The last word was that he'd contact Skoda direct today to see what else can be done.

So I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. Skoda say there's no fault, I say there is.

What on earth do I do now??

Bring forward the project of new suspension to make the car into a go-cart, and have it fitted and set-up correctly so it only ever pulls straight.

It isn't the best suspension as I found last week, got it tied into a right knot on a set of twisties I ride all the time on the bike. Hard on the brakes on a left hander the back end stepped out pretty well (you have to find the limit of the car somehow :p )

FIXED!! Well and truly this time it seems.

After a 'minor adjustment to the steering column' it's now where it should've been from the start.

Went out for a test drive with the manager and when we came back I couldn't thank him enough.

Took some time to get there but at least I'm happy... for now!

Just waiting for a certain back order of rear speakers to complete the set now. Let's hope they arrive soon but 2 weeks already and still no ETA. Grrrrrrr!