Unstable at speeds and wheel off centre brand new car

[GringAddict]

Hi, hope you are all well.
I’ve just got my cupra ateca a few weeks back 300 miles I’ve done so far and want to check if anyone has the same “problems” as I do..
Firstly, the steering wheel is not dead on centre, when it is straight the car is headed right ever so slightly, now I don’t know if they set it up this way to counter camber on our roads off to the left but it also links into the second problem for me..
The car is very unstable on the motorway. I’ve had SUVs before albeit bigger ones but they’ve always been stable at speed, this is anything but stable which I would expect for a 1700 odd kg car even with the terrible drag. It veers around as if there is 100mph winds constantly, especially between 70-90 it’s very noticeable. Does yours have this? Are they just terrible on the motorway? It almost feels dangerous you constantly have to counter just to go in a straight line, below 70 is fine but anything above is just off the charts.
How do yours perform, and are your steering wheels “straight”?
(have already booked for geometry alignment at suspension secrets due to this, it feels like it’s badly out of tolerance and is quite annoying)
Going to Germany in 2 weeks and there’s no way I’d drive this at double our speed limits the way it is, I don’t even think you could do at the minute.
Thanks in advance

 

[CosmicBlue]

There is an immediate clue in that the steering wheel isn't 'straight', it wasn't made that way. Either before you took delivery or since something has knocked the suspension geometry out of specification. Given the dreadful pot-holed state of the roads the opportunity to do serious damage is ever-present.

It looks like you are going to visit the type of company that will provide a proper 4-wheel alignment check and adjustment - you should expect a before and after print-out of the results. Did you have the Ateca from new?

 

[GringAddict]

There is an immediate clue in that the steering wheel isn't 'straight', it wasn't made that way. Either before you took delivery or since something has knocked the suspension geometry out of specification. Given the dreadful pot-holed state of the roads the opportunity to do serious damage is ever-present.

It looks like you are going to visit the type of company that will provide a proper 4-wheel alignment check and adjustment - you should expect a before and after print-out of the results. Did you have the Ateca from new?

Thank you. I wasn’t sure if this was supposed to be like it is for counter camber as I’ve heard that before but never experienced it on any of my cars. I got the car brand new but it had 75 miles on the clock when I got it, and was like this already which is why I was unsure. I always avoid pot holes and slow down to crawl for bumps even in bigger cars for this reason so it seems whatever the 75 miles were they involved a rally stage

yes suspensionsecrets are very good had them set up most of my cars including track cars, so I’ll just have to get it recorded and see if I can get dealer to refund me for the work! Doubtful..

 

[Terry99]

Hope you get it sorted. Sounds like damage during delivery. An out of line steering wheel would have been picked up before leaving the factory. I think I’d have left it with the dealer to sort out.

 

[GringAddict]

Hope you get it sorted. Sounds like damage during delivery. An out of line steering wheel would have been picked up before leaving the factory. I think I’d have left it with the dealer to sort out.

Thanks appreciate that, it had 75 miles delivery so seems they did a day of off-roading ha. It’s in at cupra on the 26th so I’ll update the post when it’s back out!

 

[KarlW300]

Thanks appreciate that, it had 75 miles delivery so seems they did a day of off-roading ha. It’s in at cupra on the 26th so I’ll update the post when it’s back out!

How did you get on mate?
Did Cupra resolve your issues with the steering wheel etc?

 

[GringAddict]

How did you get on mate?
Did Cupra resolve your issues with the steering wheel etc?

Hi mate, no they didn’t. It went in and came back out the same day with nothing more than “it’s safe”.. I said yes, but isn’t *right* though, and left. Went to suspensionsecrets paid for alignment myself along with a racingline bushes kit for the subframe to stop it jumping out again due to the oversize holes they now have. Drives 1000x better than it did!
Have ordered bilstein full set up now to lower, add camber and doing some spacers at the same time. Won’t be going back to cupra for anything that isn’t literally necessity now after that either!

 

[KarlW300]

Hi mate, no they didn’t. It went in and came back out the same day with nothing more than “it’s safe”.. I said yes, but isn’t *right* though, and left. Went to suspensionsecrets paid for alignment myself along with a racingline bushes kit for the subframe to stop it jumping out again due to the oversize holes they now have. Drives 1000x better than it did!
Have ordered bilstein full set up now to lower, add camber and doing some spacers at the same time. Won’t be going back to cupra for anything that isn’t literally necessity now after that either!

Hi mate
Glad you got it fixed although its not good that a brand new car came like this and then the Cupra main dealer said it was fine.
Take it the steering wheel is now dead centre and the car drives true on a flat straight road?
Out of interest was the car out of alignment specs?
What caused the oversized holes?
Is it worth writing to Cupra UK and showing them the evidence of the issues and maybe trying to get some compensation?

Cheers Karl