Hi guys. I have a 2018 Ibiza FR 1.0 with 18in wheels (factory fitted), and am based in Mallorca, Spain. Car purchased new from Valencia and only 35,000km on the clock. Last week I finally got round to changing my 7.5yr old tyres. I ordered an exact replacement of the tyres fitted from new in the factory - 4x Continental ContiSportContact 5. Size 215/40 R18 89 W XL, from the Spanish equivalent of KwikFit (Norauto). I turned up for the appointment, new tyres fitted, quick alignment completed (an extra 52€) and I drove home during a storm. Back in the garage I noted they had fitted the wrong tyres! They fitted 4x Continental Sport Contact 7 - and also wider, sizing: 225/40 ZR18 92 Y XL (rather than 215). After some research online I established the SC7 is the newer, better tyre (the softer sidewalls significantly improve the ride over bumps compared to the CSC5) and that whilst not factory spec width, the 10mm diameter increase is less than 3% so considered “equivalent” by the Spanish MOT authority (ie. acceptable and not considered a modification). There were also some search results pointing to Ibiza and Polo owners consciously making this change to improve grip etc. The 225 size being more common, it is quite a bit cheaper than the 215 I had paid for and so the garage agreed to refund me the difference (166€). Over the weekend however I noted the car was pulling to the left with a centred steering wheel - I had to maintain a constant slight (perhaps 7 degree) right input to track straight ahead. The garage booked me in for a free repeat alignment and after 4 alignments today, several test drives and swapping the front and back wheels (independently) from left to right side, the mechanic has been unable to cure the problem. On one particular alignment he was turning and turning the bolt with no changes in the readings, before realising the LED headlights were now blinding the machine… Later he plugged in a BOSCH laptop and tried to tell the car it had wider tyres and set the full left and right travel positions, hitting enter each time, but this was unsuccessful. They have now ordered in the 215 size of the SportContact 7, rather than fit the originally ordered 215 CSC5’s that they now have in stock, as I preferred the ride of the CS7 and the mechanic suggested sticking with them. We hope going back to the 215 width will get rid of this issue of needing to make a slight (but noticeable) right input to drive straight. The alignment software has the car listed as “SEAT: 2018, IBIZA (6F0).(G01)”. I wonder if it needs more information specifically on the FR model (suspension difference etc.)? If anyone has any thoughts, suggestions or insight it would be very much appreciated before I return next week to have the 215’s fitted and a new alignment. It goes without saying I never had any similar issues over the last 7.5 years. Thanks!
VAG uses PR codes like G0x for different suspension setups. Your FR most probably has a different setup (lowered & harder springs and accordingly rated shocks) than non-FR models with standard suspension and it is possible that yours is not G01 but some other G0x code that you need to find in the alignment software before starting aligning. Not sure if this would make such a difference that could cause the problems you've been having but you would want to use correct values for the alignment anyway. Let me help you identify your suspension PR code: Send me your VIN via a private message and I'll get back to you with the code.
Cheers,
Serdar
We already had a correspondence with @Pb123 over private messages but I wanted to write here too. It may help other people too in the future.
As I guessed, his car's suspension is not G01, it is G03.
I don't know how it goes in other countries but here in my country most of the garages that offer aligning services don't know about the suspension differences or they simply don't care even if they know. They must be thinking that the difference is not important anyway.
Anyway, in my 30+ years of car ownership, I never trusted garage employees about the correct car model & suspension variant selection on the aligning machine and most of the times I instructed them to select the correct one.
Just an update. Visited the garage and they removed the 225’s and fitted the 215’s as ordered (albeit the newer SportContact 7’s instead of the 5’s).
Mechanic wanted to then test drive it before alignment and he said the tyre change alone seemed to have cured the issue (hard for me to tell from the passenger seat, and he hadn’t driven the car with the issue).
He then ran an alignment. He was the first to do this without the ignition on (keyless system) which kept the day running lights off (all others pressed the stop start button with feet off pedals so turned ignition on, engine off, activating day lights even with light switch set to zero). Day running LED’s off may have helped but only negative was potential activation of steering lock when steering wheel already braced with rubber brick and clamp (with engine off and driver door opened at end of alignment). I’ve read if the locking pin can’t find a hole and steering wheel has no movement to find one, then it can possibly damage the system.
Anyway, when he selected the car model in the computer at the start of the process, I was by his side and said we need to find a G03 option. For a “2018 Ibiza” there were only 2 options with G03 in the descriptor. One was with the 6F and the other I forget - perhaps KJ. As the previous alignment was done with 6F G01 and the suggested change was to G03, we stuck with the 6F option - although in hindsight I’m not sure if KJ G03 is the correct identifier for an FR? KJ does appear in my VIN too.
He didn’t seem to be very bothered about what option we selected and tried to suggest anything 6F (whether G01 or G03) was the same…
Either way the one we used was “SEAT, 2018, IBIZA [6F0), (G03/G09) Train Sport/Sport avec DCC”. It’s an FR but I don’t have an electronically adjustable suspension which I think is what DCC stands for (in sport mode only steering is more responsive I think). No descriptor specifically mentioned FR but this was used rather than the previous 6F G01. Post adjustment (whether to the correct values or not) the car tracks straight at least.
Mechanic wanted to then test drive it before alignment and he said the tyre change alone seemed to have cured the issue (hard for me to tell from the passenger seat, and he hadn’t driven the car with the issue).
He then ran an alignment. He was the first to do this without the ignition on (keyless system) which kept the day running lights off (all others pressed the stop start button with feet off pedals so turned ignition on, engine off, activating day lights even with light switch set to zero). Day running LED’s off may have helped but only negative was potential activation of steering lock when steering wheel already braced with rubber brick and clamp (with engine off and driver door opened at end of alignment). I’ve read if the locking pin can’t find a hole and steering wheel has no movement to find one, then it can possibly damage the system.
Anyway, when he selected the car model in the computer at the start of the process, I was by his side and said we need to find a G03 option. For a “2018 Ibiza” there were only 2 options with G03 in the descriptor. One was with the 6F and the other I forget - perhaps KJ. As the previous alignment was done with 6F G01 and the suggested change was to G03, we stuck with the 6F option - although in hindsight I’m not sure if KJ G03 is the correct identifier for an FR? KJ does appear in my VIN too.
He didn’t seem to be very bothered about what option we selected and tried to suggest anything 6F (whether G01 or G03) was the same…
Either way the one we used was “SEAT, 2018, IBIZA [6F0), (G03/G09) Train Sport/Sport avec DCC”. It’s an FR but I don’t have an electronically adjustable suspension which I think is what DCC stands for (in sport mode only steering is more responsive I think). No descriptor specifically mentioned FR but this was used rather than the previous 6F G01. Post adjustment (whether to the correct values or not) the car tracks straight at least.
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Both 6F and KJ codes refer to current generation Ibiza.
What was the other option with KJ showing regarding the suspension type, I mean was there a G0x code in it ?
They always say that. Even if you show them the service manuals with different alignment values for different suspensions, they would insist that it doesn't make a difference.
"Sport" is your FR's G03 suspension, and "Sport avec DCC" is G09, obviously the suspension with DCC.
Having both in the same option should mean their alignment values are the same.
A quick look at the official service manual titled "running gear" would most probably confirm that.
Having selected “2018 Ibiza” there were 20+ options. Only 2 had G03 in the full description. The 6F one that we selected and yes the second option (not used), which was (I think) KJ and yes it had G03 in the descriptor too (I forget what other data, wish I’d taken a photo).
I’ll attach a photo from my last visit showing on the left column the starting position (how the car was set up after 5 alignments on previous days whilst the 225’s were fitted) and the final settings the mechanic set with the 215’s on. At least L and R values are equal and the car tracks straight - even under aggressive acceleration or deceleration. To the untrained mind (mine) that seems better than the previous -0.4 on the left and +0.5 on the right.
Thanks for your time!
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