straight steering wheel

[Rodney Tidwell <rodneygt@domain.elided>]

Kevin Charles Trent <trentkc@domain.elided>Subject: 105/115 alignment
problem wrote about a crooked steering wheel after an alignment.

IME it is rare when you have an alignment done at a typical shop that
the steering wheel returns to you straight.  It doesn't matter which
type of car.  I've seen it on many. The mechanic knows how to do it
right, he just doesn't. Why? Laziness, in a hurry, forgot, etc.

I don't know the mechanical procedure to insure a straight steering
wheel. However, I do know another procedure.

You can make sure this doesn't happen.  What I do is remind the shop guy
as many times as possible and in a way that he won't forget that the
steering wheel must be straight.  If you say it enough or with the
proper mental pictures, he won't forget to do it; or, if he does, when
you point it out to him, he'll offer to redo the job, blame it on a
co-worker and require no further comment from you.

My line goes something like this: "Man, one time I had another alignment
done at a shop in [nearby city] and when I went to pick up my car, the
steering wheel was crooked.  Can you believe that - crooked wheel after
a $40 alignment. The mechanic, if you could call him that, was still
pimple faced - probably thinks steel wool is a cheap way to get sheep."
And, to further insure that this method works you can relate the
imaginary mechanic's failure to keep the wheel straight to a lack of
sexual prowess or other non-masculine traits.

This method has worked for me on a spider, a milano and a 164.

Rodney
McComb, MS

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