steering wobble at low speed

[ColJack]

The car ( renault meganne scenic 2.0 16V sports ) I went to look at today had a wobble in the steering wheel that concerned me ( as I decided to buy it.. it's great for the price and this was only a little concern.. )

I only got it up to about 30 on the test drive along a long straight main road ( speed cameras every 50 yards.. ) and a firm grip on the wheel stopped it, it's not like it was ripping the wheel out of my hand.
when gripping it lightly ( as I tend to do with one hand whilst driving in a straight line for any length of time ), it wobbled back and forth about an inch..
it didn't seem to affect the trajectory of the car at all, it stayed in a straight line.

The dealer said it was probably the tyres as they were a bit "soft" and needed some air, or it might be the tracking..

is he right or could it be something more sinister?

 

[diydazzler]

1 or both of the front wheels may need balancing.....does the wobble only happen at a certain speed range and then disappear ?

 

[Burnerman]

As said, more than likely to be a balancing issue.
When the wheels are off the car they can be checked for dents too - very common on our cart tracks for roads these days.
At the same time, the fitter could have a swift feel at the track rod ends for play, and signs of any spring breakage.
John

 

[ColJack]

great. so my first trip in my new car will be...

into town to tax it then down to chemix to get the wheels checked for ballance and tracking..

 

[Peter.N.]

Check the tyres for 'roundness' you can get a bulge in the tread which will cause that - especially at low speed.

 

[ColJack]

I'm going to have to get used to looking over my shoulder and using a rear view mirror again now..
I've had an escort van for the past 8 years and have adjusted my driving style to suit.. pulling square across roads so I can see out of the side windows is the thing that took most getting used to..

 

[Spark123]

Agree with it could just be a ballancing problem, when you drive it out of the dealership take it to your local independant garage and get them to give it the once over.
Does it have HID headlights? Not sure on the Scenic but I am led to believe on the Migraines that it is a major job to change a lamp

 

[pj11]

The car ( renault meganne scenic 2.0 16V sports ) I went to look at today had a wobble in the steering wheel that concerned me ( as I decided to buy it.. it's great for the price and this was only a little concern.. )

I only got it up to about 30 on the test drive along a long straight main road ( speed cameras every 50 yards.. ) and a firm grip on the wheel stopped it, it's not like it was ripping the wheel out of my hand.
when gripping it lightly ( as I tend to do with one hand whilst driving in a straight line for any length of time ), it wobbled back and forth about an inch..
it didn't seem to affect the trajectory of the car at all, it stayed in a straight line.

The dealer said it was probably the tyres as they were a bit "soft" and needed some air, or it might be the tracking..

is he right or could it be something more sinister?

HI

i supposed you have brought the car now, but dont be shy, tell the seller your buy the car if he gets the wheels balanced or swap the front wheels with the rear to see if that cures the problem.

pj

 

[ColJack]

just an update, got the car tuesday, still had the wobble..
sold my van to the scrappy today ( thursday ) so went to get the tyres and alignment checked.
needed 2 new front tyres ( 1.6mm on both, inner edges worn worse.. ) and was shown that the diver side front wheel had a visible distortion to it when spun.. ( quit how you get a "dent" in a rubber tyre still confuses me..), and was told the back ones are getting there too ( 4-5mm left )...
so I had the 2 new fronts and had the alignment checked ( don't do that many miles so the rears will last a few more months yet.. )..
sure enough with the tracking done and the 2 new fronts, no more wobble..