Tdi pd 130 Ibiza FR pulls to left

[Fangio]

Hello folks..
I wonder if anyone can help.
My 55 plate Ibiza Fr Tdi 130 pulls to the left, under hard acceleration quite strongly.
This has only started since having new tyres fitted. Not a change of tyre type but exactly as originally fitted.
The car has not been kerbed, potholed etc and I have not as yet had the tracking checked.
I wonder if anyone can help or has experienced the same problem.
Other than that, and the road noise, I like my little buzz bomb
All the best and thanks in advance.
ps Mileage is around the 24k mark

 

[mhill]

get a four wheel alignment done and all should be sorted!

 

[Fangio]

get a four wheel alignment done and all should be sorted!

Thank you I was going to get that doen at DTS tyres in Worthing who offer a really good service.
I see you are buying the same car and appreciate you already own and Ibiza but here are a few of my thoughts on the Tdi Fr for what they are worth.
I have to say that I am very pleased with mine, especially the performance/economy angle. Driven reasonably it will produce an mpg figure well into the 50's (40's if you use the performance to the full) and still push along very nicely thank you, and I tend to 'enjoy' its' performance.
I tend to you the more expensive (Shellmax etc) fuel rather that supermarket stuff as they seem to effect both economy and performance.
Problems so far have been the electric mirrors packing up (crimped wiring during manufacture) and a total loss of coolant (a badly fitted clip that was wearing a hose away; both fixed under warranty.
Service from the main dealers Frosts of Shoreham has been good.
It is on its' second set of front tyres but beside that has cost nothing other than servicing.
Road and wind noise are high though and you get soaked if you put the washers on with the window down.
The clutch I find a tad sharp and the brakes (perhaps due to being converted from rhd) need a bit of a shove. Why no light in the boot? The ride is firm but not unpleasnt.
But these are minor points and even my partner who does not like driving enjoys this car, more so than the Saab we had before, and I think it is better made. The climate control is excellent and responsive though you do need to take your eyes off the road the adjust it.
Hope this little bit of info helps.
ps The handbook is quite specific about the type of oil needed. I bought some and its is expensive but have not needed to use it as the car seems to use hardly any.

 

[mhill]

It is on its' second set of front tyres but beside that has cost nothing other than servicing.

What sort of milage have you done?

Road and wind noise are high though and you get soaked if you put the washers on with the window down.

Think that is a feature of all cars?

The clutch I find a tad sharp and the brakes (perhaps due to being converted from rhd) need a bit of a shove.

i find my 1.4's brakes **** hot!

 

[Fangio]

What sort of milage have you done?



Think that is a feature of all cars?



i find my 1.4's brakes **** hot!

The mileage is 24k or so and the tyres were replaced about 2k ago so not bad at all for a car that can move along a bit. They were worn evenly and I always replace tyres well before they get down to the legal minimum.
I think the newer cars have larger wheels though.

It is not that the brakes are bad, far from it, but it is just one of those things I am picky about. It's Spanish after all and brakes need to be good!!!

Peugeot/Citroen cars by comparison have virtually no road noise.
The noise in the Ibiza does make it a bit tiring on a long drive, and knocks out the value of the good radio/cd in my opinion. Something I have found in other VW group products as well.
In fact I simply don't use the radio at higher speeds (am not in any case a great user of in car entertainment).

But as I said we are both really pleased with our little buzz bomb. It looks cheeky in its' emocion red and has that little bit of character that makes it interesting, and, a bit of fun when you put your foot down; still rare enough to be a bit different too.
Ours has not suffered from any squeaks or rattles and feels very well made. Seat seem to have a knack of making cars feel much larger than they are, it works on the Ibiza.

I hope you really enjoy it when it comes along and don't doubt that you will. You'll have great fun with it.

I'll let you know how I get on with the tracking. It seems strange that it only started after new tyres were fitted.

 

[dash]

I think its well known for the ibiza to pull to the left slightly ...but not too much, check with a wheel allignment if its going too much on a reasonable flat surface

 

[Fangio]

I think its well known for the ibiza to pull to the left slightly ...but not too much, check with a wheel allignment if its going too much on a reasonable flat surface

Many thanks..
It's not too bad, not heading for the hills at every opportunity, just something I have noticed.
A check of alignment should sort it, but I had wondered about a duff tyre (unusual these days) given I only started noticing it after the tyre change (tyres are origninal spec).

 

[zak583]

Iv had the same problem with mine. Pulls to the left, especially if you hav some weight in the car (heavy passengers!). Have taken it for tracking to Kwick Fit, but it still pulls to the left!

 

[mhill]

Iv had the same problem with mine. Pulls to the left, especially if you hav some weight in the car (heavy passengers!). Have taken it for tracking to Kwick Fit, but it still pulls to the left!

Your brave if they are anything like my local, would probably be better of at a local independent i would say

 

[richardworrall]

most cars nowadays pull to the left, common safety feature apparantly.

 

[mhill]

most cars nowadays pull to the left, common safety feature apparantly.

how the hell is it a safety feature?

 

[richardworrall]

in the unlikely event of a heart attack or simiar the car will drift off to the left, rather than the centre reservation or oncoming traffic. Loads of cars do it now, work in a car supermarket so all the dealers tell us this.

 

[Fangio]

Or, a result of us driving on the 'wrong' side of the road perhaps, given most cars would be intended to be driven on the right.
I'll get it checked out when I can and let you know if there is any difference.

 

[keefy]

Have you fitted the samne or different tyres? If different, it could be that the tread patter is accentuating the pull to the left. Mine does it very slightly and tyre wear is nice and even.

How would it pull to the left as a result of us driving on the 'correct' side of the road? If it is a safety feature, then the LHD cars would be set to pull to the right? Or perhaps you are right and the steering geometry is set to drive in a straight line when on the opposite camber the RHS lane offers? And the 'safety feature' is a yarn spread by dealers to avoid the problem of changing the set-up for driving in the UK

 

[muddyboots]

most cars nowadays pull to the left, common safety feature apparantly.

Sorry whenever I hear that I have to laugh, IMHO it's a load of cobblers...

For a start, if true, it would be downright dangerous for the whole of Europe who drive on t'other side.
And who is to say that drifting to the left side of the road would be safer than drifting off to the right - what about pavements, pedestrians, trees, buildings etc. As you can never know what the roadside conditions are, manufacturers can't make that sort of decision - the "least dangerous" option would be for the car to continue straight!!

On a completely flat road, the car should drive dead straight.
On a lot of normal roads, there is a slight camber which will make the car drift very slightly leftwards, but not so much that you'd really notice.

There's a common problem of Mk4 Ibizas not only pulling to the left, but severely wearing the inside edges of the front tyres. Some (me included) got it sorted by getting their car aligned by someone that knows what they're doing. In other words, not by the f*ckwits at the likes of Kwik Fit.
Some have had to have the (non-adjustable) camber "equalised" by loosening the front subframe bolts and shifting it fractionally.

 

[deadphill]

I had the tracking done once before by a garage but I didnt notice any difference really.

Can anyone recommend someone in the St Albans area they can vouch for?

Thanks

Phill

 

[fr-tdi]

no....most cars should pull to the left very slightly because when the road was tarred, the road is actually slightly beveled to make rainwater run from the centre of the road to the kerbside.

 

[Fleggy]

i seem to have a constant problem with my tracking always pulls to the left i have had this looked at about 3 or 4 times now and it is still doing it. but Seat don't seem to care.

If it's only pulling to the left when your accelerating it could be torque steer perhaps?

 

[kriso]

My car pulls to the left, but my previous Cupra was dead straight so find it hard to beleive it's a standard feature of the car.

Fangio: what colour is your FR? I'm in Worthing too so I'll keep a look out for you I've been to Frosts in Shoreham a few times for parts and warranty work but not too impressed with their service really.

 

[gruffs]

The front suspension bushes take a bit of a hammering with all that torque and the extra weight of the engine. It may be possible that they need to be replaced soon.

As others have said, i got an alignment done and it went away.

You also need to be mindful that the ibiza is relatively light and with the wider wheels of the FR (i have a PD Sport), it will be very sensetive to road camber and lorry ruts when under acceleration.

HTH

Gruff