So years ago my car got into a little crash, in which the person came up from behind me and ripped my front wheel off.

everything was fixed EXCEPT the steering wheel is no longer centered, i let it go but now it irritates the living crap outa me... the dealership aligned the car but left the steering wheel like that????? i don't get it but can an alignment shop fix that or did they leave something bent on my car at did not repair it?

 

The steering wheel should have been centered as part of the alignment. All they have to do is turn the tie rod ends in opposite directions on each side to center the steering wheel, without changing the toe in. Of course that's assuming they correctly repaired the front suspension, and didn't cobble it up by using all the available adjustment to make up for the poor repairs.

 

yikes, prob did a crappy job repairing it then... Guess i'll be taking a trip to the shop to have it done right.

 

Take it to a shop that does alignment AND frame work. Then they can inspect the subframe and see if it is straight.

 

if you let go of the wheel completely and the car goes strait but with the steering wheel in a turn position then all you need to do is take off the steering wheel and install it over one or two teeth so it presents itself strait up

 

If the steering wheel has never been off or is still centered properly on the shaft (there is normaly a mark on the shaft to indicate center), then something else is wrong and needs to be corrected. Altering the wheel center position in relation to the center of the shaft is not the way to do it. You would end up with unequal amounts of turn from center to left or right lock.

 

+1

Do it the right way.

 

I took it in and got a full alightment - drives great now.

 

My understanding was that it drove great before.

Is the wheel centered now too?