First post. Have just purchased a 2005 Corolla wagon, 25 000K on clock, absolutely as new. Still learning model numbers etc so please forgive me for not quoting.
The steering in the car feels very different to what I am used to. My wife has made the same comment. I am unsure whether it is simply a case of being accustomed to the steering characteristics of our previous car and we just need time to adjust or whether, potentially, there is something wrong with the steering in this car.
Basically, I am used to steering having a reasonable degree of self-centre i.e. when you have turned a corner the steering generally wants to come back to the straight-ahead. Is this what you call castor-effect?
On our Corolla there is very little of this effect and you need to quite consciously re-position the steering back to the straight-ahead. I probably haven't explained that very well but hopefully you can make sense of what I'm saying.
When we took the car for a test-drive at the dealers I noticed the steering wheel was off-centre and the car was pulling to one side but I put that down to the car needing a wheel-alignment and made this a condition of purchase. The alignment was done by a reputable company.
The car also has a fresh Warrant of Fitness (a regular roadworthiness check required in New Zealand) and the steering would have been checked as part of that. However, such a check would have been a visual one and focused on wear in steering components etc rather than physical road-test of the steering.
If you waggle the steering wheel at stationary with the engine off the steering feels notchy; again, nothing like any other car I have ever owned.
It's difficult to explain what the steering feels like and I apologise if I haven't done a very good job of it. My gut-feeling is that something just doesn't feel right. Before I potentially make a fool of myself by going back to the dealer or to a garage it would be interesting to know if anyone else has ever experienced this or has any thoughts about what may be wrong (if anything)?
The steering in the car feels very different to what I am used to. My wife has made the same comment. I am unsure whether it is simply a case of being accustomed to the steering characteristics of our previous car and we just need time to adjust or whether, potentially, there is something wrong with the steering in this car.
Basically, I am used to steering having a reasonable degree of self-centre i.e. when you have turned a corner the steering generally wants to come back to the straight-ahead. Is this what you call castor-effect?
On our Corolla there is very little of this effect and you need to quite consciously re-position the steering back to the straight-ahead. I probably haven't explained that very well but hopefully you can make sense of what I'm saying.
When we took the car for a test-drive at the dealers I noticed the steering wheel was off-centre and the car was pulling to one side but I put that down to the car needing a wheel-alignment and made this a condition of purchase. The alignment was done by a reputable company.
The car also has a fresh Warrant of Fitness (a regular roadworthiness check required in New Zealand) and the steering would have been checked as part of that. However, such a check would have been a visual one and focused on wear in steering components etc rather than physical road-test of the steering.
If you waggle the steering wheel at stationary with the engine off the steering feels notchy; again, nothing like any other car I have ever owned.
It's difficult to explain what the steering feels like and I apologise if I haven't done a very good job of it. My gut-feeling is that something just doesn't feel right. Before I potentially make a fool of myself by going back to the dealer or to a garage it would be interesting to know if anyone else has ever experienced this or has any thoughts about what may be wrong (if anything)?
