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[Badger]

It's a bit of a long story but here goes.

Bought my Omega in November last year, knew it had 'issues' but thought it would make a nice motor with a bit of work.

Front wheels were toeing out by miles, camber was way out, car didn't drive too well. Rear suspension banging and crashing all over the road. Wishbone bushes shot, rear shocks shot.

Car had 2 brand new front tyres, rears ready for replacing.

First job was to replace the wishbones, correct the camber on the drivers side and replace rear shocks. Wishbones from buypartsbuy.

Car then was undrivable, impossible to steer, bump steered all over the road, veered off into the kerb or uncoming traffic, no self centering on the steering at all, turn the wheel and it just kept going in the same direction, downright dangerous.

Took the car to a tyre centre, very slowly, they did a full alignment check. Front wheels toed out by miles, camber wrong, caster completely off the gauge, one rear wheel slightly toed out.They  corrected the front  toe out and said the rest wasn't detrimental to the driving of the car....they couldn't be arsed basically.

Car drove reasonably o.k, but still not right. Corrected the camber  myself, wasn't bad now, drove straight and true on the motorway, liveable with on b roads.
While I was under the car I noticed brand new rear springs had been fitted and brand new front springs and shocks, still shiny paint with tags on.

Decided to renew rear tyres and fitted 2 pirelli P7, moved the new front budget radials to the rear and the pirellis on the front. Car drove terrible, like being on ice, veering all the road dangerously. took the car back and swapped the budgets back the front and the pirellis on to the back, car reasonably o.k again...strange.

The budget tyres on the front got on my nerves as they were very noisy so I took the car to have 2 more pirelli p7 fitted.  Bad move. Car now drives worse than it ever did. Tramlining badly, veering off first one side then the other, pulling heavily to the left and awfully twitchy steering, a nightmare over rough roads, and dangerously twitchy at high speed on the motorway.

What on earth do I do now?
 
All steering joints are perfect, idler arm is perfect (looks like a new one), rear axle bushes perfect, wishbones new, 4 new springs and shocks, new droplinks, new tyres, front alignment spot on, rear minutely toed out on one side but I have had omegas with worse alignment that have drove lovely.

Just wondering about those cheap wishbones, the bushes seem awfully soft, the wheels move backwards and forwards in the arches by heck of an amount and could this be why the caster readout from my alignment check is off the scale? It does feel like the wheels are following every undulation and fault in the road sometimes nearly wrenching the steering wheel out of my hand, it's driving me nuts!!!

Can anybody help please?
I

[hotel21]

Start with the basic basics....

Ensure the movement thats present is within limits and not simply due to slack nuts and bolts and that tyre sizes and pressures are correct!!

Would advise full geometry getting done at somewhere that actually knows what they are about.  Its not enough to simply get the front alignment done and leaving the rest alone.  Bear in mind that the rear can also be adjusted.

The place thats recommended here by numerous members is Wheels in Motion.  check out http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk/ for further info.  They are based around Hemel Hempsted but also have knowledge of a few other centres that meet their strict criteria/standards.

[cem_devecioglu]

if the new wishbones are not from vx/opel this may cause problem
(I faced before)

And it seems you need a full balance in a good shop..

Also new tyres will change the balance weights position..

[Darth Loo-knee]

There have been a few posts about Different makes of tyres causing Tramlining.
I will have a look too see if I can find a thread then paste it to this post

[Richard A]

Wheels in Motion very, very good, but maybe a little far, try John Sykes at Fleetfit, Loughborough, john looked after a few MV6 Omega's, sorted my car last Friday, charged £36 for full check and adjust, 01509266160, give him call, see what he has to say.
regards
richard

[Badger]

Thanks guys. Can't seem to find a good alignment shop around here, i have heard good things about Wheels in Motion but I really don't want to drive that far with the car being as it is, changing lanes on the motorway neccesitates great sphincter control!
 A bit of tramlining I can put up with, most modern cars do it especially on the roads around here, but this is far worse than that.
 The tyre fitter that fiited my tyres took the car out for a run today and described the driving experience as 'bloody awful'.
 I have checked and double checked all nuts and bolts for tightness with a torque wrench, I should add that I am a fully qualified engineer and know what tight is.
 The veering and diving all over the road really only started after i renewed the wishbones, thinking back.
 Cem, what problem did you have with your el cheapo wishbones?

[Badger]

Cheers for that Richard A, I could probably manage Loughborough O.K, and that price is cheaper than what I paid for #### tyres to do naff all!

[cem_devecioglu]

Thanks guys. Can't seem to find a good alignment shop around here, i have heard good things about Wheels in Motion but I really don't want to drive that far with the car being as it is, changing lanes on the motorway neccesitates great sphincter control!
 A bit of tramlining I can put up with, most modern cars do it especially on the roads around here, but this is far worse than that.
 The tyre fitter that fiited my tyres took the car out for a run today and described the driving experience as 'bloody awful'.
 I have checked and double checked all nuts and bolts for tightness with a torque wrench, I should add that I am a fully qualified engineer and know what tight is.
 The veering and diving all over the road really only started after i renewed the wishbones, thinking back.
 Cem, what problem did you have with your el cheapo wishbones?

Shaky steering...Over 80 km /h car becomes hard to control..

But that was not from balance at that time..visited several shops..

Finally solved with geniune wishbones..

[hotel21]

Thanks guys. Can't seem to find a good alignment shop around here, i have heard good things about Wheels in Motion but I really don't want to drive that far with the car being as it is, changing lanes on the motorway neccesitates great sphincter control!
 A bit of tramlining I can put up with, most modern cars do it especially on the roads around here, but this is far worse than that.
 The tyre fitter that fiited my tyres took the car out for a run today and described the driving experience as 'bloody awful'.
 I have checked and double checked all nuts and bolts for tightness with a torque wrench, I should add that I am a fully qualified engineer and know what tight is.
 The veering and diving all over the road really only started after i renewed the wishbones, thinking back. Cem, what problem did you have with your el cheapo wishbones?

did you torque it tight with the wheel swinging in the air or with the car on the ground?  If the former, it will give incorrect strain on the bushings, leading to strange handling and early failure.

[Badger]

Torqued them up on the ground, bounced the car up and down to settle the suspension first. I don't think the bushes have failed, there seems to be an awful lot of movement in them though. I pulled into the yard at work then reversed into my parking space, my workmate observed the front wheels moving backwards and forwards on the bushes a scary amount. Doesn't seem right to me that the bushes should have that much 'give' in them.

[cem_devecioglu]

the bushes movements may be scary but will deceive you..

As they include oil inside if  they are finito they leak oil..

I think before playing with them again try full geometry on a known

good shop..

[JasonH]

I've got the buypartsby wishbones fitted and they're fine. The geometry is spot on and the car drives fine. The tyres are wearing evenly.

I think you just need to get the geometry sorted - you really notice it when it's not right.

[Badger]

HI jason, yeah it seems quite a few folks are happy with the buypartsbuy wishbones, I think it must be an alignment problem. I have found an alignment centre close-ish to me at Lincoln, they use the American Hunter system and correct the settings not just give you a readout and tell you to correct it yourself like the last useless place i visited. I will give them a call tomorrow and see if they can fit me in soon, got a trip to Bristol coming up and there is no way I'm driving all that way with the car as it is.

[ffcgary1]

The front camber settings on the omega are to be set at about  1'10 as the figures that vx say are correct are only good when the car is new. if the garage sets them to within spec and say they are fine now ask what degree he has set then to. As i say 1'10 is what they should be.

[eddie]

When you say the steering is very twitchy is sounds very much like the toe in is way over.

I tried something like this on an old carlton (for fun!) ,nearly turned the ruddy car over.

eddie