Steering drift...pulling left

[yostumpy]

Not sure about the wobble, but I’m pretty sure hat most XC 70s pull, ( drift to the left) HAd mine a year, and on test drive I mentioned it, but 2 Volvo 4 wheel alignments later , just the same. There is nothing wrong with it, it is just very sensitive to road camber and tramlining. On certain m/way roads I can let go completely, others I mildly ‘hold it to the right’ then on one stretch of a few miles with a big opposite camber! ( surprised me in the UK) I had to hold it to the left. I’m used to it now. You could try swapping front tyres left to right, or front to back, but if it’s aligned correctly?
I remember years ago my brother bought a new V6 Shogun, and he complained about it pulling to left, eventually sold it and bought a new TD Shogun, same thing. Fat tyres and type of steering mechanism maybe, my old 200k Defender with worn out steering box would track straight on any thing.

[BigGreenThing]

Originally Posted by yostumpy

Not sure about the wobble, but I’m pretty sure hat most XC 70s pull, ( drift to the left) HAd mine a year, and on test drive I mentioned it, but 2 Volvo 4 wheel alignments later , just the same. There is nothing wrong with it, it is just very sensitive to road camber and tramlining. On certain m/way roads I can let go completely, others I mildly ‘hold it to the right’ then on one stretch of a few miles with a big opposite camber! ( surprised me in the UK) I had to hold it to the left. I’m used to it now. You could try swapping front tyres left to right, or front to back, but if it’s aligned correctly?
I remember years ago my brother bought a new V6 Shogun, and he complained about it pulling to left, eventually sold it and bought a new TD Shogun, same thing. Fat tyres and type of steering mechanism maybe, my old 200k Defender with worn out steering box would track straight on any thing.

Thanks yostumpy! Yeah - maybe I'm being a tad oversensitive on this one perhaps. But you know what it's like when it's your car behaving in a certain way...and then all of a sudden it changes...and the ol' grey matter starts thinking "allo...what's going on here then?". I gotta stress it is only minor wobble and only a minor left pull...but it wasnt there two weekends ago.

Off to phone the garage. Get there thoughts and opinion.

[Tatsfield]

Was it a "minor" veering or quite "determined pull" that you experienced?

After the impact it was major but subsequently it was minor but persistent. More a tendency to follow a camber than a pull on a flat surface. BUT, prior to the impact this hadn't been the case and prior to the impact I would have disagreed with anyone saying that XC70s had a left pull tendency based on the running of my car. Now I'm hoping that this theory is true for the day that I decide to sell the car, I'd like to be able to honestly say "Yes, don't worry about it following the camber a bit. They all do that"!

[tommyweaves]

Found it!

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=153450

Don't know if that helps at all.

[Tatsfield]

Not really. I seem to have followed the same trajectory as you on this and I'm left with a car I tolerate rather than love. It's a real shame.

[tommyweaves]

Originally Posted by Tatsfield

Not really. I seem to have followed the same trajectory as you on this and I'm left with a car I tolerate rather than love. It's a real shame.

It was meant for the OP!

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by Tatsfield

After the impact it was major but subsequently it was minor but persistent. More a tendency to follow a camber than a pull on a flat surface. BUT, prior to the impact this hadn't been the case and prior to the impact I would have disagreed with anyone saying that XC70s had a left pull tendency based on the running of my car. Now I'm hoping that this theory is true for the day that I decide to sell the car, I'd like to be able to honestly say "Yes, don't worry about it following the camber a bit. They all do that"!

From the posts on here there does seem to be a tendency for them to drift left. The fact that they all seem to go left, could indicate that they are following the camber as suggested. It would be interesting to see if the Europeans find they go right ?

As you say your car didn't do it before the incident, is it possible that your car was previously set up 'incorrectly' before, and was set up with a slight right bias, and thus opposing the left pull ?
When fixed and true after the accident, it then followed the camber.
Could it now be set up with a slight right bias, to counteract the left pull ?

Might be nonsense, but just a thought.

PS, Set up a poll, if want to get a feel for what the majority of the V/XC70's are doing.

[Tatsfield]

I would have expected that setting the steering geometry to pull slightly right would have made life even more difficult when I drove the car down to Spain long before the accident when there was no left pull and, anyway, I don't think Volvo main dealers wouldn't set up the steering that way and until this fiasco, I only had the servicing done by them. I am now resigned to what I have got. When I replace the tyres I'll break the protocol and put the new ones on the front to see how they affect the steering.

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by Tatsfield

I would have expected that setting the steering geometry to pull slightly right would have made life even more difficult when I drove the car down to Spain long before the accident when there was no left pull and, anyway, I don't think Volvo main dealers wouldn't set up the steering that way and until this fiasco, I only had the servicing done by them. I am now resigned to what I have got. When I replace the tyres I'll break the protocol and put the new ones on the front to see how they affect the steering.

It's possible the tracking was just out by 'luck', rather than deliberately set up that way, but my theory holds no water at all if you've tried it on the 'wrong' side of the road.

Anyway, I don't remember seeing this on your list of fixes.

"..I solved the problem very simple:
A thorough flush of the hydraulic fluid in steering system did the job..."

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/fo...ic.php?t=92005

[BigGreenThing]

Originally Posted by tommyweaves

Found it!

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=153450

Don't know if that helps at all.

Thanks tommyweaves! Yes - it does help and was very informative! Thank you! Had a chat with a couple of mates yesterday, one of which is quite mechanically-techie minded. He suggested that the tyres themselves could be an issue. In spite of me changing ALL four tyres for the type Volvo recommends for the XC70 (and the dealer sold at a higher price) - Pirelli Scorpion All Seasons, they can become naturally "mis-shapen" due to normal wear and tear or in a pothole scenario. This can be a temporary occurrence, and can settle down with additional mileage. Additionally he'd mentioned wheels being very slightly "skew-wiff". These two things can lead to the slight "steering wheel jiggle" and possible left HS drifting. Then...there is the tracking "out".

If the front left tyre is "a bit wobbly", there seems to be a Volvo pledge to sort your tyres (or windscreens) for free in the name of safety.

Car goes into garage on Monday. We'll see. I'll feedback.

To be fair, this drifting left thing doesn't seem to be a particularly uncommon issue across V70 and XC70 models!!