So after spending a couple days in my used 04 I noticed the stering wheel is off center when you are heading straight down the road.

Is there a way this can be easily moved or is something else wrong here?

 

happened to me when my car was new... took it to the dealer and they fixed it -
my recollection is that you have to pull the steering wheel, and i didnt want to do that myself. besides its a free fix!

 

No pulling necessary although it is very easy, There are two ways to fix the problem. 1- an alignment, if the car is new or if you just got it from the dealer they should do it for warranty or free. 2- there is a way to adjust the steering from under the car without going for a full alignment.
Good luck
Do a car fax on the car ASAP. There maybe a reason that you are not aware (but should be) of for the out of alignment wheel.

 

 

The car from the dealer came with a carfax and it didn't show any problems.

The previous owner left a receipt in the car with his phone number and address on it. I'm thinking about calling to ask what's up.

 

I have a feeling dealer car fax is rigged. I see signs in my 4 year old S2000 that it was in some kind of accident. Nothing major though but the dealer car fax showed that it was clean.

 

Carfax isn't "rigged," it just doesn't report all accidents. It's just there to tell if it's been salvaged, really.

If not familiar with warning signs, it's a good idea to have an independent body shop / mechanic look for signs of repair before purchasing a preowned vehicle.

Also to the OP, this may seem kind of silly... but make sure your tire pressure is equal, spring spacers are out, and the road isn't crowned. The last thing you want is for them to fix something that's not broken....

 

Thanks when I'm going down the road it doesn't feel like the car is pulling.

 

Pulling to one side is only one symptom of needing an alignment.

The reason people are saying "get an alignment" is because having a misaligned steering wheel is common AFTER getting an alignment that is done incorrectly. There is a tool that alignment techs should use to keep the steering wheel straight once they loosen the tie rod ends. Once the tie rods are loose, the steering wheel can get off center even though the wheels are pointing straight ahead...thus your steering wheel is misaligned but the car tracks straight. This tool attaches to the steering wheel and braces it to the seat, floor or brake depending on the design. This keeps the steering wheel centered while the tech adjusts the front toe. Also, if the tech does not do a good job of centering the steering wheel before attaching the tool, then the wheel will also end up misaligned.

Having a misaligned steering wheel is also common AFTER a car has hit a curb. This would also point you back to getting an alignment to make sure everything is still in spec.

Hope that makes sense. Bottom line...go get an alignment.

 

[QUOTE=negcamber,Dec 23 2006, 11:53 AM] Pulling to one side is only one symptom of needing an alignment.

The reason people are saying "get an alignment" is because having a misaligned steering wheel is common AFTER getting an alignment that is done incorrectly.