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Sat Mar 31, 2007 10:44 am

ok, so this lady decided to pull out in front of me yesterday. we got out of our cars, looked at em, and decided neither of us cared, and went on our merry ways. it was barely a hit, dented my front right fender good tho, scraped the door, and made a small dent on the rear fender. no big deal.

i should note she didn't hit the front of my car, i swerved enough to keep the impact on the side...

i did notice later that my steering wheel now is a little off center counterclockwise, and the bug pulls a little to the right if i let go. i remember it wasn't perfectly aligned before, tho i don't remember which way it pulled. anyhow, is this going to be something that i can go get an alignment from a shop and it will fix, or could there be other things i should check. aside from pulling it seems to drive fine. rim didn't look like it got hit too hard. i'm gonna give it another look over, but i'm no expert. (big surprise there) 76 beetle.

thanks in advance.

Sat Mar 31, 2007 4:40 pm

Check your beam. It's possible that the beam is bent slightly from the mount to the end. Even 1/8 inch can throw off the alignment.

Sun Apr 01, 2007 11:48 am

yeah that's true... i guess, i know nothing about this area, learnin lots bout carbs tho hehe... anyhow, if it is bent, can the alignment be adjusted, and what exactly do i look for? is it going to be obvious... anyone have a pic?

thanks in advance.

Sun Apr 01, 2007 11:51 am

Standard or Super? If a standard, the beam could be bent. It could also have bent a tie rod or something else in the front end.

If a Super, it could have damaged the mounting points for the front suspension. There is no beam, like a standard beetle. If that's the case, it will probably need to be put on a frame rack.

Sun Apr 01, 2007 12:00 pm

not a super.

if something is bent can the alignment be adjusted to function, or am i looking at replacing something. gonna have someone check it out in a day or two.

all i've noticed is the slight pull, and cockeyed steering wheel, both of which i can live with, but wish they were correct heh.

Mon Apr 02, 2007 9:46 pm

Alignment specs,,,,,,,,,if you need them,,,,,,,,

Found with a quick search here,

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=218904&highlight=alignment