Have a MY02 WRX saloon since July. The car is understeering quite a lot on wet roundabouts etc, even at low speeds. Not wishing to power through too much and risk snap oversteer I was wondering about getting the alignment checked. I have read lots of threads about how the cars are 'transformed' and also how far out the settings can be direct from the factory

My question is whether anyone has attempted to get the alignment checked under warranty, or claimed back the cost. If I go to a dealer then they may say all is OK when it isn't, if I go elsewhere the dealer would claim that they should have been allowed to do the work etc. etc.

Anyway as the car is a Belgian import the warranty question may be void.

Anyone any experience?

 

You will probably find that the car is within tolerance. When I got my first MY99, I was amazed at the amount of understeer it had in the wet. I had the car checked twice under warranty - no fault found. Eventually my local dealer agreed to have the car's alignment checked on a 4-wheel laser set up thing (excuse my technical ignorance!) The deal was that if it was ok, I pay. Otherwise they pay. The result - the car was ok. Damn!
However, the allowed tolerances for the suspension settings are quite wide. The comments about getting the geometry set up properly refer to getting everything absolutely spot on. This apparently (as I havent had it done yet) makes a big difference. It is not something you should entrust to the local K##k Fit centre, but to a specialist who knows what he is doing.
This is a rather longwinded way of saying that you probably will not gain anything by talking to your dealer, but according to the general opinion on here, going to a specialist (such as Power Station for example) will show a marked improvement.

Please bear in mind this is only my personal opinion and I am only of average technical knowledge. Contrary to popular opinion, Imprezas do understeer badly, especially in the wet. There are ways of getting around this but I am even less qualified to advise on driving techniques so I wont even try!!!

Anyway I hope this helps (if you have bothered to read this far!)

Steve

 

I agree with Steve, the car can be within tollerances and handle like a pig!!!

A trip to Powerstation (or TSL) should hopefully sort your car out. I've had two Scoobs from new and took both to PS and the difference a proper geometry setup makes can be quite an eye opener. Also, if you're having probs with understeer, what tyres are you using as these can have a huge impact, particularly in the wet!!!

Ta,

Matt