ESP Fault and Wonky Steering Wheel

GiMac

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Hi there

Hope you can help a non technically minded owner here.

Put my 2004, C200CDi in for MOT last week, all was fine except it needed a suspension rod, or something replaced. Anyway I get the car back and the steering wheel is off centre and an "ESP fault" is showing. So I took car back and explained to them. They ran the diagnostics and weren't too sure but said it might need a new steering sensor. Now obviously this fault wasn't showing before going into the garage, which is something I am obviously going to broach with them, but can you please advise if this could have been caused by them, what the problem actually is and what the remedy is?

Cheers
 

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Most suspension work requires the wheel alignment being re-set afterwards.

Sounds like this was either not done, or done badly. If the steering wheel was straight beforehand, it should be afterwards too.

My guess is that the steering wheel angle is far enough off-centre to cause the steering angle sensors to think something is drastically wrong, and therefore throw the error.

And they could well be right - something potentially is fairly drastically wrong.

Definitely one to chuck back at the garage, IMHO.
 

mersum1es

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+1 for alignment error. Of course steering wheel angle sensor give a fault code is it has offset, should be at center and quite accurately!
 

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I would think either a cheap/patterned part has been fitted or the incorrect part. If a genuine part, alignment is not always necessary and def wouldn't make the steering wheel out.
 

Alex Crow

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If you have the steering wheel off to one side when travelling in a straight line, this is a very common scenario.

To rectify, as has been suggested above, all you need is to have the front wheel alignment correctly adjusted.
If you have already been charged for this, it ought to be FOC.

Do not have the steering angle sensor or any other sensors changed!
 
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GiMac

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Thanks guys, I thought it would be something like this. Now to tackle the garage. :rolleyes:
 

robparker

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I know some garages dont do a wheel alignment and will ask you to do so at a tyre shop after.. but if they didnt do it they obviously didnt ask you to do that
 

cleverdicky

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I had just this error on mine after fitting a new lower arm.
It was fine before.
Had tracking checked and turned out the steering sensor / squib had failed, resulting in esp faulty visit workshop.
How the hell I don't know.
Only a replacement fixed it.
 

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One point that has been over looked her is that STAR is required to find the steering box center, the wheel was probably not locked when they did the job.

If you do not find the center the ESP lamp will always be coming on
 

Alex Crow

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One further point for present and future readers, after the tracking is corrected it will need a reset on Star (in some cases), and certainly a drive down the road for it to learn a new zero point offset, before the light will go.

The center position will still be in line with the steering wheel here, only an arm was changed, apparently. It would need either the steering wheel or steering rack to be removed to loose the center point, or even just kill the clock spring (a popular novice mistake).
 
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GiMac

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Went to garage and they seem to agree they are at fault and it's booked in for Friday to get fixed. Fingers crossed it works, I'll post outcome. Thanks for all the replies!!!
 

Uncle Benz

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Worth mentioning, as Alex has already touched on, they must NOT attempt to rectify this fault by removing the steering wheel and turning it a few splines. This is a recipe for disaster. Adjustment must be made at the track rods.
 
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GiMac

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Worth mentioning, as Alex has already touched on, they must NOT attempt to rectify this fault by removing the steering wheel and turning it a few splines. This is a recipe for disaster. Adjustment must be made at the track rods.

Thanks. The problem seems to be that they never even did the front wheel re-alingment, so that is what they are going to do on Friday.
 

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GiMac

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Ok had the car back a week and all seems to be fine. Many thanks for your help. :D
 


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