Car steers left when stopping, steers right when moving forward. + now started vibrating when braking

[Biomecanoid]

Hello Guys,

 

I have a quick troubleshooting question for you, My car is a 15 years old Daihatsu,

Its been almost a year that my car steers a tiny bit to the left when stopping and this happens even if I let the car stop on its own without applying the brakes. When coming to stop after the car steered to the left on its own and I start moving forward it steers a tiny bit to the right like there is torque twist but my car is far from powerful lol . This happens very rarely that I even forget when has the last time it happened, so I lived with it. Apart from this the car drives straight when you take your hand off the steering wheel.

Now its been like a month that the car vibrates when I apply the brakes ( You can feel it in the brake pedal and on the steering wheel ) and it seems like it brakes in steps of on-off-on-off and not smoothly. Again this issue is not that evident but it happens consistently every time. Also it doesn't seem to effect the braking distance but it does trigger my OCD.

Now I assume that the problem with the car steering left and right has to do with the ball joints in the steering arms and the issue with the vibration when braking is maybe wrapped brake disc rotors ( but the discs are 3 years old )

Could the 2 problems be linked and traced to just one cause ? what do you think ? Also can you please give me a very rough estimate of the repair cost so I know what to expect ?

 

Thank you for your time

[Bernard Foy]

Check the condition of the brake pads, and if they are correctly positioned.

[Bernard Foy]

Check the tyre pressures. Check brake fluid levels, your brakes seem to be grabbing.

[Biomecanoid]

1 hour ago, Bernard Foy said:

Check the condition of the brake pads, and if they are correctly positioned.

Brake pads along with the disc rotors are 3 years old, had them replaced about 11.000km to 15.000km ago,  I have not changed them recently to be installed wrongly. Issue has started less than a month ago. The car is 15 years old and has about 60.000miles which is about 96.000km

1 hour ago, Bernard Foy said:

Check the tyre pressures. Check brake fluid levels, your brakes seem to be grabbing.

I always check the fluids at least once a month and the brake fluid is always exactly at the line it is supposed to be marked on the container.
If my brakes were grabbing doesn't that mean that i would be grinding them driving forward ? I would notice that.

It was that time of the month today to fill up the car and pump the tires, the tires did need air. I refuel and pump my tires twice a month @ 22-23 psi. The gas station is near to my house so I didn't get to drive that much to see any difference, I guess we will know tomorrow when I drive to work.

I will be you posted, thank you

[Bernard Foy]

1 hour ago, Biomecanoid said:

Brake pads along with the disc rotors are 3 years old, had them replaced about 11.000km to 15.000km ago,  I have not changed them recently to be installed wrongly. Issue has started less than a month ago. The car is 15 years old and has about 60.000miles which is about 96.000km

I always check the fluids at least once a month and the brake fluid is always exactly at the line it is supposed to be marked on the container.
If my brakes were grabbing doesn't that mean that i would be grinding them driving forward ? I would notice that.

It was that time of the month today to fill up the car and pump the tires, the tires did need air. I refuel and pump my tires twice a month @ 22-23 psi. The gas station is near to my house so I didn't get to drive that much to see any difference, I guess we will know tomorrow when I drive to work.

I will be you posted, thank you

Are you sure 22-23psi is the correct pressure for your tyres. Seems to me about 10psi too soft. Did you mean 2.2-2.3 bar.

[Biomecanoid]

40 minutes ago, Bernard Foy said:

Are you sure 22-23psi is the correct pressure for your tyres. Seems to me about 10psi too soft. Did you mean 2.2-2.3 bar.

YES you are correct  its 2.2 - 2.3 bar my mistake

[Biomecanoid]

13 hours ago, Bernard Foy said:

Are you sure 22-23psi is the correct pressure for your tyres. Seems to me about 10psi too soft. Did you mean 2.2-2.3 bar.

Sorry I confused the tire pressure measuring units its 2.2 - 2.3 bar. 

Well now with the correct tire pressure the issue is still kinda there but its way better night-day difference. The weird thing is that as always ( in my case ) the rear tires were the ones that really needed air the front where more or less OK. Last air top-up was  09-01-2021.

The front tires are near the end of their life and worn down way more than the rear since the Daihatsu is front wheel drive. The rear tires have almost no wear since they just follow the front tires BUT they tend to lose air quicker than the front. If I remember correctly the tires are 5 years old, I will have to check with what is printed on the tires to verify.

Now I guess I need new tires,  wheel balancing and alignment. This makes more sense than my previous assumption.

[Bernard Foy]

7 hours ago, Biomecanoid said:

Sorry I confused the tire pressure measuring units its 2.2 - 2.3 bar. 

Well now with the correct tire pressure the issue is still kinda there but its way better night-day difference. The weird thing is that as always ( in my case ) the rear tires were the ones that really needed air the front where more or less OK. Last air top-up was  09-01-2021.

The front tires are near the end of their life and worn down way more than the rear since the Daihatsu is front wheel drive. The rear tires have almost no wear since they just follow the front tires BUT they tend to lose air quicker than the front. If I remember correctly the tires are 5 years old, I will have to check with what is printed on the tires to verify.

Now I guess I need new tires,  wheel balancing and alignment. This makes more sense than my previous assumption.

When you’re getting your new tyres on, balanced and steering aligned, get them to check steering bushes, and track rod ends. In regards to your brakes juddering, it could still be warped discs or a servo issue. 

[Biomecanoid]

1 minute ago, Bernard Foy said:

When you’re getting your new tyres on, balanced and steering aligned, get them to check steering bushes, and track rod ends. In regards to your brakes juddering, it could still be warped discs or a servo issue. 

Vibration on the steering wheel and pedal went down considerably its there but just in a tiny amount nothing like before.  I will have the discs checked but it now seems my issue is tire related, unbalanced or a flat spot on one of the tires etc.

Thanks for the help

[Bernard Foy]

52 minutes ago, Biomecanoid said:

Vibration on the steering wheel and pedal went down considerably its there but just in a tiny amount nothing like before.  I will have the discs checked but it now seems my issue is tire related, unbalanced or a flat spot on one of the tires etc.

Thanks for the help

You’re welcome Chris, let us know if you get it sorted 👍🚗

[Biomecanoid]

On 2/5/2021 at 6:54 PM, Bernard Foy said:

You’re welcome Chris, let us know if you get it sorted 👍🚗

I took the car to the mechanic today for a quick drive and his estimate so far is wraped disc rotors and maybe something wrong with the left suspension because he was keep hearing a weird noise i could not hear  ( and i usually have an OCD which anything out of place or wierd noises ). We will know more when we actually lift the car on Monday.

[Bernard Foy]

On 2/10/2021 at 6:13 PM, tony.w said:

On 2/5/2021 at 4:00 PM, Biomecanoid said:

Vibration on the steering wheel and pedal went down considerably its there but just in a tiny amount nothing like before.  I will have the discs checked but it now seems my issue is tire related, unbalanced or a flat spot on one of the tires etc.

Thanks for the help

 

 

On 2/11/2021 at 3:54 PM, Biomecanoid said:

I took the car to the mechanic today for a quick drive and his estimate so far is wraped disc rotors and maybe something wrong with the left suspension because he was keep hearing a weird noise i could not hear  ( and i usually have an OCD which anything out of place or wierd noises ). We will know more when we actually lift the car on Monday.

I did mention warped discs in February 5th post 🤔👍🚗

[Biomecanoid]

On 2/12/2021 at 9:12 PM, Bernard Foy said:

 

I did mention warped discs in February 5th post 🤔👍🚗

Yes you did, that was one of the options but seemed a bit too soon, I guess the discs installed were of sub-standard quality

[Biomecanoid]

 

Changed brake pads and brake discs and the vibration went away.  The mechanic had a look at the front of the car and only found some old bushings that are of no concern and nothing to worry about as he said and suggested I should get new tires at least for the front as they are worn.

[Bernard Foy]

1 hour ago, Biomecanoid said:

 

Changed brake pads and brake discs and the vibration went away.  The mechanic had a look at the front of the car and only found some old bushings that are of no concern and nothing to worry about as he said and suggested I should get new tires at least for the front as they are worn.

Good you got it sorted. Those Sirions are a great reliable motor.

[Biomecanoid]

Yes the little Daihatsu Sirion is tough even if it doesn't look like it and it's relatively fast and lively ( 160km ) for having a tiny 1000cc engine. I believe the Sirion and the older Yaris shared the same engine.

If you maintain it with regular oil changes and good 98 octane gas the fuel economy is still about what the manufacturer says.

I am so happy with it that I am thinking of giving it a bit of loving care meaning, fixing scratches on the paint, maybe installing rear disc brakes or a short shifter but I am trying to control myself and not spend money needlessly plus I don't trust any mechanic here where I live for these "upgrades"