200 Chassis alignment

[JanDebL at aol.com]

You might be able to find your problem with a good tape measure.  Get a 
helper and measure the toe in on both the front & rear.  Have the helper hold 
one end of the tape in one of the grooves on the front of the tire while you 
note the measurement on the other front tire.  Now measure in exactly the 
same places on the rear of the tires.  Keep the measuring tape as high on the 
tire as possible without touching the oil pan, frame or other parts of the 
chassis.  The readings should be nearly identical - any variation of more 
than 1/8 will cause the car to pull.  Check the rear tires the same way.  
Also (this should be done first), insure your tire pressures are correct.  If 
there is something grossly incorrect you can make the initial adjustments 
yourself.  At least you are now ready visit the monkey lads with some 
knowledge of what needs to be done.
Tire rotation is also critical, every 5K - 10K miles on the type 44s.  Most 
Audi suspensions with 100K miles have worn bushings, rear tie rods etc. which 
cause excessive wheel camber & toe problems.  This in turn causes significant 
wear patterns in the tires.  The obvious corrective action is a total 
suspension rebuild and alignment but until that is completed, frequent 
rotations will equalize the tire wear and prevent worn tires from causing 
steering problems.  
HTH, Jan Lahtonen