Steering vague

[fused]

Just had a word with my VW specialist. He doesn't have all the expensive/fancy setup, but swears by this method:

With the car on a level surface use a short spirit level, place vertically on the face of the wheel. If the camber is correct the bubble should be touching the outside line, ie top should be in compared to the bottom of the wheel but only enough to send the bubble to the edge of the sight line.

Just checked mine  wow way out. Wheres the jack?

[DarnPB]

A word about the camber adjustment, and someone correct me if I am wrong.
It depends on the set up you have. Some cars are adjustable, as in you slacken off the bolts on the uprights, set to desired angle, and then do up bolts to TAF. Others are fixed and can only be adjusted by fixed angles of 1 or 2 degrees, (if that) by changing the upright bolts for those specific for the purpose. You can´t just fit any old smaller diameter bolt. Now I can´t remember if its the uprights that have the adjustment capability or if it is the shocks themselves, but if you have had your shocks changed lately and the garage have then said that your camber is fixed, then more than likely, the adjustment capability lies with the shocks. So get the camber checked by someone who knows the cars and knows what he is doing, rather than places like the one you have mentioned. (Had nothing but trouble from those guys in the past. They did a job so shoddily on my old Audi in the past, that the exhaust system fell off whilst on holiday in Spain driving through a very busy little seaside town on market day! They only re-imbursed me with 50 quid.)

[Strev]

Thanks guys - surely MK2s are all the same - ie either they can be adjusted or not. The camber on mine I'm sure is wrong - top is slightly out/ bottom slightly in. Thing is, this has been the case since I had new shocks (about 2 years ago) and surprisingly the handling was ok till recently. I was thinking about it this morning - the steering feels so light it almost feels disconnected. Feels ok in a straight line, but if you pull out to overtake it feels like its going to dart hard over to the right, and you have to compensate. Not good.

[DarnPB]

If your steering feels light, then it is almost definately alignment. It feels light because both wheels are skidding at the same time. Same sensation as aquaplaning or driving on an icy surface.
As for the camber adjustment, my old Golf II was adjustable by slackening bolts, setting camber and re tighteneng. My present one is only adjustable by changing the bolts. Look in the Haynes. I´m sure its there.