MAGLIOZZI

Dear Car Talk: When going straight, the steering wheel of my 2014 Acura RDX is turned about 15 degrees to the right.

Is this within tolerance, or is there something that needs fixing, like an alignment? — Dave

Yeah, it’s within tolerance if you’re driving a demolition derby car, Dave. Or you have a teenage son who recently got his license. But whatever the reason, something needs fixing. And no, that is not within tolerance. Certainly not my tolerance.

It sounds like one of your front wheels had a violent interaction with something immovable. It could have been a curbstone, a nasty pothole, or a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. But when it hit that object, something connected to the front wheels got bent.

You’ll want to go to a shop that does front-end work. They’ll start by having a look. And the damage may be immediately obvious to them.

I’d put my money on a tie rod. A bent tie rod will cause the wheels — and the steering wheel — to point off-center. And then, in order to go straight, you have to turn the wheel — in your case — to the right.

If they find a bent tie rod and replace it, they can then try to align the car. That’s why it’s good to have this work done at a shop that has an alignment machine.

If they can’t get it into alignment, that means you bent more than one thing. And the shop will then have to figure out what else is keeping the car from being correctly aligned.

But the most likely thing you bent is a single, inner tie rod. And that’s probably in the range of $300-$500. Add another $150 or so for the alignment, and your days of driving askew will be over.

Got a question about cars? Write to Ray in care of King Features, 300 W. 57th St., 41st Floor, New York, NY 10019, or email by visiting the Car Talk website at www.cartalk.com.