I had my car at a local shop to get a few dents out. When picking up the car I noticed that the wheel was turned to gain access by the fender area while on a drive on lift.

When driving home, I noticed my steering wheel is very slightly to the left to go straight down the road which I didn't notice when driveing it down to drop it off. I am wondering if they could have knocked my alignment out ever so slightly.

It came to mind later on (as the miles didn't change) but if they tried to turn the wheel with the motor off. My first thought is it's not possible and will lock its self out when the vehicle is off. Am I correct?

 

No, your assumption is not correct.
When you turn off the engine and leave the key in the ignition, the steering wheel lock will not engage and you will be able to turn the wheels from the outside when the car is on a lift, because the steering wheel lock will only engage when the key is removed from the ignition block.
This is a safety feature in all cars, because if the steering wheel lock would engage as soon as the car is off,you could not tow the car in case of an emergency.
Turning the wheels like this is standard procedure when you work on a car and need access certain areas in the wheel well, be it with the wheels on or off the car, for example when working on the brakes or on the suspension.
I have never had the problem of a misalignment after doing this.
Best regards,
Thomas

 

Hi Thomas,

It's designed to do this even on level ground? It was a drive on lift, not a 2 post. Thanks for your thoughts!

 

Yes, it is designed to work like this in every case, whether the car is on the ground or on a lift. This makes sense, as you need to be able to steer the car in case you are being towed by another car, and ground is ground, whether on a drive on lift or real ground.
You can try this yourself, just turn off the engine and put the key into the off position, but do not take it out. You will be able to steer the car, but off course this will be heavy work because of the lack of power steering.
Only when you take out the key from the ignition lock, the steering wheel lock will engage, and on the Jag you can hear it, as it is operated electrically. Vice versa, when you enter the car and insert the key into the ignition, you will immediately hear (and also see, because depending on which position the steering wheel is, you will see it move slightly) the steering wheel lock disengaging, even before turning the key.
Best regards,
Thomas