Just came back from the Nissan dealer alignment issue / car pulling to one side

armensti · 04-11-2009, 01:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amon

Exactly! Anyone else care to chime in and let us know if this is normal or something that I should have checked out?

i know there is defenetly something wrong because on my first car (2001 bmw 530i) it had the same problem and i think it was the control arms or the bushings. im not sure im not much of a tech guy here.

semtex · 04-11-2009, 09:15 AM

Regarding the pulling to one side, are you guys sure it's not 'tramlining'? I don't know how bad your roads are so I can't say. But tramlining is when a road is so worn that both sides of the lane where wheels constantly go over have actually compressed down, and the center of the lane kinda comes up in a hump. When you drive over it, it's almost like you're driving on rails as your wheels want to conform to the compressed strips on either side of the lane, and the steering wheel will move itself to follow the compressed path (hence the name 'tramlining' as it's like being in a tram). Now, often time, roads aren't 100% level -- they're deliberately slanted off in one direction for water drainage. Combine this with surface compression, and you could experience pulling to one direction. Again, I haven't seen your roads, so this is completely speculative on my part, but I just want to throw it out there for consideration.

Regarding being worried that your car will be taken for joyrides by service techs. I always make a point of jotting down my odometer mileage when I leave my car, and I make sure the service advisor sees me doing it. That way they know I'm no fool and I'm keeping an eye on them. If I pick up my car and it has anything more than an extra 5 miles on it, I raise hell and tear them a new one. I picked up my car once and it had an extra 20 miles out of it. I raised such a stink that the manager took my invoice and marked it as paid in full just to get me out of there. He wrote off about $200 in charges.

arcticreaver · 04-11-2009, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtex

Regarding the pulling to one side, are you guys sure it's not 'tramlining'? I don't know how bad your roads are so I can't say. But tramlining is when a road is so worn that both sides of the lane where wheels constantly go over have actually compressed down, and the center of the lane kinda comes up in a hump. When you drive over it, it's almost like you're driving on rails as your wheels want to conform to the compressed strips on either side of the lane, and the steering wheel will move itself to follow the compressed path (hence the name 'tramlining' as it's like being in a tram). Now, often time, roads aren't 100% level -- they're deliberately slanted off in one direction for water drainage. Combine this with surface compression, and you could experience pulling to one direction. Again, I haven't seen your roads, so this is completely speculative on my part, but I just want to throw it out there for consideration.

Regarding being worried that your car will be taken for joyrides by service techs. I always make a point of jotting down my odometer mileage when I leave my car, and I make sure the service advisor sees me doing it. That way they know I'm no fool and I'm keeping an eye on them. If I pick up my car and it has anything more than an extra 5 miles on it, I raise hell and tear them a new one. I picked up my car once and it had an extra 20 miles out of it. I raised such a stink that the manager took my invoice and marked it as paid in full just to get me out of there. He wrote off about $200 in charges.

i'm going to jot down the miles on my car next time!!! thanks!

MarcusMIA · 04-11-2009, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtex

Regarding being worried that your car will be taken for joyrides by service techs. I always make a point of jotting down my odometer mileage when I leave my car, and I make sure the service advisor sees me doing it. That way they know I'm no fool and I'm keeping an eye on them. If I pick up my car and it has anything more than an extra 5 miles on it, I raise hell and tear them a new one. I picked up my car once and it had an extra 20 miles out of it. I raised such a stink that the manager took my invoice and marked it as paid in full just to get me out of there. He wrote off about $200 in charges.

You're the ****ing man, semtex... If that wouldn't have helped you could've shown them the guns. lol

SoCal 370Z · 04-11-2009, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtex

Regarding the pulling to one side, are you guys sure it's not 'tramlining'? I don't know how bad your roads are so I can't say. But tramlining is when a road is so worn that both sides of the lane where wheels constantly go over have actually compressed down, and the center of the lane kinda comes up in a hump. When you drive over it, it's almost like you're driving on rails as your wheels want to conform to the compressed strips on either side of the lane, and the steering wheel will move itself to follow the compressed path (hence the name 'tramlining' as it's like being in a tram).

So what's tramlining like at 160-mph?

semtex · 04-12-2009, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCal 370Z

So what's tramlining like at 160-mph?

LOL. Very funny. I'm actually really lucky -- the roads in my area are impeccable. That's what I love about Georgia -- they take really good care of their roads, and compared to some other areas of the country, enforcement of speed limits is pretty lax around here. And speaking of lax, the gun laws are relatively lax in this state as well.

spearfish25 · 04-11-2009, 09:32 AM

Semtex is right on you guys. If you're only noticing the wheel pulling when you're coming to a stop on a grooved road, there is nothing wrong with your car. However, if you find the car pulling when you're driving along the majority of the time, then you have an alignment issue. One good way to make problems with your car is to take it to a dealer looking for problems when there is nothing wrong with it. That just leads to some mechanic taking things apart and driving your car around.

Two extra miles on the car is expected when you've taken it for service and claimed there is an issue while driving. They have to diagnose the problem. As Semtex said, 20 extra miles is not OK.

YoungTurk · 04-11-2009, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by armensti

I went there because i needed an alignment done to the car. When i drive i have to hold the steering wheel almost one inch to the right for the car to go straight. So i went there and scheduled an appointment at 2pm. I get there at 2pm and the guy that set up my appointment wasnt there. So i wait about 20-30 minutes for his co worker to take care of me and when one of the mechanics comes he asks him if he could do the alignment and the mechanic replies saying that the 370z is new and they dont have the specs for it. I was like wtf to myself and his like try a different dealer. Has anything like this happen to anyone else? What can i do about this?

I hope you get yours fixed. This story illustrates why taking your time and going over everything before buying is SO important. Once you sign and pay, you're just not going to get the attention you do before paying.

Hope it works out for you.

YoungTurk

sensi09 · 04-11-2009, 03:09 PM

Well the SA will check the mileage on your car when you first bring it in, so everything should be recorded.

tbonesteak · 04-11-2009, 04:58 PM

^^hahaha!

epod86 · 04-11-2009, 05:41 PM

Ahaha, hehe, whoo.

Reminded me of an old lady friend. She was up in Seattle for a summer, where apparently tramlines were horrible. Passed out on the highway driving a friend back from the airport. Apparently she had eyes closed for 30s or more before friend noticed. Car didn't budge from the lane.

imag · 04-11-2009, 07:33 PM

If your car is steering while going over bumps, that's a very specific problem, known as (wait for it):

Bump steer. Bump Steer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's an effect of an improperly design or aligned suspension, and it is not acceptable for any modern sports car to have an issue with it. The cars need aligning.

Musashi · 04-12-2009, 10:11 PM

I luckily do not have the problem with my 370z. The g37 I traded in had horrible alignment issues, pulled really hard to the right.

Minicobra1 · 04-13-2009, 12:42 AM

Yes, I have this same issue, it's seams to be a combination of tramlining and bump steer. The freeways out here are all grooved for rain, I think these tires or the alignment setting do not work for this type of road design.
The guys on the Mustang form use to experience this after lowering their cars, (bump steer) the solution was to put off-set steering rack bushings in to bring the steering rack back up to it's normal position. Seeing that no one on here has a lowered vehicle, that wouldn't be the issue. Wide tires and grooved roads do have some effect on this, but I think the solution may be different alignment specs.

fillyv · 04-13-2009, 08:51 AM

The problem of doing alignments on brand new model of cars. Is that the cd updates for alignment racks only come once a year. I would suppose you could do a monthly update, but at $700 for the update its not cost effective. Nissan or other car companies do not have thier own alignment programs. They go through John Bean "Snap-On", or Hunter. A seasoned tech should be able to at least help you get your problem fixed though. then when the update is available get it checked again.

04-11-2009, 09:15 AM	#2 (permalink)
semtex A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Behind enemy lines Age: 55 Posts: 5,995 Drives: People to drink Rep Power: 34	Regarding the pulling to one side, are you guys sure it's not 'tramlining'? I don't know how bad your roads are so I can't say. But tramlining is when a road is so worn that both sides of the lane where wheels constantly go over have actually compressed down, and the center of the lane kinda comes up in a hump. When you drive over it, it's almost like you're driving on rails as your wheels want to conform to the compressed strips on either side of the lane, and the steering wheel will move itself to follow the compressed path (hence the name 'tramlining' as it's like being in a tram). Now, often time, roads aren't 100% level -- they're deliberately slanted off in one direction for water drainage. Combine this with surface compression, and you could experience pulling to one direction. Again, I haven't seen your roads, so this is completely speculative on my part, but I just want to throw it out there for consideration. Regarding being worried that your car will be taken for joyrides by service techs. I always make a point of jotting down my odometer mileage when I leave my car, and I make sure the service advisor sees me doing it. That way they know I'm no fool and I'm keeping an eye on them. If I pick up my car and it has anything more than an extra 5 miles on it, I raise hell and tear them a new one. I picked up my car once and it had an extra 20 miles out of it. I raised such a stink that the manager took my invoice and marked it as paid in full just to get me out of there. He wrote off about $200 in charges. __________________ "There are no small accidents on this circuit." -- Ayrton Senna 316.8whp & 248 ft/lbs (Dyno Dynamics) \| 319whp & 256 ft/lbs (DynoJet) (04/23/10) Stillen G3 CAI, CBE, Pulley / F.I. LTH / GTSpec Ladder Brace / Setrab Oil Cooler / UpRev-tuned by Forged Perf.

04-13-2009, 12:42 AM	#14 (permalink)
Minicobra1 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Orange County, CA. Posts: 1,205 Drives: 370Z Tour, Spt, 6mt Rep Power: 646	Yes, I have this same issue, it's seams to be a combination of tramlining and bump steer. The freeways out here are all grooved for rain, I think these tires or the alignment setting do not work for this type of road design. The guys on the Mustang form use to experience this after lowering their cars, (bump steer) the solution was to put off-set steering rack bushings in to bring the steering rack back up to it's normal position. Seeing that no one on here has a lowered vehicle, that wouldn't be the issue. Wide tires and grooved roads do have some effect on this, but I think the solution may be different alignment specs. __________________ 370z Tour\| Spt Pack\|Navi\|BERK CBE\|Berk HFC's\| Eibach Springs\| Hotchkis Sway Bars\|SPC Camber Arms\|15mm Ichiba Wheel Spacers\| 19"Factory Nismo Wheels-Matt Black\|Stop Tech Rotors\|TWM Shifter\|3M Tint\|Black Fangs\|Black Rear Valance\|JDM Fog Light\| MY BAND-www.myspace.com/petroleum

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04-11-2009, 09:32 AM	#7 (permalink)
spearfish25 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Naples, FL Posts: 4,117 Drives: to work Rep Power: 1858	Semtex is right on you guys. If you're only noticing the wheel pulling when you're coming to a stop on a grooved road, there is nothing wrong with your car. However, if you find the car pulling when you're driving along the majority of the time, then you have an alignment issue. One good way to make problems with your car is to take it to a dealer looking for problems when there is nothing wrong with it. That just leads to some mechanic taking things apart and driving your car around. Two extra miles on the car is expected when you've taken it for service and claimed there is an issue while driving. They have to diagnose the problem. As Semtex said, 20 extra miles is not OK.

04-11-2009, 03:09 PM	#9 (permalink)
sensi09 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: so cal Posts: 449 Drives: _ Rep Power: 18	Well the SA will check the mileage on your car when you first bring it in, so everything should be recorded.

04-11-2009, 04:58 PM	#10 (permalink)
tbonesteak Track Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Socal Posts: 914 Drives: MY09 MB 6MT Rep Power: 377	^^hahaha!

04-11-2009, 05:41 PM	#11 (permalink)
epod86 Base Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 229 Drives: 06 Mustang GT BK M5 Rep Power: 243	Ahaha, hehe, whoo. Reminded me of an old lady friend. She was up in Seattle for a summer, where apparently tramlines were horrible. Passed out on the highway driving a friend back from the airport. Apparently she had eyes closed for 30s or more before friend noticed. Car didn't budge from the lane.

04-11-2009, 07:33 PM	#12 (permalink)
imag Enthusiast Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 446 Drives: up the wall Rep Power: 18	If your car is steering while going over bumps, that's a very specific problem, known as (wait for it): Bump steer. Bump Steer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia It's an effect of an improperly design or aligned suspension, and it is not acceptable for any modern sports car to have an issue with it. The cars need aligning.

04-12-2009, 10:11 PM	#13 (permalink)
Musashi Enthusiast Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Jersey Posts: 357 Drives: 09 370Z 6speed Rep Power: 608	I luckily do not have the problem with my 370z. The g37 I traded in had horrible alignment issues, pulled really hard to the right.

04-13-2009, 08:51 AM	#15 (permalink)
fillyv Base Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Glarus, Wi Posts: 53 Drives: 2004 350Z Track Rep Power: 18	The problem of doing alignments on brand new model of cars. Is that the cd updates for alignment racks only come once a year. I would suppose you could do a monthly update, but at $700 for the update its not cost effective. Nissan or other car companies do not have thier own alignment programs. They go through John Bean "Snap-On", or Hunter. A seasoned tech should be able to at least help you get your problem fixed though. then when the update is available get it checked again.