[Petey00]

Is it reasonable to expect the steering wheel to be perfectly aligned? My previous Maxima and my current IS300 both have problems with the car pulling left if I have the steering wheel in the center position. My dealer just adjusted the tie rod for me but that didn't help.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Roadstar]

hi:
ya, the previous maxima i had has that problem as well, but not the is300 i have now. it handles beautifully.

 

[Petey00]

Been very happy with the ECU/TRAC upgrade I received last Friday. During low speed (less than 40 mph), the shifts are smoother and it seemed like the downshifts are more crisp and makes the car seem a bit faster

I guess the only thing I am still not happy about is the steering wheel. It seems to be worse than before. If I have the steering wheel in the center position, the car would start drifting left. It seems like a simple change to recalibrate the steering wheel would be sufficient. Do I need to go back to the dealer? Or is there something simple I can do myself.

Also, as a side note, my dealer is about 35 miles away. If I were to go to one closer by to have my steering wheel adjusted, would they treat me different since I don't normally have my car serviced there?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Todd]

I've heard of cars being damaged during shipping, resulting in the same symptoms that you have described. When they put a new car on a car hauler, they use two chains, usually at opposite corners of the car. If these chains get torqued down too tight or attached to the wrong point of the car, it can cause suspension damage that can't be fixed with an alignment. A friend of mine bought a brand new, 2000 Celica with the same problem. He has Autocrossed for years and picked up the problem right away. Get the car back to the dealer. When you talk to the service manager, ask about possible damage during delivery and watch his face. You'll know right away if something isn't right. Good Luck!

 

[H1ghf1del1ty]

The same thing happened to me also. I just took it to Longo and they fixed the problem. Off the lot the steering wheel wasn't like that. It was because of some lazy mechanics who didnt wanna take the time to put on a steering wheel correctly.