dk10438

hi
i just got my rx350 and after 2 days of driving i noticed that the car was drifting to the right. i took it back to the dealer and they replaced something called the "manual supplement" whatever that is. anyway, the car was improved but it still seems like there is a very slight drift to the right. has anyone else encountered this?

RXSF

perhaps if this is still happening, bring this to their faces:

jtlockyer

I've noticed this too shortly after I took delivery in September.

I took it to the dealer and they kept it for three days. The service mouth said the shop foreman wasn't happy with the first alignment, so he had the tech re-do it. After it was returned, it was better. No part was listed as being replaced.

Again, just last week, my wife commented that she had to steer the wheel the opposite way it was pulling on the way to work, but it was fine on the return home later that day. Very strange, alignment problems don't come and go.

Yesterday, I noticed the alignment was not perfect, but not bad enough to take it in. So, I'll watch for the issue over the coming weeks.

salimshah

Just keep few things in mind.

1. Make sure the tires are inflated properly.

2. Vehicles are supposed to drift (not pull) gently to the right. This is ever so gentle that perceived correction is not necessary.

3. Road condition/slope, tire treads, grooves in the road can cause a pull.

4. If you are new to vehciles with a large profile, cross wind effects are much more pronounced in vehicles like RX.

5. Alignment problems over time always manifest themselves by abnormal tire wear pattern.

6. You hit a pot hole or a curb and your alignment can be thrown off.

To make any judgement make sure you try different lanes and always make a round trip to eliminate cross currents.

Salim

dk10438

1. tire inflation was the first thing i checked, 31 lbs cold across the board
2. not sure if i agree with this statement, no car i have ever had was "supposed" to drift to the right
3. of course, slope of road will always cause a car to pull in a certain direction
4. ok, not much wind when the car was pulling
5. don't want to wait 'til abnormal tire wear manifests
6. car had 100 miles when i took it back, they "fixed it" and it still pulls slightly to the right. but like you said, maybe this is by design. oh and BTW, i am very careful with my cars, never hit a curb and no potholes

salimshah

Pardon me dk10438. My post was not meant to be a throw back at you.

To clarify there is a difference between "pull" and drift. Pull is when you have to fight it and drift as I stated meant that it is at level that you hardly notice. I have always understood it as a feature to get the vehicle on the safe side in case the driver takes a nap.

Salim

dk10438

sorry
didnt mean so sound surly in my response either, but you had so many points it just seemed easier to respond by the numbers. anyway, its very mild at this point and almost seems too much hassle to deal with. one of the earlier posts clarified this "repair manual supplement" which basically seems like the car is warranted for 12 months to stay aligned so if the problem persists or progresses, i can always take it back.

hyiu

up to my knowledge, a normal street is usually slightly "sloped" to one side (usually right side), simply because when it rains, water will drain to the side. So, if your car running on the street has a very slight tend to the right... I guess its normal....

maybe you can try at a large parking lot, which surface might be more flat than a normal road.

salimshah

There are two more options.

Try a 4 wheel alignment job. [would it help or not, I really don't know].

The other requires a smart tech. All adjustments (including alignment] has a center spec and then there are number like +/- allowed tolerance. A smart tech can skew the alignment to a side that helps you. The only drawback is if there is a give in future it may fall out of the specified range.

Salim

Todd

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