| lynphie2 |
My X was pulling to the right ever since I got it late November last year. The dealer did alignment and tire rotation that solve the problem in mid-December. Couple days ago I took my car in for the A-1 service which was basically oil change and tire rotation, now X is pulling right AGAIN after the service. Dealer told me since alignment has been done, so most likely this is an radial pull issue from the tire itself.
I contacted Michelin and filed a case with them, they instructed me to have the tire check out in a local Sears auto center. Sear confirmed the radial pull on the right front tire. Michelin will ship the replacement tire in a few day to have Sear replace it for me. Sears told me they have seen a lot of radial pull problem in the last few years on all manufacture tires. Hopefully this time my problem will be resolved.
I love my new X, I just like it to be able to drive straight.:3: |
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| G. COLTON |
"just like it to be able to drive straight."
Well now, that is getting mighty picky is it not? LOL
G
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| JAC |
This sounds like exactly my situation.
I bought my MDX in Feb and noticed a slight pull to the right. Took it back to the dealer who checked the alignment (it was OK) and rotated the tires. It's not pulling to the right anymore. But I am afraid the pull will come back when I rotate the tires next time.
What method did you use to contact Michelin? Was the process hassle-free? Let us know how it turn out! |
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| JAC |
quote:
Originally posted by lynphie2
My X was pulling to the right ever since I got it late November last year. The dealer did alignment and tire rotation that solve the problem in mid-December. Couple days ago I took my car in for the A-1 service which was basically oil change and tire rotation, now X is pulling right AGAIN after the service. Dealer told me since alignment has been done, so most likely this is an radial pull issue from the tire itself.
I contacted Michelin and filed a case with them, they instructed me to have the tire check out in a local Sears auto center. Sear confirmed the radial pull on the right front tire. Michelin will ship the replacement tire in a few day to have Sear replace it for me. Sears told me they have seen a lot of radial pull problem in the last few years on all manufacture tires. Hopefully this time my problem will be resolved.
I love my new X, I just like it to be able to drive straight.:3:
How many miles did you have on your X when you took it in for service? The first oil change is at 10K miles, right? Did Michelin give you a hard time for claiming warranty after so many miles?
Thanks. |
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| lynphie2 |
I took the car in at 6K, I waited until the maintenance reminder prompts me to do so.
As far as Michelin, they are pretty cool to deal with. They took down some basic information, put me on hold while verifying information with the dealership, then we go from there. This whole thing happened within 3 days; Tuesday for Acura service, Wednesday called Michelin file a case, and Thursday to Sears. Michelin accepts the claim 100%, I just need to wait for my replacement tire to arrive.
For anyone who suspects similar problem, definitely report it to the dealership and make sure they document it. They might not be able to resolve it for you, but at least they can keep a record of your claim and back your claim up when you decide to file it with the tire manufacture.
By the way, the Sears tech told me that a 'radial-pulled' tire will not have much of effect when placed at the rear, but whenever it got rotate to the front, the problem will occur again. And in the long run, it will put more stress on the other tires, and possibly cause transmission problem (I don't know if it's true, but that's what they told me:8: )
I figure, I have to rotate my tire eventually, better resolve this while the X is still new and under warranty, so they can't deny the claim. |
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| lynphie2 |
Sears just receive the replacement tire from Michelin; I get my X in ASAP to swap out the problem RF tire. I hate to report, the problem remains. My X can change to right lane all by itself on freeway within 5 seconds.
I ask Sears to do a Laser-alignment to at least rule out alignment as the cause. The manager said Sears does not have the spec for 07 model yet since it・s so new. He even call the tech support of the equipment to see if spec are out yet but was told not for another couple of months. I also checked with Goodyear and Firestone, same thing.
I have no choice but to call my service rep and update him on the situation. I already have an appointment to have my car install the wood-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob (bring in my own parts). He・s going to ：loosen up (something), re-torque it and do another alignment； (sorry, can・t remember exactly what he said). I・m so afraid to have my car taking apart, but what choice do I have?
Just curious, can a mis-alignment factory steering wheel cause the problem?
Any suggestion or idea regarding my situation will be appreciated. Thanks.
:crying: |
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| Fabvsix |
| I feel your pain, but I don't understand your concern for them "taking your car apart"????? Do you think changing your steering wheel is easy and doesn't involve taking much apart....think again....I'd rather them torque front end parts as oppose to taking your steering wheel apart etc.......that makes my stomach weak.......Esp. taking bumpers off to put those accessories on is another issue I'd avoid. Last thing I'd want is misalignment issues with bumper and fender parts etc....:rolleyes: |
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| shootist |
Yes- I suggest you don't have the optional steering wheel installed while the steering is out of align. You're just introducing another variable.
If the vehicle is pulling to another lane in 5 seconds, that sure sounds like an alignment problem. Why bring it to Sears? THis is a warranty issue that should be fixed by Acura.
In New York, new car alignments became such a big issue that NY's Lemon Law requires the dealer to align any new vehicle for the first 18,000 miles.
If the dealer won't fix a problem like this, escalate to Acura regional.
Require a copy of the "before" and "after" alignment measurements for your records. |
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| Fabvsix |
When I bought my 03 MDX new it had a slight vibration between 70 and 75 mph. I drove back, handed them the keys and said "fix it" and call me when it doesn't do this. It took them "3" attempts and finally got it.......NO excuse for a brand new vehicle to pull to the right or left and you should leave it in the hands of ACURA as it is under warranty! I agree with shootist! I have BETTER things to do with MY time rather than running to Sears and calling tire companies etc when you have a warranty!
end of rant ! :mad: |
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| JAC |
My X has similar problem (but to a lesser degree) which the tech identified was caused by tire pull, not the vehicle's problem. They rotated the tires and the problem is even more minimized - it cuts across to the other lane (not completely changing over) in ~ 8-10 seconds, depending on the road condition.
I took it back to the dealer for warranty repair. But they simply test drove the car, agreed it pulls "slightly," and insists 1) if it does not completely change lane in 8 seconds in highway speed, it's within factory spec. 2) they were told by the "district service manager" not to replace the tires until enough people complain about the same problem. I am not sure how much of that was truth and how much was just car sales/service man BS.
I now have filed a claim with Acura over this. I am hoping they will do the right thing and take responsibility of the problem. Am I naive to expect a new car to go straight for more than 8 seconds? |
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| lynphie2 |
I did in fact had the dealer take care of the problem (they did tire balance and alignment acording to the paperwork) when I first report the problem which is 4 days after I bought the car; but after the A1 service (first oil change and tire rotation), the problem came back to haunt me. Thus, the service rep think radial pull of the tire might be involved.
It is a warranty issue, since Acura's warranty does not cover tire, it became an issue I need to deal with Michelin. I was told by my service rep that Acura can not handle the tire warranty repair either, that's why I ended up at Sears (closest Michelin dealer to my house) to have the tire replaced under warranty.
I suppose my Acura dealership can drop the radial pull excuse now and start REALLY looking for the cause.:( |
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| scorpion114 |
4 wheel alignment ? Have they switched tires around from front to back and tested it to see if it still does it? And then from side to side and check results? Are you driving it on the same road each time you get this condition? Does it happen on any road/freeway?
Have you driven on different parts of the lane to see if the "crown" of the road is affecting this condition at all? It has to be a royal pain, but I think this can be figured out, someone at Acura needs to break the problem down, document each step and result, and go from there. Has anyone called Supertech yet ? Good luck. DanF |
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| JAC |
According to the service manager that I talked to, there are a few 07 MDX that had severe "pulling" problems that they attribute to either the tires or the wheels. One of them was so bad they had to take off the wheel and send it to Ohio and their design engineer is "working on it." He said most of the problem came from cars with 19" wheels and there was an internal service bulletin for it. But, he also insisted that my problem was not the same.
Now, I really don't know if this guy can be trusted or not. Maybe supertech out there can confirm/deny this? |
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| shootist |
quote:
Originally posted by lynphie2
...(they did tire balance and alignment acording to the paperwork) ...4 days after I bought the car;..., the problem came back to haunt me. Thus, the service rep think radial pull of the tire might be involved.
It is a warranty issue, since Acura's warranty does not cover tire, it became an issue I need to deal with Michelin. I was told by my service rep that Acura can not handle the tire warranty repair either, that's why I ended up at Sears (closest Michelin dealer to my house) to have the tire replaced under warranty.
Time to take it to another dealer, or escalate to regional. When a tech "surmises" that it's a tire problem, he has to first prove that it's not an Acura problem. If an alignment and balance corrected the problem once, then they must align and balance again until the problem stays fixed.
Even if an alignment was done, there is a significant amount of "tolerance" in the settings allowed. If the specs were at the limit of acceptable, one bump and you're out again. Or, the alignment may not have even been done correctly.
While you're a long way from this, your state's lemon law will speciify how many visits that Acura gets to fix a problem with a new vehicle. In NY, they get 4 visits to fix the same problem, then it goes to lemon law arbitration. That's why you bring it back to Acura, and insist on any "recommendations" or results in writing. The threat of a lemon law action is like pulling out the big gun. |
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| G. COLTON |
Sounds like you are being treated well by both Michelin and Sears. I have had good luck with both over the years. I generally replace OEM tires with Michelin when it is time to get rid of the original tires.
Glad that everything is working well for you.
G |
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| JAC |
quote:
Originally posted by lynphie2
I did in fact had the dealer take care of the problem (they did tire balance and alignment acording to the paperwork) when I first report the problem which is 4 days after I bought the car; but after the A1 service (first oil change and tire rotation), the problem came back to haunt me. Thus, the service rep think radial pull of the tire might be involved.
It is a warranty issue, since Acura's warranty does not cover tire, it became an issue I need to deal with Michelin. I was told by my service rep that Acura can not handle the tire warranty repair either, that's why I ended up at Sears (closest Michelin dealer to my house) to have the tire replaced under warranty.
I suppose my Acura dealership can drop the radial pull excuse now and start REALLY looking for the cause.:(
OK, I am not sure how bad is the pull of your car. But I just got a call from the Acura claim case manager who stated that if the MDX, at highway speed, does not change lane from center to center within 6 seconds, it's NOT a problem. |
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| scorpion114 |
| I have had numerous vehicles and in any of them, you can go down a road, let go of the wheel, and the vehicle tracks straight, the steering wheel doesnt move to either side, and that to me is a properly aligned vehicle. One last thing, has anyone checked the air pressure manually with a known accurate gauge, to see that all 4 tires have the same pressure, or what ever the sticker on the driver door pillar says it should be ?? Good luck with this; what a pain. :( DanF |
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| JAC |
quote:
Originally posted by JAC
OK, I am not sure how bad is the pull of your car. But I just got a call from the Acura claim case manager who stated that if the MDX, at highway speed, does not change lane from center to center within 6 seconds, it's NOT a problem.
Just to clarify, I am not saying I agree with the above "specification." In fact, I think it's ridiculous. But that is what the Acura guy said and I suspect they will use that as an excuse when anybody files a claim on this issue.
Here is another comment from the Acura case manager, "To be honest, when I drive, I never take my hands off the steering wheel as I am constantly adjusting it." So the 6-second rule is pretty OK to him! |
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| scorpion114 |
| Why would that be an acceptable condition? I personally would not want to have keep correcting the wheel while driving. I dont have any vehicles that do that. These guys are worrying me, if they tell you stuff like that and act like its normal.. Again, need to verify air pressure is the same side to side, and front to back. They need to change all the tires around, to see if that makes it go away, and if it does, they need to identify the offending tire/s if this is the case, and remove and replace them. It should really be that simple. This is making me scared to buy a new MDX now. Since not many people on this board seem to have this issue, it has to be related to either tires or alignment, all 4 tires.. If they cant fix it, tell them you want to drive all their MDX's on the lot and see if they all do it. And of course, since they dont, you have another example to take to the arbitrator if you have to go to this level. Either way, if it was me, I would tell them, either they make it right, so I am happy, or they take the vehicle back and/or give me another one that doesnt do this.. That will get their attention.. :) Good luck, DanF |
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