Alignment question for Acura

[89911]

I recently bought a used 07 MDX and have been sorting out the issues they car came with. The dealer put new tires on but it had a noticable wheel shake that was fixed by rebalancing and moving the offending tire to the rear. It also has a slight pull in the alignment to the right. I had the Acura dealer (who recommended the the alignment after fixed the wheel balance issue) correct the alignment. I then drove the car on the highway the other day and the issue is noticable worse. If I let my hands off the wheel the car will generally move to the right lane within a second or two, worse then before they "fixed" it. I called them today and told them the problem. They took it in and when I got in it today, I saw the service report and it stated the rechecked the specs which where correct and could not demonstrate the problem. WTF? So do I 1: Call them back and try to have them fix something which they obviously can't see. 2: Take it somewhere else and have them fix it. 3: Ask for a refund for a alignment that actually made things worse? I've got a trip this weekend and I don't feel like constantly correcting the car to the left for 3 hours.

[Tobra]

sounds like it had something bent before you bought it

[yetibone]

Maybe a slight deformation within a front tire that's causing the pull, usually a seperated belt. Try swapping sides with the front tires, and see if that corrects, or reverses the pulling problem. If so, you may need to get new tires.

[David]

You don't weight 300 lbs do you? Not that there's anything wrong with that

[coldstart]

I recently had a similar issue with my Acura but very different model (RSX) and I have owned the car since new. I put new tires on last week and got an alignment at a reputable shop and I get a pull to the right that wasn't there before. It is likely a tire/wheel or an alignment adjustment issue.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by 125shifter

You don't weight 300 lbs do you? Not that there's anything wrong with that

HAHH! But car pulls to the right so that's no it.

I'm goin with something bent.

[asphaltgambler]

So the pulling is when you are traveling at speed on a straight and level road, then take your hand off of the wheel and it starts drifting to the right almost immediately?

[onewhippedpuppy]

I have a similar issue with my AMG. The alignment was checked twice, all was to spec. The shop tried swapping tires side to side and the pull followed the tire. Nearly new Sumitomos (crappy tires thanks to the cheap PO) with an internal defect. Also probably why it tramlines. The only fix is new tires.

[BGCarrera32]

Nah, just stay cool, call the dealer back, tell them you're stopping down because you're not happy yet with the work or explanation given, and you'll be going for a spin with the alignment tech. You can usually find a disconnect between the service writer guy and the tech doing the work...hard to say if the tech even had time to drive it or what happened. If they still say its o.k. then request a short spin in another '07 or comparable MDX on the used lot and see how it behaves.

[89911]

Follow up. After getting no where with the Acura dealer, I went to my Porsche shop that understand a thing or two about alignment issues. I had him drive it and he noted the pull. We went back to the shop and he swapped the front tires and it is better, much better. I haven't taken it on the highway and I need to drive it at 80-85 for the final verdict. I think the bottom line is the tires they put on it are crap. They are Bridgestone dueler H/L. They do come as original tires on these cars. From the pulling and tires imbalances, it is not hard to underestimate the effect bad tires have on a cars handling.