]Anyone insights on the following would be especially appreciated:.

I bought a 2004 coupe at the end of March (2009). It had 38.5k miles, the sport package, and all in all, seemingly in very good condition. I bought it from an Infiniti dealership.

The first week, I started to notice the car would drift to the right. If I took my hands off the wheel and made sure the steering wheel was straight, the car would change lanes within about 3 seconds. I had the car aligned mid April by Infiniti. The problem didn't go away, and they recommended two front tires. After lots of phone calls, since I just bought tee car, they said they would take another look and "help me out."

So today they put two new front tires on (Yokohama 18s) and adjusted the alignment somewhat. They said they couldn't make any further adjustments. The car STILL drifts to the right. If the road leans to the left, it will SOMETIMES drift to the left. ONe thing I will add is that I don't have to fight the steering wheel to keep it straight, but if I leave my hands off the wheel, it will drift to the right (or on occasion, to the left, as aforementioned).

If the tires won't fix it, and the alignment was corrected, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?? IS THIS NORMAL??

THANKS VERY MUCH.

 

woah... maybe your rim is bent / damaged... if you have winter tires, put them on and have a run at it...


*welcome to the forum by the way..*

 

OK thanks for that suggestion!

I live in Florida so I don't have winter tires. The rims don't look damaged just from looking at them... Is it something that you wouldn't notice easily?

 

take it back to the dealer and have then fix it. Either bad alignment, bent frame, or bad tires.

 

check if you the wheel's properly balanced (all 4).
check air pressure
check if there is play in the steering (if so- check tie rods)
double. triple check.

 

Someone asked has the car been hit. According to Carfax, no. Is there some way a mechanic can check that?

 

Can you tell me what do you mean by there is "play" in the steering wheel?

 

Ignore all the comments posted above, they're mostly incorrect. If your CARFAX is correct and your Gs never been in an accident your issue is simply alignment. Misalignment should show in how your tires are wearing too, by running your hand the direction it rolls and back you should feel rough....raised areas. Find a good, reliable privately owned alignment shop in your area and get a 4 wheel alignment....not Infiniti/Nissan and definitely not Firestone. If your tires are really bad you may need new ones to totally eliminate the rough/drifting ride issue. Let us know the results and Good Luck!
Gary

 

I'm going to take your advice on the alignment front... But as far as the tires go, I JUST got the front tires replaced today. There was minimal impact from that change on the drifting problem.

 

By 'play' I mean, loose movement so to speak.

 

Heh.... I though this was a political thread. The best thing you can do is take it to an air port (small) and see if they will let you on the tarmac. Make sure it's running straight. You WANT it to drift to the right JIC you fall asleep.

 

This is partially true, there's not a road anywhere in our country that's not crowned but all he needs in an alignment....new tires, he should be good to go.
Gary

 

I've heard this explanation from Infiniti many times that the "crowning in the roads" is what is causing the drifting. I've driven many other cars - never before have I detected such a sensitivity in the movement of the vehicle to the way the road is curved/sloped.

 

i took mine to the dealer for this as well, and they told me it was 'road crown' and was normal. but im not sure about that. i have 2 new front tires, correct psi, oe 18's, properly balanced, no unusual wear on tires. i havent gotten it aligned but when i do im going to make sure and get the spec's before/after.

 

like gary c already mentioned, you proly need an alignment. Could be the toe is out of spec, or dialed differently from left/right.