I have an issue with my 2003 SE pulling fairly hard left. I had my local mechanic replace the front rotors, brakes, tie-rods, end links and struts all the way around (new springs as well), new right side motor mount.

When i got the car back I noticed the car pulling left pretty severely so i took it back and he tried to align it but says he cant get it aligned. He has since replaced the 2 front struts twice thinking the front struts were the problem. The car still pulls hard left and he does not know what to do.

I am posting this for any insight from you pros out there with these cars? It was driving perfectly straight before all of the work but it was clunky and I like tight cars. The car is tight now but PULLS LEFT. I need to get this fixed so I can then get new tires.

If you can give me some direction to go in that would be great!

Thanks,
Ken

 

I'd find a good alignment shop. They'll be able to sort out what's wrong.

It's nearly impossible to diagnose this sort of thing over a computer.

 

He said if I can get it aligned he will cover the cost. Do you think the Nissan dealer is good to take it to?

 

To chime in,from my experience with dealers ,no.
Unless you specify a master tech or someone with years and years of experience that knows what they are doing.
Take it to an actual suspension shop that specializes in this. Google is a great resource for reviews on shops.

 

Yeah, forget the dealer. A good underbody/alignment shop will be better since that's what they do all day.

Like wellshii19 said. Look at Google reviews and call a few shops to see what they think about your situation.

 

x10 on what the fellas above are saying. You want a specialized front end place, not some chain tire shop that'll do a "toe-and-go."

 

yea i live in a small town so I am searching for that! I appreciate all of the replies!

 

To toss it out here did your mechanic consider inter tie rod especially the left side. Mine is going bad but I am in alignment enough to not wear the tires.


Its a random guess but makes sense and since you already replaced said parts. It cant be too many things. And after replacing struts and outer tie rods everything else is so tight now you would notice the inner being bad, especially since it wont align. same thing happened to me.

 

I don't think he did anything to the inters.

 

That's where I would check. otherwise about the only thing left would be control arms but they are usually more forward backward problem not left to right.

 

I don't understand why mechanic didn't require an alignment. Most will when doing that work.

I did tie rods and control arms on my car and saved money but due to vehicle needs and time I got stuck having a gap between the two part replacements and when finally aligned I had tires worn incorrectly. Can't remember how many miles this was, but it happened nonetheless.

Get it aligned and you should be just fine.

 

Actually the mechanic that did the front end work tried to align it multiple times. I have an appointment with a suspension specialist shop this week. My tires are toast. AS soon as it is riding straight again new rubber coming! I will update this thread with what the problem was. My gut tells me it is a camber issue of some sort.

 

I think you're on the right track.

It sounds like you have a straight mechanic but he probably has a very basic alignment setup to work with.

A specialist with the right equipment may be able to align it even with the bad tires. They'll also be able to find any other worn parts which could cause the issue.

 

How is that an alignment issue?

Sounds like a weight issue or aerodynamic issue.

 

Also the road is paved on a slight pitch for water run-off so if your on the left side of the road and it pulls that may be why!
You'd be surprised how much of a curve the road is on.