Car drifts to the right

[oi128i]

About 2 weeks ago I noticed that the steering wheel would move to the right (1 o'clock position) and need to be held straight in order to stay straight on the road. I had a wheel alignment done a week ago but there's still drifting . The service advisor mentioned "road crowning" as a possible cause but it wasn't like this when I got the car brand new 5 weeks ago.

Is there a particular service I should request? Am I being picky or should I pursue this issue until it's completely resolved? i know nothing stays perfect forever but this is a BMW with less than 1500 miles not a 10 year old taxi.

Aside from this annoying problem, I LOVE this car!

[Dackelone]

You could have a bad tire(belts inside not aligned correctly). I would have them swap the front tires left to right... and see IF the car still pulls to the right. IF it doesn't its that tire.

Have them do the alignment again with someone sitting in the car. This also makes a slight difference in alignment specs/results. Is the rear toe Ok? Sometimes the tech will just set the front toe... and not do a four wheel alignment.

Your new BMW should track perfectly straight. Does your steering wheel vibrate at all? Even under braking?


G.L.
Dack

[takrdown]

I'm with Dack on this one. I've had this problem with almost every car I've ever owned and it has come down to the tires. I can always tell because when I switch over to my winters it will go away and vica versa. Usually it's just wear but it sounds like it might be a factory issue with the car being so new.

Might be time for new tires and I would think that BMW would cover them under warranty. If they can't fix it other some other way I would push them in that direction. Good luck!

[oi128i]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

You could have a bad tire(belts inside not aligned correctly). I would have them swap the front tires left to right... and see IF the car still pulls to the right. IF it doesn't its that tire.

Have them do the alignment again with someone sitting in the car. This also makes a slight difference in alignment specs/results. Is the rear toe Ok? Sometimes the tech will just set the front toe... and not do a four wheel alignment.

Your new BMW should track perfectly straight. Does your steering wheel vibrate at all? Even under braking?


G.L.
Dack

Thanks for getting back to me

No, the wheel doesn't vibrate at all. I'm planning on heading back to the dealership this afternoon (3rd trip in 2 weeks!). I'm not sure if they did a full alignment last time but I'll insist on that and the tire-swapping this time around.

Is there any specific language/buzz word I should use when I contact them? I'd like to hammer this issue out once & for all so I can get back to enjoying my new ride.

[Dackelone]

Perhaps mention it is a Lemon... then they might take you seriously. This is something so simple they should be able to solve. Worse case have them switch all four of your tires with another new car. G.L.

[eviled]

Okay, no. If a mechanic or service advisor tells you that your car is drifting to the right because of road crowning, well, A: he thinks you're a clown B: He him self is a clown or C: he does not know how or doesn't want to take the effort to fix the problem.

That's the oldest old tymey excuse for a mechanic who doesn't know his sh*t. Unless you're on a road course in a right hand turn with a 10 degree bank in the road. The wheel should be at the 12 o'clock position and the car should track straight. that's it. Of course he'll ask you what you hit and you will need to ask him if it will help him solve the poor tracking. (If you live in PA you can respond with "the road" ) Tracking down an alignment issue can be quite involved, in fact it involves all of the components of your car's suspention, front and rear and even tire pressure. Remember, the wheels could be in perfect
'alignment" but the car may not track straight do to other issues. Also, you probably have unidirectional tires, so you don't want to switch your wheels around because the tires will be facing the wrong direction and really mess things up.

You said the wheel " moved" to the one o'clock position? Like in your hands? or you just noticed it while driving? It could be something loose, like a ball joint or something but I don't even want to guess.