X5 won't got straight

[timcoupe]

Hi All,

I purchased an '04 X5 3.0D around a month ago. As usual, it ends up going back to the dealers to sort out niggles which they convenently 'miss' before putting them up for sale. Whilst most of these issues have been sorted, I do have an ongoing concern over which I thought i'd share with you guys for your feedback / comments.

As I'm based in the UK, mine is naturally RHD, and the problem is that it just won't drive straight and pulls to the left. Intially, to drive straight, you had to hold the steering wheel at say '12:01' on a clock, slightly off centre to the right. The car went back to the dealers for a 4-wheel-drive aligment check, and they reported that they had made 'tweaks' and that all was well. On picking the car up, it had made no difference whatsoever and was promptly booked back in for re-alignment. I picked it up again yesterday after it's 2nd aligment check, and whilst the steering wheel has straightened out, the car still pulls to the left. The service engineer also told me that they had to replace the right hand front suspension strut due to the aligment adjustments being right 'on the limit' with the old one... eh??? The service 'manager' then went on to tell me to expect some 'pulling' as the car was 2.2 tonnes and that it was natural and to be expected...well, I don't expect to pay £33k for a car that won't drive straight and now I'm now very concerned that either (a) the dealers have not got a clue what they are on about and I should probably take the car to an alignment specialist for a second opinion, or (b), my car may have been involved in a collision that has bent something (triggered by the fact they ahd to replace a strut!)....the car did come with a HPI check which was clean, so apparently it has not had any 'major' damage.

What are your thoughts on this? should I continue to complain or is it normal for the car to pull?

Thanks!

Tim

[Tomaz]

Your car should not pull. On a flat highway the car should stay centered. Your suggestion to take it to an independent alignment specialist is correct. While the specialist is checking the alignment, you could ask him to inspect for any signs of damage. Good luck

[john348]

I know mercs pull to the left and they blame the camber of the road. They fix it by putting stagger (so it pulls to the right all the time). THey havew found that different tyres make a difference.

I wonder if this is the same problem?

John

[timcoupe]

When I originally reported the fault, I demonstrated it to the master technician - he said that in the past, they have had to replace wheels & tyres to cure the problem ....unfortunately he has since left the dealership......

[bozo]

Wow. Which dealer is it? That just doesnt seem right, especially on a 2004 model. Does it pull any less than before you brought it in to them? I assume its under warranty, so they probably want to give you the "quick fix" since its not costing you anything. I get that all the time..

I say keep complaining, or better yet, bring it to someone else...

[Laurence]

I had the same problem when i took delivery of my X5 (used from a dealer). I decided to take it to a specialist tyre dealer that had four wheel alignment equipment.
It is important to get a four wheel alignment done as the suspension not only has adjustment at the front but also the rear.

Having got the alignment done, the car drives very well.

[timcoupe]

I'm going to drop it into a specialist this week, hopefully that will be the end to my problems. If it still pulls, or the adjustments are already on the edge, then I'll call the dealer again and take it from there.

Thanks for the replies!

[bozo]

Do you know which dealer it was?

[timcoupe]

You have PM....

[chubyball]

Here is a suggestion for you how to find out how servere your collision is. Take your car to a parking lot or an open space area.
1. Drive straight then stop
2. Turn steering all the way left and hold, gas the pedal
Check for noise and roughness while turning
3. repeat step 1.
4. Turn steering all the right and hold while turning and check for noise and roughness

I your frame or strut is not align after the accident, your car wont turn smootly at U turn. Let us know how it went.