Honda Car Forum

Hello all.

I am brand new to this group.

I just purchased a 2003 Honda Accord EX 4cyl. auto.

I am very happy with the car. The only problem I have with it is that it is
drifting to the right constantly. This really doesn't bother me as the
drift isn't drastic and I don't have to fight with it to not drift, but I am
concerned that this will lead to pre-mature tire wear. FWIW my car came
with Michelins and all the tires pressures are correct (according to what
they should be in the owner's manual).

Is it common to have new accords needing an alignment off the lot? Mine
only had 11 miles on it when purchased.

My other question is....since I JUST purchased the car on Saturday (August
30) AFTER the dealership closed, and the dealership was closed Sunday and
Money (today), if I call them tommorrow (Tuesday) and tell them my car
drifted to the right after leaving the lot and has been doing this
constantly, will they give me a FREE alignment?

"Duran" <nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bj14ji$21o@dispatch.concentric.net...
> Hello all.
>
> I am brand new to this group.
>
> I just purchased a 2003 Honda Accord EX 4cyl. auto.
>
> I am very happy with the car. The only problem I have with it is that it
is
> drifting to the right constantly. This really doesn't bother me as the
> drift isn't drastic and I don't have to fight with it to not drift, but I
am
> concerned that this will lead to pre-mature tire wear. FWIW my car came
> with Michelins and all the tires pressures are correct (according to what
> they should be in the owner's manual).
>
> Is it common to have new accords needing an alignment off the lot? Mine
> only had 11 miles on it when purchased.
>
> My other question is....since I JUST purchased the car on Saturday (August
> 30) AFTER the dealership closed, and the dealership was closed Sunday and
> Money (today), if I call them tommorrow (Tuesday) and tell them my car
> drifted to the right after leaving the lot and has been doing this
> constantly, will they give me a FREE alignment?

Absolutely.

>if I call them tommorrow (Tuesday) and tell them my car
>drifted to the right after leaving the lot and has been doing this
>constantly, will they give me a FREE alignment?
>
>
>
>
If they cared about you as a customer, yes.



U.S.A. "Go West Young Men..."

Mexico "El Norte Hombre..."

On 02 Sep 2003 03:59:46 GMT, "Duran" <nospam@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Hello all.
>
>I am brand new to this group.
>
>I just purchased a 2003 Honda Accord EX 4cyl. auto.
>
>I am very happy with the car. The only problem I have with it is that it is
>drifting to the right constantly. This really doesn't bother me as the
>drift isn't drastic and I don't have to fight with it to not drift, but I am
>concerned that this will lead to pre-mature tire wear. FWIW my car came
>with Michelins and all the tires pressures are correct (according to what
>they should be in the owner's manual).

Is this on roads with a high crown?.... or do you notice it, say on a
freeway where there is no crown at all? Is the steering wheel centered
with the wheels pointing straight ahead? Most here seem to favor 2-3 extra
psi over Honda's recommendation, e.g. 32 vs. 29 as the best compromise for
feel, wear and handling.

>Is it common to have new accords needing an alignment off the lot? Mine
>only had 11 miles on it when purchased.

It's not unheard of and it could have several causes, the most likely being
a tire which is a slightly different diameter by enough to cause the
effect.

>My other question is....since I JUST purchased the car on Saturday (August
>30) AFTER the dealership closed, and the dealership was closed Sunday and
>Money (today), if I call them tommorrow (Tuesday) and tell them my car
>drifted to the right after leaving the lot and has been doing this
>constantly, will they give me a FREE alignment?

They'll probably tell you to drive the car for a couple of weeks to "let
things settle in". It makes some sense: take a look at your new tires and
they're probably covered in fine hair-like projections and it takes a good
500miles or so of driving to lose that, especially off the rear tires.
There may also be a suspension bushing/joint which is just a tad tighter
than some of the others. If you drive the car to the point that it is
broken in enough to give it some fairly hard acceleration and braking, thus
putting some normal loads on the suspension, you'll have a better
description of the problem and if it's getting better or worse.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??

On 02 Sep 2003 03:59:46 GMT, "Duran" <nospam@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Hello all.
>
>I am brand new to this group.
>
>I just purchased a 2003 Honda Accord EX 4cyl. auto.
>
>I am very happy with the car. The only problem I have with it is that it is
>drifting to the right constantly. This really doesn't bother me as the
>drift isn't drastic and I don't have to fight with it to not drift, but I am
>concerned that this will lead to pre-mature tire wear. FWIW my car came
>with Michelins and all the tires pressures are correct (according to what
>they should be in the owner's manual).
>
>Is it common to have new accords needing an alignment off the lot? Mine
>only had 11 miles on it when purchased.
>
>My other question is....since I JUST purchased the car on Saturday (August
>30) AFTER the dealership closed, and the dealership was closed Sunday and
>Money (today), if I call them tommorrow (Tuesday) and tell them my car
>drifted to the right after leaving the lot and has been doing this
>constantly, will they give me a FREE alignment?
>
I've been frustrated with a similar problem only mine drifts left.
I've asked the dealer to check it twice and both times they've
reported that it is "normal" and tends to drift right in the right
lane of the local freeway. The car tends to wander a bit more than
other cars i've owned, but it definitely drifts left more frequently.
I think the next time I'm going to insist that we check the alignment
regardless of what they think about the problem. I've checked tire
pressure as well (they were off).

If possible, you should always drive the car before buying or closing the
deal. When I bought my Prelude 2 years ago, I must have driven the car 25
miles or so to ensure no problems. I bought a Civic several.years ago from
an out-of-town dealer. On driving the car home I found it had severe balance
problems finally traceable to the tires being out-of-round. I was stuck
with replacing the tires at my own cost -- thanks to Firestone and their
lousy customer support.

"Duran" <nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bj14ji$21o@dispatch.concentric.net...
> Hello all.
>
> I am brand new to this group.
>
> I just purchased a 2003 Honda Accord EX 4cyl. auto.
>
> I am very happy with the car. The only problem I have with it is that it
is
> drifting to the right constantly. This really doesn't bother me as the
> drift isn't drastic and I don't have to fight with it to not drift, but I
am
> concerned that this will lead to pre-mature tire wear. FWIW my car came
> with Michelins and all the tires pressures are correct (according to what
> they should be in the owner's manual).
>
> Is it common to have new accords needing an alignment off the lot? Mine
> only had 11 miles on it when purchased.
>
> My other question is....since I JUST purchased the car on Saturday (August
> 30) AFTER the dealership closed, and the dealership was closed Sunday and
> Money (today), if I call them tommorrow (Tuesday) and tell them my car
> drifted to the right after leaving the lot and has been doing this
> constantly, will they give me a FREE alignment?
>
>
>
>

"Tom Waugh" <twaugh5@cox.net> wrote in message news:<Zs95b.16319$j26.840@lakeread02>...
> If possible, you should always drive the car before buying or closing the
> deal. When I bought my Prelude 2 years ago, I must have driven the car 25
> miles or so to ensure no problems. I bought a Civic several.years ago from
> an out-of-town dealer. On driving the car home I found it had severe balance
> problems finally traceable to the tires being out-of-round. I was stuck
> with replacing the tires at my own cost -- thanks to Firestone and their
> lousy customer support.

I too had an alignment problem and an off center steering wheel with
my 2002 Honda Accord V6 coupe. I checked the factory warranty and it
will fix the alignment as long as the mileage is under 12,000 miles.

I took it back to the dealer and they fixed the steering wheel and
performed a four wheel alignment. So, as long as you have under 12k
in mileage, bring it back!

My only two worries left are:

1) Will the automatic tranny hold up considering what some people have
gone through on other models?

2) Interior rattles continue to bug me despite two attempts by the
dealer to fix them. They installed the two strips in the sunroof, but
it still rattles at 10 - 15 mph on slightly bumpy roads.

BTW, this is an excellent forum and I have learned lots from all of
you!!

Best Regards - John in NJ

"John" <ssjlo@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:28b99f60.0309030615.62d961f8@posting.google.c om...
> "Tom Waugh" <twaugh5@cox.net> wrote in message
news:<Zs95b.16319$j26.840@lakeread02>...
> > If possible, you should always drive the car before buying or closing
the
> > deal. When I bought my Prelude 2 years ago, I must have driven the car
25
> > miles or so to ensure no problems. I bought a Civic several.years ago
from
> > an out-of-town dealer. On driving the car home I found it had severe
balance
> > problems finally traceable to the tires being out-of-round. I was stuck
> > with replacing the tires at my own cost -- thanks to Firestone and
their
> > lousy customer support.
>
> I too had an alignment problem and an off center steering wheel with
> my 2002 Honda Accord V6 coupe. I checked the factory warranty and it
> will fix the alignment as long as the mileage is under 12,000 miles.
>
> I took it back to the dealer and they fixed the steering wheel and
> performed a four wheel alignment. So, as long as you have under 12k
> in mileage, bring it back!
>
> My only two worries left are:
>
> 1) Will the automatic tranny hold up considering what some people have
> gone through on other models?
>
> 2) Interior rattles continue to bug me despite two attempts by the
> dealer to fix them. They installed the two strips in the sunroof, but
> it still rattles at 10 - 15 mph on slightly bumpy roads.
>
> BTW, this is an excellent forum and I have learned lots from all of
> you!!
>
> Best Regards - John in NJ

Disappointing for Honda -- perhaps because it is a new model. My 01 Prelude
has had absolutetly zero wrong with it from day one -- and is now at 30k
miles. But, they built them in Japan.

> I purchased an '03 Accord LX this past Friday, and noticed an alignment
> problem straight away. The car seemed to be drifting to the right (very
> slightly). I checked the tires, and the pressure was OK. Asked the dealer
> and he suggested to let it "settle in" for a couple of weeks, and come
back
> if I still thought it had a problem. It's been five days, and already the
> car doesn't seem to drift as much, if at all. I'll keep monitoring it
> though.
>
> So, like others who replied before me, I would suggest letting the car run
> for a few days before going back to the dealer.

Firstly, thanks to all those who replied.

I must admit that I am noticing the drift is going away slightly. Just out
of curiosity how many miles do you have on your car now?

"Duran" <nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<bj14ji$21o@dispatch.concentric.net>...
> Hello all.
>
> I am brand new to this group.
>
> I just purchased a 2003 Honda Accord EX 4cyl. auto.
>
> I am very happy with the car. The only problem I have with it is that it is
> drifting to the right constantly. This really doesn't bother me as the
> drift isn't drastic and I don't have to fight with it to not drift, but I am
> concerned that this will lead to pre-mature tire wear. FWIW my car came
> with Michelins and all the tires pressures are correct (according to what
> they should be in the owner's manual).
>
> Is it common to have new accords needing an alignment off the lot? Mine
> only had 11 miles on it when purchased.
>
> My other question is....since I JUST purchased the car on Saturday (August
> 30) AFTER the dealership closed, and the dealership was closed Sunday and
> Money (today), if I call them tommorrow (Tuesday) and tell them my car
> drifted to the right after leaving the lot and has been doing this
> constantly, will they give me a FREE alignment?

Check Drivers side door decal... when was it born? If it's before
July that was a known problem on the Edmounds boards.