The facker pulls to the left! I thought it was the road, so I got in the middle lane where it was flat and held the steering wheel with both hands, pointed straight. The car veered to the left, however very slightly.

I had the same problem when I bought my Tahoe new, and I don't want the same nightmare again.

Does anyone else's car do the same thing? I mean, it's not that bad, but it's noticeable.

Other things I found interesting on my 2003 TL-S.

1. After shutting the car off, there was still smoke or steam coming out the exhaust pipes, for about a minute or so. Is this normal? I touched the pipes and they weren't that hot, so I ruled out steam. I don't know what the hell it is.

2. In ShiftTronic mode, starting off in first, the computer automatically shifts into second. I tried, but there seemed to be no way to override it.

3. The fog light switch sticks a little bit. I'm sure that's not a big deal at all. Easy to fix.

4. Where's the compass, in a 31,830-dollar vehicle?

Otherwise, I'm extremely happy with this car. Can't quite rev the hell out of it yet, and a Mercedes CLK430 tried to race me. But I wasn't about to risk the engine.

Well... are any of the problems above NOT normal? If so, please let me know.

Thanks!

 

The facker pulls to the left! I thought it was the road, so I got in the middle lane where it was flat and held the steering wheel with both hands, pointed straight. The car veered to the left, however very slightly.


First and foremost check the tire pressure. Worst case scenerio have the dealer re-align. Everything should be free so no worries.


After shutting the car off, there was still smoke or steam coming out the exhaust pipes, for about a minute or so. Is this normal? I touched the pipes and they weren't that hot, so I ruled out steam. I don't know what the hell it is.


Normal. Happens to me too.


In ShiftTronic mode, starting off in first, the computer automatically shifts into second. I tried, but there seemed to be no way to override it.


Yup. It is a design issue. Can't do anything about it.


The fog light switch sticks a little bit. I'm sure that's not a big deal at all. Easy to fix.


Dunno what to say. All I know is that I leave mine on all the time. After you push it in for the first time, you really shouldn't really be pushing it anymore.


Where's the compass, in a 31,830-dollar vehicle?


This comes with the NAV package. I'm assuming you got yours without it or you wouldnt be saying this.


Thanks!


You're welcome.

 

Gotcha. That just made me feel a whole lot better.

I'm gonna call the dealership on Monday and set up an appointment to bring the car in for service. The techs said they already checked the tire pressure, but I'm gonna go check it myself right now.

Thanks a lot!!

 

It was the air pressure. They told me it was all prepped and ready to go.


31 PSI in the front left and 33 PSI in the front right... prepped, my ass.

I wonder what else they "prepped" for 3 hours.

 

It is water vapor, a byproduct from the reaction in the catalyst. The shorter your trip, and the colder it is, the worse it will be, generally speaking.

If you need direction, you should have ponied up for the Navi. Me- I don't get lost.

 

I didn't know the compass only came with the Nav system. I've always had cars with the compass and it was just different, that's all. I know my way around. If I'm on a trip, I will stick to my maps.


Last time I checked steam = water vapor

 

You better check to see that it still doesn't pull... in MY experience, a 2 psi difference wasn't enough to make any car i've driven pull in any particular direction. just an FYI

 

To the layman, yes, but not really. Steam is water at or above the boiling point, a true gaseous form, and is invisible. Water vapor is simply finely atomized droplets of water, able to be carried by the air. Think of it as steam which has essentially condensed onto itself, back to liquid state, yet still in a fine mist.
You can't drive a 1000MW turbine with "water vapor."

Semantics, I know. And it IS water vapor coming out of your pipe. The byproducts of HC and CO breakdown in the catalytic converter are CO2 and H2O. It will leave the converter as steam (typical converter stays around 600F internally, IIRC), but quickly loses heat/energy.

Todd

 

Telling it to the wrong guy. Failed two Chemistry classes in a row.

I was letting air out of the front right tire and let out too much. Now the car pulls to the right. hahaha.. I'm going to a gas station tomorrow and making proper adjustments.

Took it around some twisties at about 40 in the backroads tonight after leaving the movie theater. Gosh, this thing handles almost as good as my '01 Eclipse GT.

The pull problem remains to be seen, after adjusting the pressure tomorrow. If it still pulls, then I'm sending it right back to the dealership.

 

You will regret not buying the nav sysytem. My son and I each have a tl-type S with nav and we use the nav constantly .

 

Dont need to rub it in. Most users who go navless will probably say the same overtime, but the point is that it is AFTER the fact.

As for tire pressures...go to radioshack and buy yourself a digital tire guage. It will help you in the long run.

 

ur questions were anwered as i read... but the fog light sticky problem. i had my fog like stick also, acura replaced the button.

 

can i ask a dumb question? Did you notice these problems immediately? If my new TLS pulled to the left, I probably would have noticed when leaving the dealership. You bet your a$$ I would have turned right around and made a stink.....You probably could have gotten some free service.

When I picked mine up at their scheduled time, my underbody kit was not on the car. When I asked the salesperson, he was surprised and I caused a stink. It just so happened that the owner of the dealership was there and heard what happened...I got free oil changes and my first scheduled maintenance free!! (just to keep my mouth shut in front of potential customers!!)

 

BJ --

Yeah, I did notice it right away. But I figured it wasn't that severe. I've been de-sensitized by the crooked steering wheel of the Tahoe and the Intrepid. It really isn't that bad. But I'm calling them tomorrow to see what they say. They owe me. They f*cked up on the documents and I had to pull some moves to get it done. They said they were sorry a million times and gave me a free oil change, but... if the veering problem is more than the unbalanced air pressure, then I want a new car. No need to repair it. They can repair it and KEEP it. I want a new car. After all, I did pay for a new car with straight steering. I only have 70 miles on her as of right now and they 3 other silver ones on the lot. I just need to choose which silver I want.

 

On another note, neither my uncle or I have the nav and we never use it. Lol. Seriously though, the nav isn't as essential as some of you make it seem.

 

Ignorance is bliss isn't it

 

A couple more questions --

The door lock panel on the driver's side door, right by the window... where you push in to lock the door and the red security LED is... Is anyone else's cover panel a little crooked?

The steering wheel column, between the steering wheel and where the gauges are... anybody else's a little crooked?

I haven't seen it yet myself, but that's what my brother says. I told him maybe his eyes are crooked.

Please let me know. Thanks, guys!

 

Pure Adrenaline--I know how it goes with the crooked steering wheel/vehicle pulling to one side issue with the Tahoe. I had a 99 Tahoe and currently have an 03 Yukon XL--both had steering wheels that were off-center, and pulled to the left somewhat. When you go to any shop other than the dealer to ask about it, they'll usually tell you that they can't align the front or center the wheel, because it supposedly can't be done correctly. Wrong--it is because the Tahoes (and Subs and Yukes) have what's called knock-out plugs in the front that are in place so that the front wheels stay straight when they are being transported via car-carrier. All that needs to be done in order to completely align the front is to remove these plugs, and apparently only the dealer is willing and/or knowledgable enough to do it, and from what I heard, it does take a bit of labor to do it. If you don't get the dealer to do it not long after you buy the 'hoe new, it costs around $160 just to remove the plugs--or at least that's what the dealer told me. FWIW--I have to wait around 5K miles before I can get the dealer to re-align my wheels; supposedly, he said it takes around that long for the suspension to "settle", and won't do anything about it until then; however, he will take care of it as a "goodwill" service if it doesn't correct itself by then.

And I agree with PeterUbers that a difference of just a couple of PSI between the front tires under most circumstances shouldn't be enough to make your front end drift to one side even if you forcibly keep the steering wheel centered. My 'hoe and Yuke both had identical PSI in both front tires and they still drifted even when I held the steering wheel in the centered position.

Just thought you might be interested about the Tahoe steering wheel issue since you mentioned that you had one...

 

This is the first time I've heard about it.

Another story I've heard was that at the factory when they build the frame for the C/K series, sometimes the robots apply too much torque and the frame gets slightly bent. This, unfortunately, falls under the "acceptable" range of the manufactuer's guidelines. This came from an ASE Master Technician at a Chevy dealership.

I tell ya... I'm fed up with all the bull**** they try to feed us. I like their trucks and we're buying a Yukon XL pretty soon to replace the Tahoe, but the service of the dealership after the sale really worries me.


Oh, and any comments on those last two things I've mentioned in my last post? Thanks.

 

tdoh --

Forgot to tell you. Have you been to fullsizechevy.com? It's a great place. I've learned a lot from the people on that board. Check it out.

 

Pure Adrenaline--thanks for the website link; I'll have to check that out!

I've had similar (not exactly like what you described) fit/finish issues with the driver's side inside door panel and steering wheel--the panel isn't as tight as the front passenger's side, as it feels just a little bit too loose for my tastes. As far as the steering wheel--the center cover wasn't centered, leaving quite a bit of a gap on one side of the cover. Ticky-tack issues, yes; but still, one would expect better quality out of an Acura.

 

Exactly what I'm talking about!! Did the dealership fix this for you?

Now I understand the importance of Initial-Quality Assessment Test (within the first 30 days of purchase, I think?) I'm DEFINITELY NOT happy with the initial-quality of this vehicle. But overall, I do like it. After all, it's just small little things slightly out of place.

 

Pure A- I don't have a single issue that you have mentioned. It is definitely the small things like you mentioned that build up and piss you off, especially when the car is brand new!! I would demand a new car, like you mentioned above. I wish you the best of luck.....It is absolutely horrible that you are stuck with all that sh!t to deal with when you just left with the car......

 

They did, although not as perfect as I would like it to be--the cover is centered, but there are gaps on either side that are just a tad too wide for my personal tastes; I'm guessing that when they cast the injection mold for the cover, the dimensions were probably just a hair off. I can live with that (the gap); it was the issue regarding the cover not being centered that I didn't like.