At my wits' end with this issue
Hello all. I have two issues with this car (2016 2wd IS350). The first issue is that the alignment has never been correct ever since I got the car brand new. The car will pull to either the right or the left depending on which way the road is slanted. The car also wanders either to the left or the right when you hold the wheel dead straight. When the car is lifted, you can hear almost a banging sound when yanking the wheels back and forth when checking for play. I checked the tie rods and they're firm and stiff. All the ball joints are good. But there's definitely some play and I can't figure out where from. Where the steering shaft meets the rack, there's some dry grease on the shaft. Weird and I wonder if it's from the steering actuator.
The tires are all chewed up in the front, on the inner and outer sides. So, after doing some research, I swapped out my factory lower control arm bushings with RCF ones. However as embarrassing as it is, within recent years, I learned the difference between cold inflation and hot inflation pressure. It turns out I had been under inflating the tires by 4 PSI all this time. I believe this may be part of the reason.
The other issue is that you can hear a sound at low speeds when going over the slightest bumps in the road. Especially if you hit a speed bump diagonally. The best way to describe the noise is a "woomp" sound. The dealer showed me a tiny bit of oil on my rear strut, but in terms of bouncing, the car feels fine.
Can I change the rack in my garage? I've pulled out engines here and I have the official info from TIS. It mentions removing part of the subframe, but nothing about supporting the engine. I just don't want to be wrong with my diagnosis. The car is going to the dealer today for a second opinion after the first dealer told me that's normal.
Edit: The second opinion was basically the advisor telling me that they won't touch the car until I replace the front tires.
The tires are all chewed up in the front, on the inner and outer sides. So, after doing some research, I swapped out my factory lower control arm bushings with RCF ones. However as embarrassing as it is, within recent years, I learned the difference between cold inflation and hot inflation pressure. It turns out I had been under inflating the tires by 4 PSI all this time. I believe this may be part of the reason.
The other issue is that you can hear a sound at low speeds when going over the slightest bumps in the road. Especially if you hit a speed bump diagonally. The best way to describe the noise is a "woomp" sound. The dealer showed me a tiny bit of oil on my rear strut, but in terms of bouncing, the car feels fine.
Can I change the rack in my garage? I've pulled out engines here and I have the official info from TIS. It mentions removing part of the subframe, but nothing about supporting the engine. I just don't want to be wrong with my diagnosis. The car is going to the dealer today for a second opinion after the first dealer told me that's normal.
Edit: The second opinion was basically the advisor telling me that they won't touch the car until I replace the front tires.
Last edited by Sixty4Fairlane; Mar 18, 2024 at 10:46 AM.
Hearing a banging when checking the wheels for play, sounds like a wheel bearing to me.
Pulling to the left or right, based on road crown might be normal.
Pulling to the left or right, based on road crown might be normal.
Last edited by kj07xk; Mar 18, 2024 at 12:33 PM.
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