2009 Honda civic 1500 miles. Noticed my car is leaning to the left side while in my level garage. Got curious so I put a 4’ level on the trunk. Sure enough, its leaning left ( on drivers side looking from rear). It drives fine - no pulling in the steering. The gas tank is on that side and is 3/4 full. Why is this car leaning and will it hurt anything to ignore it?? Thanks.
Open the passenger door. Sit in the passenger seat. Then re-check with your level.
Are you saying you can actually SEE your new Civic leaning to the left as it sits in your garage?
Your solution is spelled w-a-r-r-a-n-t-y.
This is a legitimate warranty issue, as it appears to indicate a problem in the suspension. Take the car to the dealership, and show them your “level test”. If they demur, then you will have to kick it up to the Honda corporate level. Contact information is in your Owner’s Manual.
Be polite, yet persistent, and you will prevail.
Good luck!
I can notice it without the level if I stand about 15 feet back. I’ll get someone to sit in the passenger seat and look at my level later. The level is about a 1/4 bubble off with no one in the car. This is a very light car and I get pushed around by the slightest wind while driving. Just don’t want this causing problems - I’m not going to take it to the dealer for a ‘lean’ as long as it drives fine but not sure if I should just shut up and ignore it for now.
“I’m not going to take it to the dealer for a ‘lean’ as long as it drives fine but not sure if I should just shut up and ignore it for now.”
Personally, I would not settle for any defect in a new car, and this is a defect. And, it will not get better over time. Why would you wait until the warranty has expired, and you then have to pay for this problem on your own dime?
Your left leaning problem may have been caused by the way the nation voted in the election. You need to go back for a warranty bail-out on the suspension. In all seriousness, the suspension isn’t right and shouldn’t be ignored. The car may have had the suspension damaged in transit to the dealer.
You may want to take it to a non-dealer to look for damage. You could have a repaired car. It wouldn’t be the first time a dishonest dealer tried that trick.
Get the lean checked out,this is not minor
The first thing I would do is check the tire pressure with an accurate gauge. If the tires are properly inflated, you should take it to a dealership for warranty work.
I would check this with a tape measure, not a level. After making sure the tires are inflated correctly, first, bounce the car up and down a few times at the front and rear, then measure the distance from the floor to the top of each opening over the 4 wheels (the edge of the fender above the tire). Compare left to right (not front to rear). I believe there’s a specification on this for each car.
Here’s a site that talks about it in more detail:
http://www.aa1car.com/library/ride2h.htm