Right tilt and rough ride

Hi Everyone,

A BIG gold star to anyone who can help me. (-:



I’m writing in reference to a 2000 Nissan Sentra SE in mint condition with only 50,000 miles on it… with abs. This car has been babied from day one.



A reflector from the center of the road detached and flew up and bounced around the undercarriage of the car, traveling at least at 40 miles per hour. The reflector significantly dented my floor pan in two places, tearing up the undercoat, etc., and finally came to rest just under the tailpipe.



I’ve since had the car realigned, the oil changed, and the dents pounded out and the undercoating reapplied.



I’m having two issues…

1) the car is riding MUCH rougher than before - the wind resistance is significantly louder, the car vibrates more while driving, and what used to be a very smooth ride despite even moderate potholes is no longer allowing for road inconsistencies, which has lead to a much rougher ride.



2) the car is slightly tiled to the right… if you put a level on the car, the right side of the car is actually slightly leaning down.



I had the car dealer and an independent mechanic give the car a once over, though they said they couldn’t find the culprit of the problem.



I would absolutely be VERY grateful to anyone who weighs in with helpful information, tips, suggestions, advice, etc… I’m really frustrated - I went from loving to driving the car to dreading going anywhere.



Please Help!



Thank You, in advance! (-:

It sounds like you need a good body shop with the right tools to check and possible straighten the frame. While they may not need to do any frame straightening, they should have the tools and the skills to find the problem.

A strut could have been hit and depressurized or a rear sway bar may have been bent. Check the tires too. At the last tire change, you might have got an odd size and not noticed it. If you have P205/whatever and they installed a P195/whatever on the right side it will make a difference. You have to check all four and compare. Then there is more to the number like P205/70 or P205/65, with the 65 being a lower profile tire.

Joseph,

Thank You for your speedy reply. I took it to the Nissan dealer and a very qualified body shop. The body shop said they looked at the frame when they pulled the carpet up to pound out the dents, and they said everything looked normal. Perhaps I will find another shop and have them also assess the problem. Thank You very much!

Dear pleasedodgevan2,

Hmm… I had the tires changed a few months ago and checked the numbers then - they were all the same. I’m going to double check again, just to be on the safe side.

I’m going to have a GOOD mechanic look more into the strut depressurization and rear sway bar situation and see if they find anything there.

Thank You VERY much for your input. Great suggestions!!!