So I just got a new Z about a week and a half ago, been babying it like crazy, and I just hit a pothole on the way home. I didnt see it at all until it was too late, so I didnt have time to slow down. I was going maybe 40-45.

It might be my imagination because the car is so new to me and I'm taking pains to baby it, but now it seems like there is more play in the steering wheel. Not much, very little, but I think there may be some now when there was basically none at all before. Like i said it might be my imagination... first thing that goes through my head after I hit the pothole is "is my car ok?" and I immediately notice and think to myself "seems like there is a little more play in the steering wheel" .... but I am not entirely sure. I didn't notice any drift in the car or any unusual tire/road noise.

Any idea if this is likely? am I overreacting?

 

I cant look under the car so I don't know.

 

im quite sure you are overreacting...

but try a few tests, like put the wheels facing forward, then drive without hold onto the wheel seeing if it drifts to right or left...
crawl under to see if there is any visible damage..
but unless it was a decently sized pothole you should be fine IMO

 

Its a fresh new Z , just take it to the dealer for an alignment

 

If you hit a hole going that fast, I think I'd get it checked just in case. Did you check the tires/pressures? I hit a pothole going about 30 once and blew a 3" gash in the sidewall.

 

its "new" in that its new to me, its an '04 touring with 30k on it... so I won't be taking it to the dealer.

Should I have it checked at an alignment shop or my regular mechanic? I guess I should probably just get an alignment anyways because who knows when the last owner last got one.

I didn't see any visible damage to the tire, but I havn't checked the pressure yet... I'll do that in a few minutes on the way to work.

Thanks for the replies.

 

take it to an alignment shop

 

First check you tire pressure with a good tire pressure gauge. Nissan stock tires are 35psi f/r. Any uneven tire wear? If so, tires are likely out of balance or alignment is out. Is your 2003 Z have the tire feathering issue? If so, ou may want to look into fixing the problem first.

Second, look under the car. Turn the wheel full right, full left. Is it the same amout of turns on the wheel? Next jack the front end up safely and see if you can wiggle the tire top to bottom. Any play? If so, it could be the front wheel bearings need to be replaced. Simple fix. (see the DIY section).

Third,Find a level road with little to no crown. Drive along this roadway for a distance. Does the Z wander? If so, likely time for an alignment.

 

ok so it was pulling right fairly hard, so I took it in for an alignment last week.. they said it was pretty far out of alignment when I brought it in, but I forgot to ask for a print out... anyways, I didn't drive it much the next couple of days but last weekend I went on a relatively short road trip on the interstate and I could feel it pulling right again, maybe not as bad as before but still pulling

I'm going to call them today and ask if they'll take a look at it and see if its still aligned right... is there something that could be wrong that would cause it to just unalign after I had it aligned? I havnt hit anything else. it was the front-right tire that hit the pothole btw

edit: just called the alignment shop and they said they doubt the alignment is out of spec and its probably uneven tire wear causing the pulling, they said they see that fairly often? sound reasonable or like BS?

I dont think my car was pulling before I hit the pothole, but it might have been. I had only had it for a few days basically