My car is driving me nuts. It's pulling to the right and the passenger side front is 1/2 inch taller. I thought my drivers spring was saggy so I just put in new springs but both sides ride 3/ 8 taller with the passenger side still taller. New struts mounts bearing seats etc. New sway bar mounts and end links new rack and pinion new tie rod ends. Alignments multiple places. All in spec. What am I missing?

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Dan

Scurro

hi, is it a gradual pull nice and slow or fast and quick at speed?
the wheels should match the steering wheel- some guys forget to move wheel to centre-
put steering wheel in centre position. the tires should point straight ahead. are they straight? check wheels and tires- I would switch them and see if problem follows.
your 3/8 inch gain sounds normal due to new springs but front should be same- you sure you put everything in correct and no leftover parts?....lol- you can do quick visual inspection and compare both sides......you can call gm service and ask for correct ride height specs

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poverty forces one to do unorthodox things

2000 SSEi
past rides:
1996 SSEi
1992 GTP
1987 Grand Am

Slow gradual pull. At any speed. I assembled the struts once with original spring and the height was higher by 1/2 and so I swapped strut towers after assembling them again with new springs. Same problem. I do not know what could be causing it. The coils are not as compressed on the taller side. Subframe mounts are all great just had them out when putting in new rack. I really dont know what it could be. Every placesays its all tight and in great condition.

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Dan

Scurro

Have them do the alignment with you in the car, seriously.

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Andrew - owner/operator of Bonnevilles Unlimited

2004 Bonneville GXP | 60k | White Gold Tricoat | custom built supercharged 3800 hot rod | garage queen
1997 Corvette | 57k | Silver Metallic | Z06 wheels | Date-night Hauler/Parts runner
2014 Town & Country Limited | Cashmere Pearl | 115k | Family Hauler
2002 Ram 1500 Quad Cab Sport | Black| 280k | Official Bonneville Hauler

How would that effect my passenger side ride height?

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Dan

Scurro

It might not, but it will fix the pulling issue.

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Andrew - owner/operator of Bonnevilles Unlimited

2004 Bonneville GXP | 60k | White Gold Tricoat | custom built supercharged 3800 hot rod | garage queen
1997 Corvette | 57k | Silver Metallic | Z06 wheels | Date-night Hauler/Parts runner
2014 Town & Country Limited | Cashmere Pearl | 115k | Family Hauler
2002 Ram 1500 Quad Cab Sport | Black| 280k | Official Bonneville Hauler

Ah yes good to know. If it does and the height difference causes no problem I suppose I can leave it alone. Only thing that's not new is control arm and components

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Dan

Scurro

hey fiend!!, please take some pics of both sides with car on ground and jacked up with tires hanging- maybe someone can spot something that has been missed.....

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poverty forces one to do unorthodox things

2000 SSEi
past rides:
1996 SSEi
1992 GTP
1987 Grand Am

If you used the original style strut mount, are you sure the upper spring seat is clocked in right on both sides?

I'm sure it's not the strut assembly components. I switched sides with them after putting in new springs. Height difference stayed same.

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Dan

Scurro

I think I'm thinking about this backwards. The drivers side is shorter by 1/2 inch because passenger side height matches the rear. Still can't figure this out. Springs are new and should be only thing to impact it.

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Dan

Scurro

Could the diagonally opposite rear spring be sagging, causing the front to sag?
If the car was in an accident, perhaps the frame was bent.
Maybe you need to measure from ground to frame rather than to the fender well or wherever you've been measuring to see where height differences occur.
Lower balljoints are good?
There is a thin rubber cushion on the top of the strut bearing plate---any chance that there are 2 cushions on top of 1 and none on the other side?
Keep in mind they can glue themselves onto the body over the years, instead of staying on the bearing plate.
Perhaps it's a combination of a couple of minor things.
Tires are all equally inflated and have the same amount of treadwear?
Are you sure that the surface the car is on is perfectly level?
Roads are crowned to cause the water to run off into the gutters.
All in all 1/2 seems like a minor difference in height.

Struts assemblies are 100% new. I replaced each component. Always on level ground. Rear is sitting normal. Next is to measure ground to frame. There was accident but sub frame was already replaced because it got bent. Ball joints Idk. 4 new tires end of last year.

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Dan

Scurro

Subframe sits the same on both sides back to front. Strut towers are same distance to ground. Sway bar is same distance to ground as well as where sway bar connects to control arm. Tires are same height. Right front tire was 1 psi lower. I think I might just have to let it go. Once I align it with me in it and the pull is fixed.

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Dan

Scurro

you have structural issues, or you got a bad cradle. i'm an auto damage adjuster, i do this for a living. you need to have a body shop check your lower rails and apron for movement. even a few millimeters here and there can cause major problems. try to find a shop that uses the "Car-O-Liner" measuring and pulling system. do you have a copy of the estimate from the accident? any pictures?

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2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi
2010 GMC Acadia SLT2 (wife's car)

Is that a free service? I think I have a few collision shops around me to choose from.

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Dan

Scurro

typically no, its usually 1-2 hours labor, but if you take it back to the place that did the work (assuming they are still in business and you live nearby), they should check it for free based on your concerns. to get a truly accurate measurement, they will have to put your vehicle up on the frame rack, clamp it down at the pinch welds on the rockers, and remove the wheels. if you had the repairs done through an insurance company, you should contact them as well. if there's still damage from that accident, they should be covering it unless you weren't the owner of the car at that time.

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2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi
2010 GMC Acadia SLT2 (wife's car)

I was the owner. And it did go through insurance but I don't think it was with my current company. I'll have to look into it. Thanks for the information!

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Dan

Scurro

even if it was not with your current company, if the problem can be traced back to that accident, that insurance company owes for the additional repair. it may be difficult to prove to them, and they may question it, but with some pushing and talking to supervisors & managers, you should be able to get it covered.

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2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi
2010 GMC Acadia SLT2 (wife's car)