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Inspect very carfully before purchasing!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Toy08, Aug 7, 2008.

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  1. Toy08

    Toy08 New Member

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    Re: 2008 Prius leans to the left

    The left to right side difference is mostly on the rear of the car, not the front. So the transaxle, motors, steering mechanism, etc would not be the main cause of this problem.

    I am going to look at the rear suspension this weekend to see what could be causing this issue. I want to see if it could be a strut, torsion bar or frame issue.

    I don't see the left lean issue on every Prius, but I have seen at least 10 in the last 3 weeks.
     
    #21 Toy08, Aug 8, 2008
  2. Toy08

    Toy08 New Member

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    Inspect very carefully before purchasing!

    My new Prius was only 1 months old when I noticed that the car was leaning to the left side with the car completely empty. Had I noticed this before I purchased, I would have never bought the car. Now Toyota says that the ½†is within their acceptable limits and will not correct the issue. See the attached picture and let me know what you think. :confused:

    More info at the following Thread: "2008 Prius leans to the left"
     

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    #22 Toy08, Aug 8, 2008
  3. Platypus

    Platypus New Member

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    Re: 2008 Prius leans to the left

    Could be an intentional method for dealing with the crowning of roads... no? not buying that one? :D

    I'd be interested to see if a right-hand drive also leans to the left.

    -EDIT- Had to go out and check mine and it sits dead level in relation to the ground (level concrete pad in the garage, car is level from the license plate brackets, front and rear). Perhaps the different suspension components in the touring edition help w/ the uneven weight distribution of the drive-train?
     
    #23 Platypus, Aug 8, 2008
  4. Devil's Advocate

    Devil's Advocate Member

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    Odd, but if it doesn't affect handling and it is only a 1/2" over the length of the car I wouldn't say that it is that out of the ordinary. I would check that 1/2" though. Maybe yours is more. It may also work itself out as the suspension settles in. Haven't heard about this before and can't imagine it is any different than what may occur in any car.
     
    #24 Devil's Advocate, Aug 8, 2008
  5. cephas

    cephas Junior Member

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    No, it doesn't matter, they have to fix it.
    Go to another dealer.
     
    #25 cephas, Aug 8, 2008
  6. brick

    brick Active Member

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    Why do you need to post two threads on the exact same topic in the same day? As you have already been told, the "lean" doesn't impact anything. I would go as far as to say that it's quite common. Take some deep breaths and move on. There are things in this world far more worth your energy than a little asymmetry.
     
    #26 brick, Aug 8, 2008
  7. sorka

    sorka Active Member

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    Re: 2008 Prius leans to the left

    I just went out to our parking lot and surveyed the dozen or so Priuses. About 2/3 were leaning to the left and the other 1/3 were level. I did one more check and realized that the 1/3 that were level are all touring models.
     
    #27 sorka, Aug 8, 2008
  8. Tdoff1

    Tdoff1 New Member

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    Re: 2008 Prius leans to the left

    ....now that Toyota is in NASCAR, this is done to stagger the cars and set them up for left hand turns at the super speedways.......:car:....the 2009's will be set up especially for the road courses..........:bounce:
     
    #28 Tdoff1, Aug 8, 2008
  9. Toy08

    Toy08 New Member

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    Although this thread it is on the same topic as my other thread, I wanted to warn people that are about to purchase a new Prius to look closely before they close the deal. It may be easy for you to say move on, but do you have a leaner? If not, you have no room to talk. The lean is very noticeable and I shouldn’t have to put up with it. If I wanted a car that leaned, I would have bought an old car. And how do you know that the lean doesn’t impact anything, it can’t do any good in a panic right hand turn. The car only has 5K miles, what will happen when the car has 100K?

    This is the first time I have ever posted anything in a forum. For years I have read many article and found them very helpful. Your comment was not helpful. I have seen these types of responses many times, why do people insist on belittling other peoples concerns? Are you a Toyota Rep?
     
    #29 Toy08, Aug 8, 2008
  10. Toy08

    Toy08 New Member

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    Read my other post: "2008 Prius leans to the left" There are many other Prius’s out there that have the same issue. My car only has 5K miles, would you expect this to happen to any other car so soon? The only other vehicles I see on the road that have issues like this are pickups that have been used for off-road.
     
    #30 Toy08, Aug 8, 2008
  11. penbed

    penbed New Member

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    Oops-just lost my vote for post of the month.
    (The first post)
     
    #31 penbed, Aug 8, 2008
  12. donee

    donee New Member

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    Hi All,

    The Prius does lean to the left, due to the weight of MG2. In Japan, the driver is on the right. So its less of an issue.

    If you experience any handlinq quirks related to it, just pump of the left front tire a PSI or 2 more.
     
    #32 donee, Aug 8, 2008
  13. Toy08

    Toy08 New Member

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    Re: 2008 Prius leans to the left

    My wife said that she hadn’t noticed the issue on any higher end models, I guess this meant touring models.

    This is very interesting. I will have to see what suspension parts are different on the touring model. Maybe I can upgrade a strut or torsion bar to get rid of the issue.

    Thanks for the observation. :)
     
    #33 Toy08, Aug 8, 2008
  14. Toy08

    Toy08 New Member

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    We have noticed that this leaning issue does not appear on the touring models. Any ideas why?
     
    #34 Toy08, Aug 8, 2008
  15. Toy08

    Toy08 New Member

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    Re: 2008 Prius leans to the left

    The touring model does not seem to have the same issue. Several others have noticed the same thing.
     
    #35 Toy08, Aug 8, 2008
  16. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The following string provides info on installing Touring suspension parts on non-Touring. However it does not appear to show required part numbers.
    http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/41925-touring-suspension-parts-research-5.html

    See post #50 of that string and take a look at the last picture in that post. It's not clear whether the two old springs have an identical height or not... Maybe this is why the non-Touring Prius tends to sag on one side.
     
    #36 Patrick Wong, Aug 8, 2008
  17. Toy08

    Toy08 New Member

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    Re: 2008 Prius leans to the left

    Thank you
     
    #37 Toy08, Aug 8, 2008
  18. PriuStorm

    PriuStorm Senior Member

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    Re: 2008 Prius leans to the left

    Here's a theory.... people already noted that if a person sits in the passenger seat, the car evens out. Well, in the country of origin of the Prius, Japan, the driver sits on that side! Maybe it was done on purpose, and the Japanese are achieving higher mpg because their cars drive more level!
     
    #38 PriuStorm, Aug 9, 2008
  19. Ichiro

    Ichiro Member

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    Re: 2008 Prius leans to the left

    dude, why don't you post the picture directly. attaching it in a word document is annoyingly stupid.
     
    #39 Ichiro, Aug 9, 2008
  20. Ichiro

    Ichiro Member

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    why don't you sell your Prius now? It's obviously a big problem for you, and I am certain that you won't have any difficulty getting a good price for it, in spite of it.
     
    #40 Ichiro, Aug 9, 2008
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