Thread

Something's wrong with my car !!

· Troubleshooting · 7 posts · Jun 30, 2004 View original thread ↗

#1 Wed, 30 Jun 2004 - 08:54

as I was driving down the road I realized I had almost passed my destination so I made a tight right turn- Big Mistake. Apparently I did not see the curb. the front wheel on passenger side hit the curb. The passenger side of my car flew couple feet off the ground. I blew my front passenger tire. I went to a local shop and had the blown tire replaced. I thought that was it as far as damages went. But now when I drive, if I let go of the steering wheel, my car would steer to the right . It won't go straight any more. I suspect this must be related to the accient.

Now my question is, are the car wheels misaligned or is there a bigger problem than that? Would a wheel alignment fix the problem?

Thanks.

#2 Wed, 30 Jun 2004 - 08:58

hmmm.... i'd say get the front end realigned. I was hit in the driver's side wheel well and had the same problem, the car would pull to the right. A front end alignment made it as good as new

#3 Wed, 30 Jun 2004 - 09:00

my guess is that something got bent. probably more than just alignment issue if the tire blew out....hope it's not too expensive!!

#4 Wed, 30 Jun 2004 - 09:06

If you're really lucky, a simple alignment will correct the problem. Chances are very good that a suspension component was bent, however.

I'd have the suspension inspected for obvious damage - to make sure it's still safe to drive and to get an estimate of repairs.

Please get a 'guaranteed' estimate, as suspension parts that look OK are sometimes bent just enough to prevent proper alignment. The repair shop might have to replace more parts than they anticipated.

Anytime you hit something hard enough to deflate/destroy a tire - you likely bent some suspension parts, too.

Which reminds of the time my ex-wife asked me to look at her Miata. The previous night her stupid drunk ass had too turned wide and hit a curb with the front passenger-side tire. She claimed "it was hard to steer...hard to get home" after that.

The wheel was folded under the car at a 45 degree angle. The tie rod (steering joint) was broken and dragging the ground, and, lastly, when the tire folded under it broke the oil filter right off the side of the engine (odd. couldn't see anything that hit it). I fixed it all for under $200. prolly saved her a thousand in labor. I dunno why, after all, she's my ex-wife.

#5 Wed, 30 Jun 2004 - 20:38

Bent tie rod is a possibility, or a tweeked A-arm (unlikely tho), but it depends on how dramactic the pulling is. Hopefully it's just alignment. Fortunately your wheel didn't go out of round, as is often the case when you get enough curbature to blow a tire.

#6 Wed, 30 Jun 2004 - 20:44

ha curbature.

ill second the tie rod idea. one more thing- when you get it fixed ask them about the bearing as well, and while theyre at it, ask about the cv (if its a FWD). hopefully that is all there is to it. i hope you are as fortunate as i and have a reliable mechanic.

#7 Wed, 30 Jun 2004 - 21:13

Just get it aligned. You might not have to replace any of the parts, but alignment specialists will be able to tell you if you need to.

- Rob