Curb damage

[catcher]

Hi Guys,

Any idea what damage I could have done here?

I hit a curb which has knocked the wheel back into the arch. I've had the wheel off and everything looks solid, there are no obvious signs of bent or broken parts.

The steering is really pulling to the left. I'm hoping it's just a simple alignment job, but I've got a feeling its a little worse than that.

I'm going to take it to Honda next week, and I'm wandering what to expect...

Cheers

[zeropointzero]

odds are you either bent the control arm or bent the wheel hub. either one is going to be pricey to fix.

[catcher]

Thanks for your input. At least I know what to expect.

[Shatner]

Originally Posted by zeropointzero

odds are you either bent the control arm or bent the wheel hub. either one is going to be pricey to fix.

This was exactly my thought.

Even if you compare to the other side, the difference is so minute that you probably won't be able to tell a difference.

You might want to take it to an alignment shop; one that does alignments only or specializes in alignment. Not necessarily to get it aligned. I think it's beyond that. More so to see what's wrong. Then go from there.

[bizzybear]

the caster is too far back... could be a number of things in the suspension area... strut might be bent is my guess... idk what these arms are made of so i can't say if that's bent but if they crack you'll know for sure... i wouldn't think it's a tie rod either but you never know... the hub/bearing would cause a wheel wobble that would be clearly noticeable... best bet is to take it into the shop and have it looked at... straight on the alignment rack...

if no suspension parts are bent then it could also be chassis damage near the top where the strut bolts to... the strut seems to be what controls the caster on these cars...

keep us updated and pics if you can


btw, how hard did u hit that curb?? that's not typical curb bumping...

[catcher]

Cheers for the replies. I know its fairly bad, but I'm hoping and praying its not the chassis.

It happened whilst driving on an icy road. I started to slide and went straight in to a curb. It was a kind of awkward angle that I hit which has made it worse. If I had just bumped straight off I don't think it would have been as bad. I wasn't going fast around 20mph.

I'll let you know the diagnosis from Honda

[bizzybear]

sucks to hear... i'm glad we don't have snow in Florida... we just have horrible drivers

[oklahomafire]

Originally Posted by catcher

Cheers for the replies. I know its fairly bad, but I'm hoping and praying its not the chassis.

I wouldn't expect that the chassis is bent or damaged. I would expect that a weaker smaller part would have bent or broken before the chassis broke.

[bizzybear]

Originally Posted by oklahomafire

I wouldn't expect that the chassis is bent or damaged. I would expect that a weaker smaller part would have bent or broken before the chassis broke.

the strut (shock) bolts to the chassis on a part called the "strut tower" that part CAN be bent in a collision... which this was a collision with the curb... Honda's don't usually have an issue with chassis rigidity, so it might not be bent... but it could be possible...

VTEC Mini pointed out that Mini's (or MINI's) have very weak strut towers that bend under hard and excessive cornering... they usually reinforce them... this is part of the reason for aftermarket companies to produce strut bars/braces...

[catcher]

Originally Posted by bizzybear

sucks to hear... i'm glad we don't have snow in Florida... we just have horrible drivers

Don't worry we have horrible drivers in the UK, and this year lots of snow too :-) I'm really hacked off that I let it happen, but hey it was an accident and I will get it sorted.

I've had a decent look at the strut towers, what I can see with the shocks / top mounts installed. There doesn't seem to be any damage / warping when comparing to the other side.

I'm going to have another look in a bit. Let you know if I find anything.