So I was driving home tonight, and the roads were wet from recent rain, and on my way, I had to swerve to miss another car that pulled out in front of me, I skidded and my front driver side tire hit the curb flat, giving me road rash 1/2 way around the rim.

My question is, it hit going about 10-15 mph but now my steering is incredibly sluggish and hard to turn. Its even throughout turning both wheels while driving, is it just my alignment thats been thrown off? I didnt get a chance to look under the car since it just happened 20 minutes ago and I'm planning on taking care of it tomorrow morning.

What do we think? With the only visible problem being road rash along the rim, and the steering being very noticeably harder to turn, is this strictly my alignment got jacked up or am I gonna have to worry about the axle or something thats gonna take alot more $$$ out of my pocket?

 

you could and probably broke a wishbone

 

how much would a decent garage charge to fix a broken wishbone?

 

so I decided to go out in the rain and get under the car to see what was up, from my point of view, the lower control arm is intact, and there appears to be nothing wrong with the axle, I took some pics using my phone and a flashlight, so I'm gonna go ahead and apologize ahead of time for the quality.

 

your tie rod appears bent....but could be crappy pic (sorry). Take it to an alignment shop....NOW!

 

unfortunately buddy, unless you really new exactly what it looked like originally, you cant tell if things changed ya know?

 

+1, hard to tell, but I think I see a bent tie rod, too.

Replace it and get an alignment. Chances are one or both of those tie rod ends could've been damaged, too.

 

Yeah I'm gonna take it to an alignment shop now, I'll let you guys know exactly what was wrong with it

 

Just got back from dealership, they said the rod going across for the power steering is bent, which is why the steering is so sluggish and hard to turn, car is safe to drive, but the part + labor is gonna be $1900 so I'm just gonna pay the $200 deductible and have my insurance cover it. And also hate all blue civic's that pull out in front of me and force me into a curb, then drive off.

 

I can't fathom any part on the front end that could cost $1900 for part and labor to fix, even if the entire crossbar has to be dropped. Definitely go for insurance, though, let the dealership fleece them instead of you.

Edit - Just looked up some prices. It looks like the tie rods and power steering setup are all one piece. That blows. $1,200 part. If insurance won't cover it, start calling junk yards. Shouldn't be hard to find one.

 

Yeah I spoke with the insurance adjuster this morning, the tie rods and everything being one piece, they are going to cover it. Luckily I paid for the part yesterday from the dealership, and had me receipt with me, so they didnt question the price and I only have to pay the $200 deductible. The only curious part was she was trying to look up the part they sold me, but couldnt find it in her database, which was weird considering how big Allstate is, you'd think they'd have a complete list of parts.

Anyways the part they sold me was MIT 4410A321 listed as gear & link assembly. Since the insurance is covering it, I'm definitely going to have the dealership fix it since I'm already being covered for their ridiculous prices =/

 

hrm. That's.....interesting. Good to know.
(wonder how easy a power steering delete is??)

 

Honestly the steering isn't terrible with the tie rod bent, its just a little more difficult to turn,

it reminds me of when I used to drive my mom's 93 volkswagen eurovan, with that beastly 2.5 I5 5spd motor, can you say sexy? =p

Yeah I realize $1256.54 is pretty stinking expensive for that part, which is why I only go to the dealership when I have to, I do all my own maintenance in an effort to keep me from their prices lol.

Also a nice thing, the insurance is gonna repaint the tiny part of my front bumper where it got scratched on the underside and recondition my rim with the road rash, which is nice for me =]

 

You bent the rack the rack rod that run throught the rack assy. is bent causing it to bind against the pinion gear. gear link assy is mits's terms for powersteering rack.

 

The steering on my '74 VW Bus is incredibly easy. Complete manual steering, and I can crank the wheel around with a pinky finger.

Oh, and a whopping 60hp 1.8 boxer 4 is textbook sexy.