Recently, black ice led me to hit a median at ~25/30mph. The force cracked the wheel on the passenger side. The car now pulls hard to the right with an oscillating noise from the wheels. The front wheels and tires are now new. The alignment showed positive caster exceeding the thresholds from Mitsu.

My question is ...what is causing this phenomenon?? Nothing looks out of order or bent to the visible eye....Please help!!!!

Thank you

 

hey sup man...i had the same accident as well...last sunday i hit black ice...and my front right rim got scratched like hell...the ball bearing had to be replaced and the right part of the axel too...everything came out to be 700 bucks flat...it sux!

 

It sounds like you have bent your lower control arm. Have it checked out by a professional as soon as you can.

Also which way was the castor? More positive or more negative?

Ben

 

The caster is on the positive side if memory serves right. Would a bend in the Lower Control Arm be visible to the naked eye?

Im working with Ken Garff.....is there some else I should recommend to the insurance company? Thanks!

 

sound slike the lower control arm, the bolts can shear before the actual arm brakes. I am sure this is it. If you hit whatever going that fast it is the most likely.

 

Thanks for all the help....I am going to give my input to the mechanics (I know lol they like to hear this from the customer )

So replacing the Lower Control Arm and bolts should cure this...right?

 

without seeing your car and understanding the suspension system these are really the only things I could imagine. Does the wheel looked pushed back at all? Any other comments you have about it would help your diagnosis.

 

It may not be visible. Be very careful...the control arm is made of aluminum and if it's bent or fractured a little it may break. That would be a catastrophe if it happened at speed. Get it checked out asap.

Emre

 

Come to think of it, the wheel does look like its been pushed back. If I look at the car from the front, I can see a little more tire on the undamaged side than on the one that got hit. The steering wheel pulls to the right (the damaged side) and when I turn left at speed, I hear a groaning noise (perhaps the tires making that noise)

I didnt know the control arm was that fragile. The collision center should have gotten to the bottom of this but after a month of having my car (repairing the sunroof, front bumper, and replacing the intercooler) they thought I should have my car back. By all means its not in an acceptable status

 

have your cars subframe measured.
I would promise you that what ever wheel you have bent has a bent lower control arm as well, I slid over a curb and that is what happened to me.
-James

 

^ Did the car drive well after your accident? I take it that reputable shops would measure the subframe and do other inspections?

I kinda dislike telling these guys what should be done...hell they are experts lol but it seems that ive gotten more information from this thread than the guys at the collision shop

 

this just happened to me this week. my wheel looks like it is on a slight angle and the rim is really rashed up. it pulls slightly to the right now and it makes a very, very faint oscillating sound. i plan to bring it to my dealer's service department first thing monday morning.

any idea or ballpark figure as to how much i will be looking at spending to repair this and what the typical list of parts would entail?

..and what does it mean when you say "measure the subframe"?

 

^ We have very similar symptoms lol Im thinking that it could be from 500 to 1000??? Ive heard mention that the sway bar should be looked at as well as the steering rods.

What I believe they mean by measuring the subframe is measuring symetry along the axis of the car. Any bend in the frame can compromise the integrity of the suspension.

 

Sorry to hear about your car. Hope it all get fixed with no after effects.

 

thanks man, i hope so too.

it's at the dealership now getting checked out as i am typing this post.

i'll post a response later.