My car is shaking, please help.
 

I had my tires rotated on Saturday, and driving home I hit one of those large metal grates they lay in the roads during repair sometimes. It was on the backside of an intersection slope, completely unavoidable. I couldn't have been doing more than 30 as I had just pulled out of a gas station to cross the intersection. When I hit it, it felt like I ran over a curb.

Anyway, my car now shakes like crazy all the time, even wobbles at low speeds. It also makes a funny noise when turning at low speeds (like into a parking space) that sounds like something is rubbing. I have 17" rims but stock suspension. I checked the rims for dents but didn't see anything noticable.

Any ideas what the heck is going on and how much it'll cost to fix? :crap:

get your tires rebalanced.

how does that explain the wobble at low speed, and the noise when turning? not saying it doesn't need it, but just seems more complicated than that to me.

whatever you hit, i think it hella mess up your alignment.

Your whole suspension could be bent. Get it checked out ASAP.

If this was caused by city workers you can charge the repairs to the city.

it was city workers, but it was down in orlando where i was visiting my bro. i live back up here in gville. this blows, because the dealer here is TERRIBLE. one of the worst, and does nothing but try and screw me. i don't want to go there, but don't know where else to take it... other than some place like pep boys and such, which i think i trust less.

how would i go about billing the city for damages if its shown that's what caused it?

not good dude... seems like you messed up your suspension! Remove the tire where the impact happened. By the way, what side was it? ... Make sure everything is still intact. Maybe you bent your lower-control arm, which has happened to quite a few of us on the forum already, example one, Myself. That make you car bounce like crazy if bent.

Check it out ASAP.

i haven't had a chance to crawl underneath it yet, but i'm gonna roll it up some ramps after work tomorrow. it seems to be getting worse, so a bent rim seems unlikely. i think it hit mostly on the driver's side, but looking in the rear view it looked like the grate covered the whole lane, so i don't really know.

anybody else have any educated guusses?

A bent control arm wouldn't make it wobble but a bent rim would..This is probably the problem.

Also check if your tire has a bubble in the sidewall ( both inside and the outside ). this would also cause a wobble.

dude, the same EXACT thing happened to me. i also had 17's. bent all 4 of my rims, one flat tire, and sidewall damage to two more. my suspension was fine but alignment was off. citys payin for the damage though, so try and file a complaint with the city.

a bent rim might be half the problem, but there is some definite rubbing feeling. almost like something is lightly applying the brake for a 1/4 of the rotation, then off again. slow at low speeds, lots at high, ya know. its even audible when coasting at low speeds.

grrrrrrrrrr!

man that sucks derrick, sorry to hear about that.

yeah. this makes me just want to take it to the dealer, let em keep it, and get an 04 ralliart.

EDIT: and its D-E-R-E-K you shrek gobbling slut!

:p

dang and you jsut corrected me liek a day or two ago