Waked a curb. Car Pulls even after alignment.

100

Asked by kipster38 May 07, 2011 at 05:22 PM about the 2010 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Well it figures, finally treat myself to a new car and I Slammed it off a curb. I hit the rear
passengers side around 3-4km/h. When it happened the steering wheel was bout 20
degrees off to go straight.

I brought it to a shop and they couldn't see any part which looked bent but said we just may
not be able to see it but it may he bent so slightly it's causing the alignment to be off. Then
they suggested replacing various parts to the tune of over 1000.

I didn't opt for that indicating that spending over a grand on guess work does not sound like
a responsible way to spend my money. So, I had an alignment done. The car is much better
but still feels a bit off. Does anyone have any suggestions??

Ive been informed by a mechanic that the rim may be bent or that the screws around he
control arms and other parts may have to be loosed and then Tightened back to release
pressure that may have occurred during the impact.

Help! I've gotta get this addressed. It's driving my nuts.  

2 Answers

415

Any reputable wheel/tire shop should be able to test the wheel and make minor adjustments if it's bent. I'd start there; it's the least expensive place to start as well as the most probable cause of your issues. If possible, take it to a place that does full /custom alignments and not just someplace that realigns your car to factory specs. Usually, they are more knowledgeable and will diagnose your problem much faster. Replacing parts without knowing what's wrong is a LAST resort for some things, but this, isn't one of them. This is something that a good shop should be able to figure out. I'm glad you didn't fall for the scam of selling you a bunch of parts you don't need (and are most likely of a lesser quality than your stock parts.) If you don't have extensive knowledge about a problem, try to bring someone with you that is a recreational "wrencher." I'm in my 30's, have a fair amount of knowledge, and STILL bring a friend with me when it comes to ares I'm unfamiliar with or can't diagnose myself. I trust most garages about as far as I can throw them. Just introducing your friend as(indirectly) as a credible source of car information tends to cut down (but not eliminate) the BS a lot of places will throw at you. Good Luck.

1 people found this helpful.
75

I have a few questions for you, first of all how many miles are on your car and did you get an extended warranty or maintenance contract? I purchased one, and it comes with some "tire & road hazard protection." I used it before on my wife's Subaru and it works great, how many miles do you have on your Subaru now? Because you might be able to get it covered under "goodwill." I noticed your message is kind of old so I assume you already got it fixed. Thanks

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