Russian

Ok let me start with a story of how i got my misalignment. I drive an '03 civic and took a 90 degree turn a lil too fast. Car understeered like crazy and i smacked into the curb. Only the tire hit, no fender. I shredded the rubber slightly, bent the rim, cracked the control arm, and felt like an idiot.

This was 3 months ago. Ever since i got that fixed at Boch Honda the car has always been slightly pulling to the left. Enough to change lanes. At the dealership i got a new tire, rim, control arm, balancing, and ailighnment for $620. They also told me that they measured everything to make sure the frame wasn't messed up.

So a few days ago i took the car back to Boch to see what was up with the poor alighnment. I waited 3 months because i thought the control arm may need to be broken in some. Anyways they did the alignment free of charge after i explained the situation, wich was really nice of them i must say.

Well even after the alignment the car pulled left, so i had one of their tech's go for a ride in it and he concurred with me. I had them look at it again and apparently my left front tire in 1 and 1/16 inches behind my right one. Obviously something else is screwed up.

I can't really afford to get this re-fixed and i don't want to get insurance involved. I am wondering if this problem will get any worse? Im assuming that ill burn through tires pretty quickly but that i can live with. I'd also like to know what you guys think the problem may be. I'm thinking something is up with the subframe and it probably needs replacing. Also the tie rods may be screwed up. But what i really want to know is will this get worse over time? Coz right now it's easily managable. Thanks.

Russian

Anyone?

jerrypeterson

You should really have a reputable shop investigate this. Its very possible something is broken that the first two guys missed. From what description you've provided, it sounds like the alignment won't hold which very likely means another suspension component is damaged.

BTW - there is no break-in period for control arms.

Russian

Something is definitely broken, or bent, the tech at the dealership confirmed this. The left tire is almost an inch and a half behind the right one even after 2 alighnments. Nothing is wrong with the car besides the slight pull to the left. The steering itself is still very responsive.

I do NOT plan on getting this fixed and am def. not going to get insurance involved. I was wondering what you guys think might be wrong with it still. And most importantly do you think this pulling to the left will get worse over time.

jerrypeterson

If this was simply a bent arm the alignment would hold. The plausible scenario is that something is broken and loose, which explains why the alignment doesn't hold. You should really have somebody qualified take a look at your suspension.

I am not going to issue a "everything will be ok," pat you on the back and say you've spent enough time/money/worry on this. Again, you should really have somebody check this out. Because the damage is on the front suspension I can think of several expensive and potentially life threatening scenarios ignoring the damage could cause. At the absolute minimum I would be worried about a near term failure of your left half-shaft/CV's. At worst picture your left suspension collapsing at high speed while turning and the car flipping onto its roof.

Park the car and get this fixed.

Billman250

This should be easy to spot. Something is bent and I doubt it will get worse. Basically, the lower ball joint on one side of the car is situated farther back than the other, bringing the wheel back with it. This will lower the caster angle on the left, causing a pull to the left. If you're ever in NY, I'll diagnose it for you, at least.

Russian

Thanks for the offer man but i doubt ill be there during this cars life. I'm not worried about any saftey issues, the car was looked over by the most reputable Honda dealership in New England, Boch Honda, and their tech and service guy only mentioned going through tires quickly. I just don't want this to get any worse and possibly affect other components that will turn affect my saftey.

Russian

Also the car feals VERY stable, absolutley no wheel woble and i feel a solid connection between the wheel and the tires. It just has this slight pull.

Runaround

ok, here's the deal, if they went through and claimed the problem was fixed the first time and it is not fixed, then they should fix the problem. They should have caught it the first time around. If you had it fixed the first time w/ the insurance company, then the insurance company should cover any adnl costs under the same claim. Your not making another claim, just finishing the one that was already opened. (i've been through this before)

If you don't want to hear what the problem is, then don't ask about it. You should get if fixed. There can be something wrong with the car and it feel fine to if finally fails and your on the roof of you car. Why take the chance.

PM me if you have any specific questions on what to do about getting if fixed.

Russian

Thanks for the response. They went through the first time and only found the cracked control arm and replaced that. I did not go through insurance then either. The second time they only told me the left tire was 1.5 inches behind the right one, a detailed diagnosis would have cost more.

I'd love to know what the exact problem is. I dought it will jeopardize my safety though nd therefore do not see a reason to immediately get this resolved. The real worry i have is that this will get worse and might screw up other components that will in turn jeopardize my safety.