I slid into a curb last night. The car was at a ~45 degree angle with the curb and I hit it with the front right wheel. I think I was doing between 5 and 10 mph. The alignment on the highway is pretty bad, but barely noticeable under 35 mph. I took it into Sears and they told me that the lower control arm was bent into the shape of a C. They said it was still driveable.

The wheel isn't centered in the wheel well (it's closer to the back), but it still seems to line up correctly with the car. I ordered a new control arm and plan on replacing it soon, but I have a few other questions.

Should a new control arm get the wheel back to center, or am I facing a bigger problem?

At speeds over 30 mph I start to get a low humming sound. What could this be coming from?

Also, somebody on another forum said that I'd better hope that the steering rack isn't damaged. Is there a good chance that it is? I'm really worried about it now, and I didn't have a chance to look at the car on the lift at Sears so I don't have any idea what everything looks like underneath. What does the steering rack connect to and how easy is it to damage?

 

it's hard to say what is really damaged.it could be the control arms, rack or tie rods. i did the same thing the other night. i hit the curb with the wheel turned though. my car drives fine so i know nothing is broken or bent. take a look for yourself and compare to the other side.

 

when i broke my control arm, my front left tire was pushed so far back that it was rubbing on the wheel well, as soon as i installed it it was fine. Just be aware that after you install your control arm you'll need an alignment or else you'll have to buy new tires within a few weeks.

 

Your contol arm is bent in the shape of a "C" and he said it is OK to drive? And you listened to the mechanic at Sears about a German car? I can't help myself here; you need some serious lessons in good judgment.

Don't drive the car unless you want to risk injury to yourself, others, your tire(s) and quite possibly other components of the drive train.

The humming can come from many sources, namely the misalignment of the wheel causing the rubber to track oddly against the forward motion of the car or the maladjustment of some other mechanical drive line component. If you don't get my drift here, it is to STOP DRIVING the car. Take it to a professional alignment shop and have them inspect it then start doing necessary repairs. Sears mechanics couldn't find their dongs if they were long enough to smack them in the face. If your wheel isn't centered I would guess there is more than an control arm damaged.

Best of luck.

 

I checked this morning, and I've got enough clearance to turn the wheel inside the well without any interference, so your story is a little reassuring.

My situation sucks cause I'm scheduled to move back to school this weekend, and I really wanted to avoid the stealership. Oh well. Looks like that's where I'm headed.

 

i wouldent take my car to sears ever. and pluss there was a thread a few weeks ago from someone that got fucked by sears and all he did was an oil change

 

um definetly a new control arm will bring the wheel back to center, the 4 link control arms are actually what really keep the wheel going straight, you will most likely need a new alignment. as for the humming it sounds like you may have jacked up the wheel bearing. these 2 things are what id replace first since their the most obvious, hopefully thats all that was damaged.