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View Full Version : Weird Camber (Bent Strut?!) Question!



ds08tf
09-17-2014, 02:30 PM
Facts:
I was going 60
I didn't see the speedbump
The speedbump was the godzilla of speedbumps
I got air
It felt like my car died
Afterwards I have massive rubbing on the inside of the wheel well and on the strut/tire.
The front right wheel is massively cambered compared to the front left wheel
Before the accident I had a loose toe end link and now it's sorta bend a lot looser
I took it to a mechanic in Kitchener (I'm new to the area), and without jacking it up or anything he said it's a bent strut
I have relatively new BC/BR coilovers (lowered about 2 inches- 1 click away from full hard)
Car drives fine but the wheel will be pointed to the right whilst the car drives straight and it wants to curve left. Also a pretty constant grinding as the tire rubs the strut and inside of the wheel well.

Is there anything else this could be besides a broken/bent strut? I checked out everything with the wheel off (it's not bent or anything), and the control arm is still perfect and solid (was new), I tried to tighten up the toe end link but I lack the weird tool necessary to do so. I really can't see anything wrong with it but I have no idea how to get the camber back out to where it should be. The place I took it to specialized in alignments so I assume I did something bad enough it can't be aligned as is. I'm currently searching for a spare set of springs and struts so that I can take the current set up off and see whats up.

In addition does anybody know if the coils will be replaced under warranty. Like it's not like I hit a curb or anything. I've hit pot holes that have felt worse than that speedbump

Or am I ****ed.

Cheers

Hyperion
09-17-2014, 03:29 PM
Doubt there will be warranty.
Bent strut is a possibility, but I would not be lazy like the mechanic and just take off the wheel and see what's bent. You can do it in your driveway.

Aitch
09-17-2014, 04:41 PM
You hit a large object at speed. That's road damage, that you're responsible for. Not under warrantee.

silverstarmazda
09-17-2014, 05:22 PM
i highly doubt its a bent strut but the top might of broken free. i would say something along the lines of the control arm or the knuckle itself is messed up. the bushings in the control arms of these cars a prone to failure quite often and can make the arm itself sit loose in the mounts.

to my understanding, you were traveling straight when you hit the bump. the shock/strut should be traveling well within its angle and direction (vertically) to take the bump without being "bent" in a horizontal direction. however the control arm can completely break free from its bushings/mounts and give you some crazy suspension geometry. as for the rubbing on the shock body, the knuckle/bearing might now be bent upwards. causing the wheel/brake assembly to sit crooked at an extreme angle.

it IS possible that the lower portion of the shock body that mounts in the knuckle has damage thats causing it though. its hard to say without actually taking a look

TheMAN
09-18-2014, 10:28 AM
pics or it didn't happen

question is, WHY were you going 60 in an area that had speed bumps? If there's speed bumps, it means the speed limit was not 60 but far less!

ds08tf
09-19-2014, 12:14 AM
It was some weird backroad subdivision, went around a bit of a bend and BAM. The speedlimit was 50. The reason I hit it so fast was because there was no reason for there to be a speedbump there at all. It was complete and utter bullshit. No crosswalks, no schools, no lights, no nothing.

These photos suck. I fully admit that. I also admit I go a little too fast sometimes. But who doesn't.
Lastly I was going straight into these speedbumps. No sideways wheel or anything. Strut compressed like it should in the plane it's m

All pics are with wheels on a relatively level surface facing relatively straight forward. (RELATIVELY)
BAD WHEEL (Front Right)

http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg508/ds08tf/2014-09-18152654_zps4e7bb67c.jpg (http://s1241.photobucket.com/user/ds08tf/media/2014-09-18152654_zps4e7bb67c.jpg.html)
http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg508/ds08tf/2014-09-18152634HDR_zps13794303.jpg (http://s1241.photobucket.com/user/ds08tf/media/2014-09-18152634HDR_zps13794303.jpg.html)
http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg508/ds08tf/2014-09-18152623HDR_zpsf788b0f1.jpg (http://s1241.photobucket.com/user/ds08tf/media/2014-09-18152623HDR_zpsf788b0f1.jpg.html)

GOOD WHEEL (Front Left)

http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg508/ds08tf/2014-09-18152648_zps8e1fef17.jpg (http://s1241.photobucket.com/user/ds08tf/media/2014-09-18152648_zps8e1fef17.jpg.html)
http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg508/ds08tf/2014-09-18152643HDR_zps6f3f8844.jpg (http://s1241.photobucket.com/user/ds08tf/media/2014-09-18152643HDR_zps6f3f8844.jpg.html)

Hyperion
09-19-2014, 07:10 AM
Oh boy that's broken. If you are, don't drive it any more. You are putting a lot of excess pressure on things/parts that are not yet broken but may break soon because of the extra stress.

Dave_The_BMXER
09-19-2014, 10:30 AM
You dicked er.

You're going to have to pull it apart and see what you did.

Maybe by some miracle you snapped the camber plate bolts and it just maxed itself out (which you should be able to tell visually by popping the hood).

Reddie1337
09-19-2014, 10:35 AM
Almost looks like the tierod end bent when he hit it, or the control arm has let go now.

It doesn't just look tilted in, looks like the front is angled inwards as well.

ds08tf
09-20-2014, 01:19 PM
Ya the control arm is in one piece and still looks good. I took the wheel off and everything looks good except for the tierod which is loose and bent to all heck. I'm taking it in to get replaced on Monday... although I've had to drive on it wayyy more than is safe in the past couple of days cause of school and where I live. Really pushing my luck and probably going to break more things by doing so.