ok so the other day i put a new wheel bearing, cross member, front sway bar, tie rods, steering rack, and my koni struts on my car...the next day i took it in for an allignment
when i got the car back i took it for a ride and now the steering wheel is kinda cocked to the left when the car goes straight....and when you are goin about 65 mph, and hit the gas, the car pulls real hard to the left...when you let off the gas it pulls back to the right... and when you are stopped and the steering wheel is straight, the front of the passenger side tire sticks out about an inch further then the drivers side....

i took the car back and the guy told me that he must not of noticed that the wheel was still cocked left....but he can fix it.....
as for the pulling when hitting the gas, he said it sounds like the car has a bad strut....

now the thing is, i know that the struts are not bad...they still are like new

so what the hell is the problem.....is this guy just stupid or is one of the struts actually bad???
i need to know what the problem might be because you cant hardly get the car to drive in a straight line.....

this really sux and pisses me off
i need ideas please

 

I doubt it's a bad strut, but maybe the mount. When you take it in, ask for a copy of the alignmnet settings when they are done.

 

sounds like a total botched job by the shop. have you checked the back tires too or just the front? maybe the weight transfer has some play in the left/right steering. how did your bushing look when you pulled it all apart? when you say the wheel sticks out you mean toe or the whole wheel?

 

ok well the toe is out on the passenger one....

the car also has brand new tires all the way around....
the only bad thing that i noticed was that the passenger tie rod (outter) didnt have a boot on it...so it was kinda rusted lookin...but everything was tight and nothing wiggles or moves...

i checked all the mounts before i put the struts on and they were all fine

a few minuites ago i went to the shop that did the allignment and they told me this time that it might pull because a drive shaft is bad...or a strut..
they also said they dont think they can fix the toe problem because of that tie rod....which boggles me because it has no play in it...still moves how/when its supposed to...and the rusted part isnt the part they use for alligning.....
which is dumb because i asked them when i picked up the car if everything looked ok and they told me that it was fine and they didnt see any problems.....

i have an appointment to take the car in tomorrow morning...but i am gonna call and tell them to go to hell because i dont want them messing sumthing else up....and i will fix the toe problem

these people suck....and they call themselves professionals????

 

let me guess you took it to TIRES PLUS?

 

it MIGHT be the tie rod, most likely not. if it's real bad rust you might not be able to move it by hand. sounds like you drive the car alot so i think that's out.

as for a bent half-shaft causing your probs...go someplace else. you'd get shake, shimmy, rattle, and roll before steering probs.

now let's ponder on how the tire/wheel assy is held in place.
control arm: bushings, nuts, bolts, and ball joint (all ok?). how about where it hooks up?
strut assy: no loose/worn parts? how about where it hooks to the steering knuckle/frame (rust)?
stab bar: bushings, nuts, bolts, and not bent?
steering assy: bushings, bent parts, and steering wheel play?

just throwing ideas. sounds like for some reason your toe changes with the wieght shift of your car. the only thing i can think of is bad bushing/s or a bent/worn component of the suspen. maybe i'm dumb, but ain't a strut a LOT like a shock? why would that cause a toe in/out prob? good luck and let us know.

 

ok i know that my tie rod isnt great...but there is no play in it and it didnt start thumping today...i think they didnt tighten it down to the spindle enough because it didnt do that before....and for some reason the loosened it and removed it from the spindle....but i dont know why???

i do drive the car about 200 miles a day and thats only for work nothing else....and there is alot of stopping and going..(i deliver newspapers)

there is no shaking or shimmying at all...none what so ever...rides as smooth as can be

i put new control arms on the car the day before the allignment ws done...and put new bolts in the front where it mounts to the crossmember...and they are tight and no play there

i also replaced the cross member because when i hit the semi back in february it kinda bent the end on the passenger side where the front bolt for the control arm goes......and in case you are wondering, no nothing that wasnt bolt on was bent...up until i got the allignment everything was fine....i only got the allignment because i put the koni struts back on the car and i would never be able to adjust the camber on them....

all parts and bushings looked good, i checked them all before i replaced them

this car just had almost everything suspension wise replaced on the front end...and these are the reasons

cross member: kinda bent end, and i broke a sway bar support bolt off in it
sway bar: it never had one, so i fugured, hey why not
passenger control arm: bad bushing in front
drivers control arm: the one i put on had a new ball joint in it from my old car
passenger spindle: needed new wheel bearing, figured it was easier
drivers spindle: while im at it why not?
power steering rack: my old one needed an inner tie rod, replacing the whole thing just seemed easier
all 4 koni struts: i just wanted them back on there.....i missed them

otherwise thats all i can think of....
when i get paid im gonne get a new tie rod and maybe my lowering springs and then im goin to take it to farm and fleet for another allignment....i know they are good at it

if anyone thinks of anything let me know

oh and i took it to lube cube plus....its just a small shop
and these are the same people that sold my mother in law a set of tires for her camaro and 6,000 miles later a belt broke in the front one...and they wont do anything about the warranty that they still have on them, and they also said that they couldnt rotate them because the tires are a different size in the back....even though they are the same size as the front....go figure that one...too bad she didnt tell me that before i took my car there

 

So what did you actually do? One line says you replaced tie rods and struts and later you say you know they aren't great/ are like new. If you got used struts and tie rods you have created more problems. Suspension parts should NEVER be installed off of another car. I know there will be 10,000 people writing in to say they use bone yard suspension parts all the time and never have problems, these are the same people replacing tires every 30,000 miles and cussing Goodyear for selling a junk tire. Your statement of the crossmember being bent tells me you probably have a lot of components that were bent and you need to check and insure the frame is straight. Nothing screws up a suspension faster than a tweaked frame!

 

 

i did replace the tie rods...they were alot better then the ones that were on the car and they came off of my old car...which were replaced about 10,000 miles prior....besides the tie rod was working fine before i took the car in there...now i hit a bump and it feels like the wheel is gonna fall off.....
the konis were on the car when i bought it...i took them off because i didnt want to ruin them with the weight i have to put in my car everyday...and i wanted them on my other car..fore that was supposed to be the fun can...but since the other car is now gone i figure i might as well use them instead of letting them sit in a shelf..

the frame of the car isnt bent...the cross member just got more beat up then anything....the front passenger side where the bolt for the control arm goes into was a little bent from where i had to pry the old bolt out and then cut the old contol arm off with a cutting wheel...nothing like hitting a parking block dead on at 50mph or anything like that...the old one just didnt seem reliable enought for my liking...

i messed with the toe in a little the other day and it drives alot straighter now then it did...but still not perfect...

tomorrow i get paid so im goin to get a new radiator, tie rods, a tire for my srt4 wheels, and hopefully lowering springs.....then its off to another allignment