ubtripn

Hi All,

So my 1989 Mustang Convertable has 67K, never had even seen rain so of course I got hit. Not too hard but it knocked the car forward a few feet. Then, a day later, a guy changed lanes into the lane I was in right next to him. My left side skirted the curb at about 45 mph, smoke went up then he saw me.

I just had an alignment done and the lady that rearended me was uninsured so I just said forget it. (It was over 100 out and she was not wealthy BUT she should still have been insured.)

Here is my question, the right rear Toe is now -0.52, is that going to matter much? They said they can't adjust it.

What do you think got bent that I could replace?

After the alignment it drives fine I just don't want uneven tire wear. I am soooo mad but like my Dad always said, if you don't want to have your car take a hit, don't drive it.

Also, the steering wheel was straight before the curb glance, now - after the alignment- the car drives perfectly straight but the wheel is turned slightly to the right. Should I take the steering wheel off and put it on straight or have the alignment re-done? (I thought the alignment would put the steering wheel back at center.)

Thanks for your help.

PNYXPRESS

your axle is bent.

ubtripn

Too much to drive? How bent? I am not sure what -.52 repesents. Is a bent a half inch out. I fixed a frame once wita chain, oak tree and a little short speed run.

ubtripn

What I meant is -.52 too much to drive it? How much does that represent? Inches?

88 orangepeel notch

I'm not sure on that, what did the alignment people recommend?

mjr46

lol..........nice try, he's talking about the front.........op, check control arm, check spindle and tie rods, if the alignment was out after the hit, something bent to push it out of spec.....also when an alignment is done steering wheel should of been centered..........only way to tell if something is bent that the naked eye can't see is have it on the rack and look at all specs.

PNYXPRESS

Pretty sure the right rear is not the front and would be a bent axle

mjr46

not sure any of you here can comprehend this unless you run an alignment rack, and I do.........solid axles on the rack never come up as spec nor does the manufactorer provide any valid spec, to see if anything is actually bent, you really need to know how to use the machine and navigate to different screens and go to a SAI and tracking screen to see the actual positions of the wheels....while an axle could be bent.......it could be more than such, like the tube......I've seen way more bent tubes when slamming into a curb than I have seen solid axles in these rears. Had a guy slam into and embankment once and hit a rock and car flipped, tube was bent major and after I smacked the axle out of the tube, wouldn't you know it, it was still straight, more so they'll crack due to the hardened alloy they are made from. So all variables need to be looked at, more so is it a credible alignment shop?

rmodel65

you dont have uninsured/ underinsured motorist coverage?? if not you need to add it with a low deductible or a Zero $ deductible...have you actually removed the rear bumper cover? you might have significant damage under the cover ie rear pan damage etc.

Maxwelhse

^^^what he said... sue the b!!!

Not sure what rack MJR is running, but all of the laser racks I've ever been around will give you good numbers from front to rear, side vs side, etc, and provide useful data. Sounds like MJR knows what is up, but is leaving some room for the novice to misunderstand, so maybe a PM and a phone number to call your alignment guy will work things out?