Driver rear wheel sticks out further than passenger rear wheel
05-24-2013, 10:22 AM
#1
2nd Gear Member
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: florida
Posts: 220
Driver rear wheel sticks out further than passenger rear wheel
My car is a 2013 mustang gt and it was involved in a curb accident. Passenger rear wheel was slammed into the curb and bent the rear axle but no subframe or body damage. After i got my car back i measured the top of the wheel against the fender and notice passenger rear wheel is .75 inch more inward compared to the driver rear side.
I ask the bodyshop assistant manager and he told me he doesnt see it and told it was normal. I asked him bunch of questions about if i had bent or shifted the rear suspension in anyway that would cause the rear alxe to be misaligned. He told me alignment on the vehicle came out normal. Anyway i dont believe him because i do see the difference and its kinda noticeable with the .75 inch difference. The car by the way drive straight and smooth on highway like it was never in an accident.
My question is what can be the cause of one wheel sticks out further than the other one? Could something really be bent in my rear suspension that they didnt tell me about? I know cars comes out from factory dont have perfectly aligned rear axle but i hear their normally in .25 to .50 inch offset. I been looking all over the internet trying to find a solution but no luck besides buying a adjustable panhard bar and center the rear axle but im not sure if its a sign that theres a problem with my rear suspension.
I ask the bodyshop assistant manager and he told me he doesnt see it and told it was normal. I asked him bunch of questions about if i had bent or shifted the rear suspension in anyway that would cause the rear alxe to be misaligned. He told me alignment on the vehicle came out normal. Anyway i dont believe him because i do see the difference and its kinda noticeable with the .75 inch difference. The car by the way drive straight and smooth on highway like it was never in an accident.
My question is what can be the cause of one wheel sticks out further than the other one? Could something really be bent in my rear suspension that they didnt tell me about? I know cars comes out from factory dont have perfectly aligned rear axle but i hear their normally in .25 to .50 inch offset. I been looking all over the internet trying to find a solution but no luck besides buying a adjustable panhard bar and center the rear axle but im not sure if its a sign that theres a problem with my rear suspension.
05-24-2013, 11:00 AM
#4
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: florida
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I cant, auto insurance wont cover it. I looked under the car several times, i cant find anything bent or cracked with my noob eyes lol. Also I was really surprise when the manager told me rear subframe was not bent with the impact that bent/destoryed my rear axle. What are the symptom that would show up if the rear subframe or anything thats wrong with the rear suspension bent or shifted? btw the offset is kinda noticeable being the driver rear tire is perfectly under the fender while passenger rear is .75 inch inside of the fender.
05-24-2013, 01:59 PM
#5
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: DE
Posts: 546
Originally Posted by winkawak
Quote:
I cant, auto insurance wont cover it. I looked under the car several times, i cant find anything bent or cracked with my noob eyes lol. Also I was really surprise when the manager told me rear subframe was not bent with the impact that bent/destoryed my rear axle. What are the symptom that would show up if the rear subframe or anything thats wrong with the rear suspension bent or shifted? btw the offset is kinda noticeable being the driver rear tire is perfectly under the fender while passenger rear is .75 inch inside of the fender.
I cant, auto insurance wont cover it. I looked under the car several times, i cant find anything bent or cracked with my noob eyes lol. Also I was really surprise when the manager told me rear subframe was not bent with the impact that bent/destoryed my rear axle. What are the symptom that would show up if the rear subframe or anything thats wrong with the rear suspension bent or shifted? btw the offset is kinda noticeable being the driver rear tire is perfectly under the fender while passenger rear is .75 inch inside of the fender.
The real question is, did anyone see you showing off and hit the curb or were you spun around by someone else? I had a similar accident in my '02. I was showing off and bent the driver side rims and rear axle. Even after repairing I never thought the axle was properly centered but alignment was good so I didn't worry about it.
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05-24-2013, 02:05 PM
#6
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: DE
Posts: 546
oh yeah, symptoms would be during launches the rear of the car will try to go left or right more than just from torque, or excess vibration at speeds. if really serious damage was done you might hear a clank or tap during takeoffs if something was loose, but that would be way too obvious that there is a problem.
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05-24-2013, 02:35 PM
#7
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Indiana
Posts: 119
The alignment WILL turn out ok because most alignment machines (Hunter for example) base the front wheel alignment off of the rear wheels. Hunter machines typically don't take into account that the rear axle centerline can be adjusted. So in effect, you car is "dog tracking" going down the highway...the steering wheel will be straight (because you can set the steering wheel center position) and the car will drive straight, but the body will be out of alignment to the wheels. I had this exact same problem with my 91 Z28 when I curbed it (in the rain 
)
Get under the car and check the panhard rod, especially where it mounts to the body. You should be able to tell if the mount has shifted...you will see that ghost outline of where it was...like taking a picture off of a dirty wall.
Your best bet is to get an adjustable panhard rod and center it as best you can, THEN take it in to get aligned. You should speak with the technician letting him know you put in an adjustable panhard rod. They may work with you to get it aligned as best as possible. Good luck
)Get under the car and check the panhard rod, especially where it mounts to the body. You should be able to tell if the mount has shifted...you will see that ghost outline of where it was...like taking a picture off of a dirty wall.
Your best bet is to get an adjustable panhard rod and center it as best you can, THEN take it in to get aligned. You should speak with the technician letting him know you put in an adjustable panhard rod. They may work with you to get it aligned as best as possible. Good luck
05-24-2013, 03:40 PM
#8
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Gainesville, FL
Posts: 11,278
Measure from the inner frame rail, just above where the bump stop hits, to the top of the brake rotor. Measuring through the wheel of course. This will give you a much more accurate idea of how much it's shifted. use that to show the body shop.
Even from the factory they are not perfectly centered, but .75 inch is a lot.
Even from the factory they are not perfectly centered, but .75 inch is a lot.
05-24-2013, 04:07 PM
#9
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: florida
Posts: 220
@BrazenStang
The damage was significant, but all the parts were replaced. I did measure it myself and by the manager its .75 of an inch difference on the driver rear.
@RWDtech
There were no body damage except for the passenger rear wheel and rear suspension that was slammed into the curb. Car drives normal no noise or sign of problems. I went in to the body shop earlier today again and ask him again about my wheel offset if there could be a subframe or any suspension related bent that would cause the offset but he told me four wheel alignment was performed and it would of came out wrong if there were any misalignement. They really dont know, so i asked them about getting an adjustable panhard bar in to center the rear axle and he brought up a good point that installing an adjustable panhard and shift the rear axle would also misalign driveshaft...
The damage was significant, but all the parts were replaced. I did measure it myself and by the manager its .75 of an inch difference on the driver rear.
@RWDtech
There were no body damage except for the passenger rear wheel and rear suspension that was slammed into the curb. Car drives normal no noise or sign of problems. I went in to the body shop earlier today again and ask him again about my wheel offset if there could be a subframe or any suspension related bent that would cause the offset but he told me four wheel alignment was performed and it would of came out wrong if there were any misalignement. They really dont know, so i asked them about getting an adjustable panhard bar in to center the rear axle and he brought up a good point that installing an adjustable panhard and shift the rear axle would also misalign driveshaft...
05-24-2013, 04:17 PM
#10
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: florida
Posts: 220
@BrazenStang
The damage was significant, but all the parts were replaced. I did measure it myself and by the manager its .75 of an inch difference on the driver rear.
@RWDtech
There were no body damage except for the passenger rear wheel and rear suspension that was slammed into the curb. Car drives normal no noise or sign of problems. I went in to the body shop earlier today again and ask him again about my wheel offset if there could be a subframe or any suspension related bent that would cause the offset but he told me four wheel alignment was performed and it would of came out wrong if there were any misalignement. They really dont know, so i asked them about getting an adjustable panhard bar in to center the rear axle and he brought up a good point that installing an adjustable panhard and shift the rear axle would also misalign driveshaft...
The damage was significant, but all the parts were replaced. I did measure it myself and by the manager its .75 of an inch difference on the driver rear.
@RWDtech
There were no body damage except for the passenger rear wheel and rear suspension that was slammed into the curb. Car drives normal no noise or sign of problems. I went in to the body shop earlier today again and ask him again about my wheel offset if there could be a subframe or any suspension related bent that would cause the offset but he told me four wheel alignment was performed and it would of came out wrong if there were any misalignement. They really dont know, so i asked them about getting an adjustable panhard bar in to center the rear axle and he brought up a good point that installing an adjustable panhard and shift the rear axle would also misalign driveshaft...