accident damage
- Thread starter BG1988
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swathdiver
Full Access Member
Sorry to hear about this Brent. Yeah, it could have bent some parts under there. Post up some photos for us to look at. Tie Rods are easy to bend and replace.
If you have the tires pointed straight with the steering wheel in the normal straight position, stand at the front and see where the tires actually point. Crawl under the front and look it over.
Joseph Garcia
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Take your truck to a quality alignment center and have it checked.
petethepug
Michael
A good hit on the rim can take out a front suspension. My buddy’s 3/4 ton company truck needed a full front end rebuild including a steering box from a rim strike while parked.
Our trucks have rack & pinion and it should be checked for leaks & blown seals. Push for new suspension bushings and shocks. The bushes will be crushed and o rings in the shocks do not tolerate bent tube deviations.
If insurance is covering this, push for new bushings and a shock at first. When they approve and accept responsibility, they’ll find out that it’s cheaper to replace both A arms vs bushings and be obligated to do the other side for safety reasons. They’ll also have to do the alignment.
They may fight it stating your front end was already worn a little but remind them it’s about getting you whole. Just like if you had a small dent in your fender and the fender was crushed, they’re not allowed to say sorry, it already had a blemish in it. Obviously suspension repair can not use used parts and get your ride back to 50% worn status. It’s replace or replace because they accepted responsibility.
Our trucks have rack & pinion and it should be checked for leaks & blown seals. Push for new suspension bushings and shocks. The bushes will be crushed and o rings in the shocks do not tolerate bent tube deviations.
If insurance is covering this, push for new bushings and a shock at first. When they approve and accept responsibility, they’ll find out that it’s cheaper to replace both A arms vs bushings and be obligated to do the other side for safety reasons. They’ll also have to do the alignment.
They may fight it stating your front end was already worn a little but remind them it’s about getting you whole. Just like if you had a small dent in your fender and the fender was crushed, they’re not allowed to say sorry, it already had a blemish in it. Obviously suspension repair can not use used parts and get your ride back to 50% worn status. It’s replace or replace because they accepted responsibility.
Gonna be a tie rod or lower arm bent and maybe more.
yeah i added attachment to the other post
the wheels are going in two different directions
iamdub
Full Access Member
You can't tell comparing them to the fenders. The fenders taper in towards the front which will make the wheels appear toed out. Their shape also make the wheels look cambered when viewed from the front. Anyone with a good alignment would get the same impression if they looked at theirs from the same angles you're referencing.
That looked like too light of a hit to do any serious damage. The steering wheel being off afterward indicates something or a few things are damaged. It could be a simple bent lower control arm. Judging by the angle of incidence, I'd say that righthand lower control arm is bent backward a little. Maybe a bent tie rod end. The force could have damaged the rack, too. A difference too small to see can still make a huge difference. The only way to know is to have it looked over by a professional with an alignment rack, like at a collision repair center where they can measure the reference points of the frame and suspension components. If you wanna eyeball something out of boredom, compare the front wheels' fore and aft location in their respective fender openings.
