So I have a 2004 300m. Recently spun out on the freeway. Was only going about 35 to 40 mph due to snow on the road. When I spun the rear passenger side hit the median. Now the car has difficulty going over 40 with slight wobble on that tire. Ive replaced that tire still same issue. What could I have damaged. Id assume I didn’t bend or tweak the stabilizer bar but who knows. Now the bushings im not sure. Also the stabilizer bar links? Also a slight clunking noise every so often. Im not sure where to start. I don’t want to just start replacing things that could be bad that are not bad. Any ideas could be helpful.
Does the median have a curb? What is the condition of the median? Are there ruts? It seems like there is a suspension issue you need to address. Take it to a shop you trust and have the alignment checked. After that, they can decide what parts to look at.
You need to have the vehicle inspected to determine if any of the rear suspension components are damaged.
Tester
It sounds like a bent wheel to me but if so I’m surprised whoever mounted the new tire didn’t detect it.
Not a new tire. I put a new rim on to see if it was the issue. It wasn’t. But its just a cement wall. No ruts or anything. I spun out along with a few others in the area. I was the only 1 that hit the center wall. The shocks look fine. No visible damage. No creases or anything. The control arms look ok. No signs of damage. No twists or bends. No airbags deployed so the impact was very minimal.
There are times for internet advice, this is not one of them, it needs to go to a shop for evaluation. You can’t evaluate it or you would have and we can’t see and touch it. If it won’t go over 40 , there is some serious damage.
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An alignment shop would be my next step.
Oh, a wall. Get the bent or broken parts replaced, then get an alignment. You might look at the rear tires from a distance. Maybe you can see the alignment issue.
“Only going 30 or 40…” when hitting the median is high speed when it comes to wheel and suspension damage.
Guessing without eyeballling, I’d say bent wheel hub at a minimum and quite likely other suspension components. Really needs to go an alignment rack or get handy with a tape measure.
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So you slid into a cement wall at 35+mph and it’s no big deal? I’d love to hear what you do consider a big deal.
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Well if your going to be like that, just man up take it to a shop, pay what ever they want and leave us alone. There’s enough drama in the world already.
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As it happens, I’ve been in some nasty accidents where the cars I was driving were totalled. One ended with me on crutches with a broken hip. But that’s beside the point and we both know it.
It originally sounded like you were going 35+mph when you hit the wall. If that’s incorrect I’m sorry. The last time I spun out I was on an overpass in a company issue Focus and I did not gently drift to a stop. If I’d hit the guardrail it wouldn’t have been a mild nudge. It sounds like you’ve been comparatively fortunate.
You’re the one trying to minimize the damage to your vehicle, somehow trying to imply that it wasn’t a real accident. You seem to be intent on convincing yourself that you couldn’t have done much damage but if that were the case, there wouldn’t be a problem, would there? The rest of us, myself included, are trying to get you to take it seriously. I didn’t make this personal, you did that. I could easily come down to your level but frankly you’re not worth it. Best of luck with your self-inflicted problem.
+1
A 35 mph impact into an immovable object amounts to a MAJOR impact, and it will inevitably bend, break, or weaken suspension components. If the OP can’t accept that reality, then nothing that any of us will post could possibly convince him otherwise.
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You do need to get it to a shop. The problem with us trying to guess what could be wrong is that two identical or nearly identical vehicles could have a nearly identical incident and have completely different damage. To find out what really got broken/bent or otherwise damaged, there will probably be some disassembly needed, or at least a very close inspection.
I wish I could help you more, but this could become very dangerous if you continue to drive the vehicle in this condition, or not. That why it needs an “eyes on” inspection.
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I think Brian has left the building . I do wonder how long it will take to remove his Flagged post.
Back in the early '60s, I was with my father when our '59 Plymouth slid on Black Ice, and wound up in a ditch. A passing pickup truck driver dragged us out of the ditch and we drove on, but–very soon–passing motorists began signaling us that something was wrong with our car. It turned out that one of the rear wheels had gotten bent by the impact with the ditch, and it was doing a shimmy dance that was visible to those helpful motorists.
The next day, our mechanic determined that we only needed to replace the wheel, and we were on our way fairly quickly. However, the difference between the suspension of a solid-axle, leaf-sprung '59 Plymouth, and that of the much more complex independent suspension of a 2004 300M is… massive… as is the difference between going into a ditch and impacting a concrete barrier.
The chance of the suspension damage on the OP’s car being minor is… remote… IMHO.
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