Accord EX: Alignment

Indeed thank you so much everyone for your input: Ok4450, McParadise, Keith and Pleasedogevan and Others, thanks

I took the car in for maintenance check because, I had a horrific gas mileage; I felt as if the car was unstable when turning right of left, the front Right tire was completely eaten up to the thread ( all 4 tires were recently replaced new, < 1year).

The report from the mechanic stipulated this, after service:

Front Left: Camber 0.6 (spec range: -1 to 1); caster 0.7 (spec range: 1.8 to 3.8); toe was 0.42 now 0.32 (spec range: -0.08 to 0.08)

Front Right: Camber 0.6 (spec range: -1 to 1); caster 1.2 (spec range: 1.8 to 3.8); toe was 0.65 now 0.16 (spec range: -0.08 to 0.08.)

Front: total toe was 1.06 and now 0.49 (spec range -0.16 to 0.16).

For the rear: Cross camber is 0.1; total toe was 0.20 and is now 0.18 and the Trust angle is was -0.10 and is now 0.01.

The mechanics recommended to take it to a frame shop to repair a suspected rack and pinion bent. He also said that the RF toe was adjusted to max???

The car’s running has certainly improved with the new alignment and new tire,though it’s a salvage car,I I would like it to last me another year and would like to know what I should be doing about it? check up for a possible bent tie rod? find a way to adjust the Toe? and lastly how much should I expect to pay?

And again, you guys have certainly helped me a whole lot and great to have you guys here.

Thank you

Since we can’t see your Accord there’s no way for us to know how badly it was damaged in the crash. The salvage title, however, says a lot. It means an insurance company determined the cost to repair the car exceeded its value, and insurance companies are very good at figuring out things like that.

That should give you an idea how much you might expect to pay to repair the car if you really want to fix everything. Basically, the sky’s the limit. You could spend LOTS of money having the body straightened and replacing bent suspension and steering components. You could possibly spend more than you paid for the car.

Are you willing to do this? If so, take it to a good body shop and let them start working on it.

If you only want to keep the car for another year, however, maybe you should leave well enough alone and just drive it the way it is. You said it drives much better than before. It will still wear out tires more quickly than normal, but that may be true even if you spend a lot more money. It’s possible the car will never be “right,” even after a large infusion of cash.

As I said before, I would not put money into this car. It could easily become a bottomless pit. I would sell it and move on to something else; something with a clear title and no crash damage.

But you want to keep the car, so you have to decide how much money you’re willing to spend.

I think you have to ask, “Is the car SAFE to drive?” and go from there.