My occasionally brilliant and often intelligence-impaired daughter decided it was time to take one of our cars out for a spin–she’s not finished with driver’s ed and was operating on 40 hours without sleep (that’s another long story). Of course, this happened in the middle of the night. The good news is that she is unhurt, although the neighbor’s lawn and the car are worse for the wear because a kitten ran across the road in front of her. From what we can tell, the axle is probably bent. This is a 2005 Corolla. We will try to do this without involving our insurance. This is a critical car for our family, and we don’t have a ton of money for repairs. Any suggestions? We don’t know any mechanics on a personal level. - clear
Well, you’re definitely going to need a mechanic. Check out the “Mechanics Files” section on this site for a recommended mechanic near you.
Without car in hand it’s impossible to say what will be needed but I will say this:
If the impact was hard enough to bend an axle shaft then it’s quite likely there are other components bent or damaged also; and that could include the transmission.
+1 to ok4450’s comments.
Among the components that are potentially damaged are suspension control arms, ball joints, and tie rods. If any of these breaks, after having sustained what appears to have been a heavy impact, the driver will likely lose control of the vehicle, and may even lose a wheel.
Translation=This car is potentially UNsafe to drive in its current condition.
Please park it until you can get it towed to a reputable mechanic for diagnosis & repair.
The most expensive way to repair a car is to start replacing components without any diagnosis. You haven’t even told us what the symptoms are yet.
How do u bend a cv axle without damaging the lower control arm? Or better question, HOW do u know the axle is bent? Do u have a vibration when u drive? Bent rim is more likely.
I don’t know if it is possible to bend a front drive-shaft axel on the front wheel drive Corolla without damaging something else too. But if such a thing is possible, and the only issue is the axel, well, replacing the axel is relatively inexpensive. Rebuilt axels are available for this car at any retail auto parts place, you don’t need a new one from Toyota. I’m seeing them priced from $40 to $50 (each) on rockauto.com.
But like others say above, this is a safety issue and at the minimum, a inspection by a pro is advised first, before effecting any repairs.
My assumption, right or wrong, is that since the daughter sailed through someone’s yard they probably hit a curb first.
It’s also possible for a bent hub or steering knuckle to cause a halfshaft to rotate off-center and give the impression that it’s bent.
This car really needs to be examined closely because I just don’t buy that a halfshaft was the only damage.