Damsel in car distress needing advice!

Maintenance/Repairs
21

Don’t be afraid to buy used parts from a salvage yard. Control arms and wheels don’t wear out. If the strut is bent, a new one may be in order as those do wear out over time.

The wheel arch is the rounded part of the fender in back, in front, and over the top of the tire and wheel. If the distance behind the inflated tires is the same on both sides, then the probability of the control arm and/or strut being bent is considerably less. You can measure it by sticking your fingers between the tire and the back side of the tire on each side.

I have never seen a Citroen Picasso. In fact it has been years since I’ve seen a Citroen in this country. They are no longer imported to the USA. https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1454&bih=704&q=citroen+picasso&oq=citroen+picasso&gs_l=img.1.0.0l10.1356.6164.0.9418.15.9.0.6.6.0.107.832.7j2.9.0...0.0...1ac.1.6.img.-2byJl3JzxI#imgrc=zltZPz0N_odV7M%3A%3BzmGoOel9JSCrBM%3Bhttp%3A%2F%2Fswotti.starmedia.com%2Ftmp%2Fswotti%2FcacheY2L0CM9LBIB4C2FYYSBWAWNHC3NV%2Fimgcitroen%2520xsara%2520picasso3.jpg%3Bhttp%3A%2F%2Fswotti.starmedia.com%2Fcars%2Fcitroen-xsara-picasso_37070.htm%3B1024%3B721 It looks like a nice little car.

22

Just an update, i have bent the suspension arm and needs tracking done after that’s fixed, all in all costing £125 (I’ll let you work out the currency rate!) so not too bad!..Thanks to you all for the advise!

23

That sort of impact can deform the structure the suspension parts are mounted to… You should have the vehicle inspected by a repair facility that specializes in collision repair. They have the tools and equipment to accurately find and access any damage…Wheel alignment and tracking are critical, no room for guess-work…

24

I believe that what you call suspension arm is what we call control arm and tracking is the same as alignment.

25

And thanks for the update…we get so few of those.

26

pleasedodgevan2- You think woman driver jokes started in the 50s ? I think they predated the debut of the Model T Ford (1909). After all there were several hundred thousand cars produced in this country 1899-1908.