During the recent snow storm, I slid on ice and banged the front driver side wheel of my 08VW GTI against a curb. The damaged wheel, a lower control arm and a wheel bearing were replaced at the local dealer. Ever since, I have a vibration in the steering wheel, and slight “vague” spot right at the left of the dead center. The left front seems to be unsettling to me, feels like it’s moving around a lot. Tires were rotated, and alignment was checked twice already. The dealer tech said everything is as good as new, but it sure isn’t. So I took it to another dealer to have it checked, and they gave the same verdict, and that’s despite the fact that they acknowledged the vibration in the steering wheel! The local dealer agreed to take another look at it, and it’s booked to go back next week. But I don’t even know if they’d be able to locate the problem. The vibration in question is nothing violent, it’s sort of like holding an electric tooth brush, and after 1/2 hr of driving at highway speed (65-80mph), my hands actually get numb. And the way the vibration pulses, I’m suspecting a damage to the drive shaft, or the ball joint, or tie-rod/tie-rod end, or something. Do you fellow Car Talk listners have any opinion, advice, suggestion? I just want it fixed right!!
Something is wrong. Forget the dealerships and get an appointment with an independent front-end mechanic. Tell them about the accident and let them find the problem.