Hit curb 10mph brand new Corolla - mild vibration after

Maintenance/Repairs
81

It depends on the year and the trim level. Your tires are obviously low profile from your photo. Lower trim levels are usually NOT low profile. And more recent models tend to be more and more low profile, as this is seen as positive by that strange group of people, called auto marketing.

There is no question that low profile tires are much more prone to tire/wheel damage when hitting potholes or curbs. If that look (low profile) appeals to you, you have to accept the more frequent (and more expensive) repairs.

1 Like
82

@db4690
I’m NOT expecting the delaer to repair it for free. They have a mechanic shop, i am expecting them to inspect ,diagnose, and tell me what needs to be repaired. I am willing to pay for it.
No one wants to/can do this because they are biased by the new car, and the lack of overt problems city traffic.

83

That makes no sense at all. I give up, this should not be a problem to solve. You need to find a friend or relative to guide you because this thread is up to 83 posts and has made zero progress.

3 Likes
84

Call your insurance

File a claim . . . or claims, if you need to

Ask them for a list of approved body shops. My advice is to go with one that is in no way affiliated with a car dealer.

It would do to ask your friends, relatives, etc. what body shop they used when their cars needed repairs. If a certain name keeps coming up, in a positive way, that might warrant further investigation

The body shops constantly work on cars just as new as yours that have been in accidents, so of all shops, they will not be biased by the model year

1 Like
85

I now think that what you are experiencing is “buyers remorse”. It is kinda normal for big purchases, second guessing yourself on whether you did the right thing. I get it myself, but eventually I come to enjoy those purchases. After 10-15 years, I even begin to respect the choice as a good one, in most cases.

86

Does that mean you think there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the car?

If so, I do not share that opinion

From what I’ve been reading, I’d say there is a very good chance the rim and/or tire are damaged, and there may be even more damage than that. Just because something isn’t bent back at a 90 degree angle, doesn’t mean it’s okay

1 Like
87

I said I was going to shut up but buyer’s remorse doesn’t explain the crooked steering wheel. Insurance though might cover the curb strike but not the pot hole.

88

re: low profile tires

A co-worker who bought a VW Rabbit GTI – later 80’s – w/low profile tires. He almost got fired b/c of that purchase. He was constantly late for meetings, kept getting flat tires. He finally sold the car, mostly b/c of the tires, but also b/c he didn’t like tight spacing of the gears, too much shifting needed during commute driving.

I wonder if the OP could switch to a smaller size rim and regular-profile tires? If so, that would be a better alternative to try than selling the car. Those low profile wagon train wheels can indeed be problematic.

89

I don’t agree that it’s buyer’s remorse. However, I have a feeling the OP at this point may not ever be happy with the car again.
The OP refers to the car as a “piece of crap”. Not.

It’s not the car’s fault it suffered damage nor is it the car’s fault because someone(s) seems to have difficulty sorting it out.

All I can suggest is to find a shop that specializes in suspension and alignment and have them look at it. The shop should also be told that it’s understood any repairs are not a warrantable issue and that you expect to pay (or have insurance pay…) for any services needed.
It could be that some facilities are antsy about wading into repairs on a new car as they feel they may be put into the middle of a dispute between the customer and manufacturer.

Any alignment facility that would run a car out the door with an off-center steering wheel and without taking into consideration why that wheel is off-center is on pretty shaky ground IMO.

4 Likes
90

This is not a tire size problem. This is a driver problem. The OP has admitted hitting curbs with the previous vehicle to the point of ruining two tires.

91

I can’t imagine any alignment shop doing that, at least not without getting the customer’s approval first.

92

Yeah well my shop did. I brought it back and they straightened the wheel out again. I don’t know if that was strike one or strike two for them. The problem is you just don’t know who is going to be working on your car sometimes. Good guy one time and then he quits and get some newbie.

93

90+ posts, and I can’t believe I read them all.

3 Likes
94

If anyone cares, here is an update.

So, the steering issues got a little worse, i made another apt with a third mechanic. I drove with him city traffic and maybe short bit at 50mph. Very nice guy, but he like the other mechanic unable to really feel anything wrong.

Since the steering issues started after the rotation, i asked if we could rotate tires back to original position. I also figured this would be a good test to see if there is any change in vibration, and he agreed.

I asked him if he thought the steering wheel was slightly crooked (like the second mechanic did) and he agreed. However, like the second mechanic, he assumed it was probalby still out of alignment and the dealer didnt do a good job. I personally cant really see this steering wheel crookedness but i trust both of them as mechanics that its not on center.

Guess what. When guy was rotating my tires he remarks “The left wheel lug nuts are loose”. Hoooly crap. This is literally what i thought happened, and he confirmed it.

So, after rotating BACK to original station, the vibration remains exactly the same, i feel it only in the floor and thewheel only at very high speeds sliiiightly so i assume the tires are completely fine. The worst vibration appears to be permanently fixed after the rebalancing at shop #2. I assume the car is just a bumpy ride that i feel vibration in the floorboard, but i previously had a sport corolla and it didnt seem to shake the floorboard that much.

Regarding the handling steering issues, fixing the loose wheel definitely helped but i am still noticing some weirdness. Car sways easily on trivial road imperfections at highway speed, like on grooved surfaces. In general the steering wheel isnt smooth especially at highway speeds… however its no longer SCARY like, where i feel like the wheels are fighting or have a mind of hteir own making angled turns at high speeds (e.g. taking an exit or changing lanes on highway).

I do think something is still wrong, maybe a bolt is loose in the suspension somewhere. But the wheels cant be dented, he spun them and looked, and rotating didnt change the vibration at all. If the wheels arent dented its unlikely the curb bump damaged anything in my suspension however its possible something is loose and needs to be tightened.

The #3 mechanic, nice guy, but he admit what i am describing is minor enough he probably wouldnt be able to see or diagnose it in the suspension.

Too bad i have no tools and know nothing about cars i would tighten everything myself lol.

At this point i’m glad the car isnt scary to drive, and the steering wheel vibration is mostly gone.
However, i literally feel like my 2010 handled more smooth than this car. Its a shame.

95

Was the wheel carefully inspected for any damage (wear or lug nut seat deformity) caused by driving with loose lugs?
CSA

96

Look back at post 60 (ish). BTW, you do have a lug nut wrench, it came with the car.

97

The odds of someone at Toyota leaving a suspension bolt loose during the manufacturing of the car is zero IMO; or slightly less than zero.
I’ve done countless vehicle inspections during maintenance services and countless PDIs. One of the requirements is to inspect and tighten if need be any suspension bolt. I have NEVER run across a loose suspension bolt.

You state in your last post the wheels aren’t dented and it’s unlikely the curb bump damaged anything in your car’s suspension.
The pics you posted DO indeed show the wheel is damaged.

You state the steering wheel was cockeyed. That means something is bent.
You posted the alignment specs. The toe on the RF wheel was off. That also means something is bent.

Jesus Christ…

7 Likes
98

I am only allowed to “like” your post once, but if I could “like” it multiple times, I would do so.
It seems that the OP is just…not…getting it…
:thinking:

3 Likes
99

I don’t think this person can be helped.

1 Like
100

I just donated my “like” to you and applied it for you. :slight_smile:

Hey, wait! Now I need one. Where can I get another to add onto the comments by @OK4450? :neutral_face:
CSA

1 Like