I’m not going to go through 100 comments, but I’m pretty sure that back up there somewhere, several days ago, I recommended getting an insurance claim going.
Also, running into curbstones repeatedly and also running into them hard enough to knock the steering wheel off-center is Mother Nature’s way of telling a driver that something to do with driving technique/ability needs to change.
That curb bump is actually a one-car collision.
In the old, pre-power steering days that little 10 mph bump into a curb could have (should have?) resulted in a broken wrist. CSA
This is the most ridiculous forum, lol.
You open an INSURANCE CLAIM for a minor curb bump parking? Haha in what world buddy.
Also i have taken it to THREE mechanics including the dealer. All think its fine. So meanwhile on this forum the car is DEFINITELY DAMAGED OMG CALL INSURANCE, in the real world, i cant get a single mechanic to really think anything is wrong.
It’s not that i’m against repairing this properly, its that i cant get A TRAINED MECHANIC TO THINK ANYTHING NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED.
By the way, out of alignment DOES NOT MEAN damage to car. What is wrong with you people? Out of alignment only means out of alignment - i bumped it, and SLIGHTLY knocked the toe in. I’m not saying it isnt damaged, or is, but its COMPLETELY possible to bump a wheel out of alignment and nothing at all was damaged! If alignment meant damage, everyone would need repairs when they took their cars for routine aligning after normal driving conditions. I want to emphasize i DID have it put back in toe,drove a bunch, REPEATED the alignment, and it was still in alignment.
There is a dent outside ofthe wheels. Mechanic #3 raised the car, spun all the wheels, and couldnt identify any wobble. I also had them rotated twice with no change in the floor vibration which i am now assuming is just normal floor vibration.
Oh, and if a mechanic can leave a left front tire loose after rotation (which i was also told to be impossible) I’m sure a bolt somewhere in suspension can be just a tad too lose, so that it can contribute to issues. Thats why manufacturer warranties exist - nothing is perfect.
These posts are absolutely insane, i feel as if I am being trolled.
Oh and I had my mother drive my car for over an hour.
She said the car was grossly normal (fortunately now that THE WHEEL ISNT WORKING ITS WAY OFF).
However the steering jerk happened twice. Once, taking an exist it jerked right (right exit).
Also driving home, it jerked again, also when turning right on an exit.
So there is this jerk to steering, which appears to happen on angled turns right, but a non biased party otherwise thinks the car is normal.
Oh and as for car defects - another thing i’ve noticed, 600 miles on the car now, randomly a BURNING PLASTIC SMELL happens. It happens if the car is running like 30 minutes. It will last a fewminutes then dissipate entirely.
I’m thinking this car might have some serious defect probably nothing to do with my very minor parking bump. Pretty sure random burning plastic smells have nothing to do with that.
It’s not hunky dory.
I’m not saying something isntdamaged. My mom felt the jerks turning on angle too.
But the responses are totally nuts. You are all certain the car and wheel is damaged, and i totally want to repair it if it is, but i cant findany mechanics to think anything is wrong.
I have NOT ruled out loose suspension component, as i am a victim of loose wheel after rotation, i’m MORE than willing ot believe long drive from Canada manufacturing plant, a bolt might have come loose bumping up and down on the carrier truck.
And if something is bent - i had it looked at by 2 mechanics now - i will pay to repair it. But whatever it is is FAR less expensive than the $500 deductible + years of premiums raises that a claim would cost hahaha.
I’ve tried my best to help you understand some things in the simplest of terms… Apparently I’ve failed catastrophically.
And as a final note, I will add that my comments are not based on random guessing. It’s from actual experience.
As for your comment about bolts coming loose during transport, that is also a fallacy. Go back and read the part I posted about PDIs. PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspection) means that every new car is gone over before being sold to a potential customer.
By your logic I should have been finding loose bolts and nuts all the time during the PDI process. I reiterate; NOT once have I found this to be the case. What are the odds, huh…
At this point my deepest sympathies lie with the poor schmuck (or schmucks…) who will asked to get involved with this car at all.
Ok i am really not trying to argue with anyone, and i’m not saying your pre delivery inspections werent comprehensive enough which is why you never found even ONE mistake in all your years. However, all i can say is this. I’m having an obvious steering problem, verified by an independent person. It occurs once every 30 minute sof highway driving on average when taking an exit. I’ve had 1 mechanic go under the car with a flashlight with me, and she saw nothing.
Then i had a pair of brothers with many years of experience, also go under the car with me with a flashlight, and see nothing.
It’s not htat i’m in denial something is bent, but i cant get anyone to identify anything in need of repair. If its possible for 3 total experienced mechanics to not see anything, i can easily see it possible the “pre delivery inspection” also missed something.
After all i just had my wheels rotated, and they managed not to tighten the left front enough leading to really unstable steering. I was told this was also impossible.
Your reasoning here makes as much sense as your advice eto open a claim. You’re essentially saying factory defect are impossible, lol.
Are you suggesting this thread be locked or i be banned? I agree.
I’ve experienced nothing but hostile and rude replies, when all i had was a simple inquiry. This thread is totally out of hand and i realize i made a huge mistake coming here asking for any advice.
The problem is that you as a mechanically uniformed motorist (not rare and nothing wrong with it…) choose not to listen and remain argumentative.
In my last post I freely admit I was a bit sarcastic. I apologize, sort of, for resorting to that. I can assure you that my original intention, along with other commenters, was to try and help you.
You state that someone has looked around with a flashlight and saw nothing. Quite often problems like this are not visible to the naked eye. Who knows; the impact could have damaged the steering internally.
The loose wheel lugs are a separate issue and quite understandable. Someone just go a bit careless.
And I am NOT nor did I ever come close to stating a factory defect is impossible. I’m only telling you that a new car - obvious curb strike - steering wheel offcenter - toe off on the alignment rack means that something was bent to some degree. Adjusting the toe into spec does not miraculously cure any bent part or fix any internal steering issue.
I’m looking to resolve this, not fight on a car forum. I dont know why i seem to have attracted so many hostile replies, perhaps becuase people resent that i hit the curb first day. I admit it was a dumb mistake and i have been under intense stress.
Either way, as stated , i’m looking to resolve this. If something is bent i will gladly pay what it costs to fix it, i just dont know how to find a good mechanic who is willing to really look at the suspension system. And if something is loose , perhaps related to impact, fix it, or replace it.
As it stands, 3 mechanics think the car is fine, 2 of them actually looked at it, and didnt see anything. However i’m observing these issues, and my mother drove the car in highway traffic for an hour, and also felt exactly what i am feeling in the steering.
If i knew of a mechanic and they could fix it, i would obviously pay them to do so, but what do you do when all the 5 star yelp mechanics ahve the same response? I mean, i feel like i have to either sell this car or live with it.
Hitting a curb with 10 mph is not a bump, it’s a crash and I will be surprised if nothing is bent. I could easily see something inside the steering rack getting damaged and that might not be visible without some dismantling and investigation.
That’s nonsens. You had a crash with the curb. Would You call it a very minor bump if You hit a big tree head on with 10 mph?
The facts are: Toe was fine, You hit curb - toe went out, something is now bent, also after You got it alligned.
Is the jerk happening while the steering wheel is turned or hold steady? If when turned, it could be a damaged tooth in the rack.
Re. Burning plastic smell: check the plastic inner fender around the rf wheel isn’t touching the tire.
OK i admit i hit the curb, but saying i had a “crash” is absolutely ridiculous. I was pulling into a space, a tiny curb bumped my front right wheel. I am owning this, and acknowledge something might be bent. 10mph was the max i was going, it very well could have been slower. I’m actually using worst case scenario speed. Imagine pulling into space , so you’re already fairly slowed down but misjudge curb. That’s the kind of bump. I didnt just run into the curb like i was drunk or bad weather.
With that said, from what i am reading bending a steering rack w/o bending tie rod or control arm is really unusual, you have to have a hard curb hit to damage steering rack. This was definitely not that kind of impact. Again i didnt drive into the curb or something at a speed as if i lost control of the car. It was a parking related bump 10mph was the max i was going , possibly slower.
There is absolutely no damage to the body as i never hit the body, lol i have had this car inspected twice now. You are talking as if i ran into a curb at 20mph in the rain or something. I promise the fender isnt hanging off haha.
The car drives totally normal, EXCEPT over bumps sometimes the steering jiggles a little too much on the Rside, and when making R turns particularly on an angle, the wheel jerks. Thats it. Its super subtle you have to drive the car like 30 minutes to feel it, which is why no mechanics have felt it as they only drive it 10 minutes and usually make proper 90degree turns.
When the L front was loose the steering felt unstable, but now that my wheels are actually screwed on to the car, that has resolved and all i have is this minor steering jerk.
EDIT:
I was actually considering it might be the steering rack, given as you said its only during turns. Also the burning smell, could very well be leaking fluid. It could be related to incident, or it could be a defect.
I dont perceive it but my mother (who has a 2016 corolla so very familiar with car) said my steering felt tight to her, and i know thats a symptom of bad steering rack.
I don’t want to ban anybody because I don’t think @withthelightsout00 is trolling anybody. There is something getting lost in the communication, because withthelightsout seems to be looking for ideas about what might be wrong and causing the jerk because the mechanics s/he saw didn’t find anything needing a repair. The respondents (whom I assure you don’t operate as the Car Talk synchronized trolling team) are giving their impressions.
Withthelightsout, it seems that you’re not finding the comments helpful with respect to what you’ve found in your conversations with mechanics. I do agree some responses were sarcastic, but I wouldn’t characterize the overall response to be hostile.
Hey, any time we have a vexing problem in life, we ask around for a solution. Not everybody has the answer that works for our particular situation. It could be that these responses aren’t the magic key. They’ve tried, though, and if you do find your answer, I hope you’ll come back and tell us because it isn’t often we get 100+ reply threads on a discussion that isn’t about disc vs drum brakes or self-driving vehicles.
@withthelightsout00 I’m sorry that you do not feel that you are getting the respect you deserve, but some of us are really trying to help.
I’m a little surprised that no one has suggested the old standby (or I missed it) which is to go to another dealer in an older car and ask to test drive a new Corolla that is as close to yours as possible. Make sure it has at least the same wheels.
If you can, drive the intended route with your Corolla to get a feel for it, then the new one. Repeat with the old one afterwards and then decide if there is a difference. For what its worth, new cars come with increasingly large wheels and lower profile tires and they just feel the same as the older ones. I for one do not really like the ride of new cars. You might find that this is at least part of the issues you are having.
I do question the thought processes of the mechanics who have looked at this car including the ones involved in the alignment.
Why they see a damaged wheel, alignment out on a new car after the “slight bump” if you prefer to call it that, and not even begin to question WHY the alignment is out is a bit mind boggling to say the least.
And to think that this is an issue which can be sorted out with the naked eye is also puzzling.
What would I do with hands on? Get the car on the rack and start making a few careful measurements between various datum points; comparing one side to the other and going from there.
@keith thank you for this suggestion, days ago i did this (drive exact same car at dealer) and i did notice difference. Also my mother has almost the exact same car, and i drove hers (2016 S, vs my 2017 SE) andi did notice a difference as well. Finally, IMO the most compelling test was having my mom drive MY CAR an HOUR in highway traffic and she confirmed exactly the same issues - the wheel jerks on R angle turns, particularly apt to occur taking exit. So there is clearly some subtle suspension/steering weirdness. If an independent party who’s not all emotional about their new car can confirm this is happening, then its real.
Now that the loose wheel has been resolved, its not a life or death issue, but its upsetting and annoying,and i would like it repaired. The ride doesnt feel smooth like new car.
@ok4450 sadly as a mechanically ignorant car owner i am at a loss to do this myself. My next step is to contact collision shops with 5 star ratings on yelp, as 5 star general mechanics were fairly useless. I assume, and hope, collision shops have a better chance diagnosing this. I am surprised this is sucha challenge for the mechanics i spoke with. From what i am reading if steering is changed , steering wheel “loose”, jerk on turns, off center, it is likely tie rod or steering rack. Thats just what i’ve learned doing research/asking around however. IDK whatever it is, i’ll pay for it.
It’s really unbelievable that this is how the “mechanic” inspected the runout and deemed it OK. No one can spin a wheel by hand fast enough to see runout that might cause a shimmy at higher speeds. It should go on a road force alignment machine or at a bare minimum, a runout gauge can be affixed to the car body and measure the actual runout to thousandths of an inch. I’ve had my own bent rims you couldn’t tell there was an issue until they were checked this way. Even jacked up spinning by the engine was difficult to see the runout. No way spinning by hand…
You can absolutely affect alignment without breaking or bending anything. There is some slop in everything. I doubt you were doing 10mph and that is probably what got many here going. 10mph is definitely fast enough to break or bend things. Those rim scratches to me look like something 1-2mph but it’s really hard to say.
The steering jerk to me sounds like something in the rack got stressed. That is entirely possible as the shock would get transmitted quite well into the rack from an angled curb strike even at very low speeds.
The wandering and propensity to follow road features is indicative of a bad alignment or something out of whack. Sounded to me like the sequence of events is that the steering wheel misalignment occurred after the first attempt at an alignment. They may have just screwed that up and leaving it slightly cocked off center is a sign they are not very thorough to begin with.
