I was just driving through a residential area and didn’t realize how slippery it was. I slid right through a slight turn and hit the curb. My plastic hub cap popped off so I picked it up and put it in my car so I could put it back on when I got home. As I am driving home i start to notice that my steering wheel is shaking and it gets worse at higher speeds. Any ideas what it could be? How much could the fix cost?
- bent rim
- tire damaged and about to blow
- alignment out
- other damage to undercarriage components.
Hippity hop to the auto shop. ASAP.
Any ideas on cost?
Anywhere from a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars, depending on what all was damaged, but probably (hopefully) on the lower end of that range. In all likelihood, you will at least need a new rim and tire and alignment, possibly more. Do not delay, this needs to be fixed pronto! The car is not safe to drive now.
@Riles023 is the steering wheel even straight?
You should bring the car to an independent shop that does alignments, suspension work and tires.
At the very least, ask them to check out the rim and tire that hit the curb.
If you’re lucky, you just need the rim balanced.
If you trust them, ask them to go over the car’s suspension and steering system with a fine-toothed comb.
My guess is that you broke one of the steel bands in the tire, which will cause that shaking even if the tire is balanced. Go to a tire shop, they should be able to tell you if this is what happened.
A co-worker of mine just did this exact same thing and had the exact same problem. It turned out to be a damaged tie rod end and damaged wheel bearing. It cost him $570 to repair and realign.