steering wheel kinda like rumble pack...

[johnwc723]

im not sure when this started to happen (possibly when i slid into a curb and a very slippery day) but now whenever i go about well anywhere from 30 mph up my steering wheel will sort of jiggle back and forth quite a bit. i have seen it worse on other cars its not too bad but its definetly noticeable and definetly didnt happen before... what the heck caused this? and can it be fixed by getting a wheel alignment?

[k-roy]

A alignment and a wheel balance will fix it.
Its probably a bent tie rod, bad ball joint, unbalanced rim or a combination of those.

[johnwc723]

so if i take the car in and spend the money they should be able to fix it or tell me it will cost more to fix it? heh, well i can do the balance my self at any rate maybe that will fix it ! :)

[Bloodlust]

I dont think you are going to be able to do a balance yourself, not without the right equipment. I would just take it in and have it looked at, give a list of stuff that might be wrong with it like our good man Kroy did.

[Bryan]

I would reccomend taking it in so that you don't mess it up even more then it is no offense or anything but if you don't have the right stuff to do it, it's probably not a good idea to mess with it.

[cdixon311]

I agree, take it in for a balance and alignment and it should fix it. or maybe just buy a new set of tires? sometimes they do the balance and alignment for free

[johnwc723]

when you say balance you just mean tire balance? i have a balancer at school i can do for free, very easy... not an "aligner" tho

[k-roy]

Go ahead and balence the wheels yourself then. Im willing to say you damaged a suspension part. Most places charge $50-$70 for an alignment, plus the price of the parts. Oy yea it could also be a damaged control arm. Any tire shop should be able to tell you what is needed. DO NOT go to a dealership for the work, the overcharge like a mofo.

['A20A3']

An alignment and tire balance should fix the problem.

I hit a curb, and it bent my lower control arm, so it figures that your control arm is probably bent as well.

[neoblue89lxi]

The dealer really doesn't charge that much more than independent shops. That is unfortunately a misconception. The hourly rate for work is usaully the same or off a couple bucks. At a dealer you will get a better warranty. It all depends on how you like the shop. Based on price differences they will not be too far off.

[MrBen]

At a dealer they charge for diagnostics. They charge for inspections. They also screw you over whenever they can on parts that don't need to be replaced, or just by charging you up the ass.

[k-roy]

Upper and lower ball joints, lower control arms, Inner and outer tie rod ends, swaybar endlinks, and new bushings. Total cost with labor from the dealer= $1,500. Fuck that. I'll buy the parts for $300, install them myself in a afternoon and pay the $70 for tire balancing and an alignment.

[johnwc723]

you guys think i fucked all that up?? ohh crap :( can i unbend anything?

[k-roy]

You probably did not screw up that much, I was gining an example of a quote on a front end rebuild I am planning on soon. Take it in for an estimate. And no, you can not bend that stuff back safely except for the rim.

[johnwc723]

alright thanks, ill balance the tires ASAP (Hopefully thats my problem all together :) ) !!! pleasepleaseplease.....

[neoblue89lxi]

Kroy, I understand that if you buy the parts and fix the car yourself you will obxiously save money. But if you are going to have a professional mechanic work on your car you would be better off to go to a dealer. They will charge other private shops the same for parts as you. You are allowed to say no to their recommendations, if money is an issue. They have better things to do than "screw you over" for a couple of bucks. Your 50 bucks for a diagnostic will not make their day.

[k-roy]

Kroy, I understand that if you buy the parts and fix the car yourself you will obxiously save money. But if you are going to have a professional mechanic work on your car you would be better off to go to a dealer. They will charge other private shops the same for parts as you. You are allowed to say no to their recommendations, if money is an issue. They have better things to do than "screw you over" for a couple of bucks. Your 50 bucks for a diagnostic will not make their day.

You are better off shopping around for parts. Moog makes some better than OEM parts for a damn good price. I realize a diagnostic will not make their day, but I know my stuff and can do most of my own diagnostics. All I am saying basically is a privite shop will save you money, dealers overcharge for everything. For example the wanted to charge the flat rate for everything. Like full price for each item being installed. Like the inner and outer tie rod ends. So you pay twice for the same job.

[Blkblurr]

Check the tire to see if you have a bulge in it. That happens alot when you hit curbs or chuck holes. This will cause the wobble you are talking about. An alignment will not cause this to go away, although it is a great idea after you find out what the problem is. My bet is on the tire or rim/ wheel is bent. How hard did you hit the curb?

[TINBOAT]

I agree with Blkblrr...before you start getting prices of the whole front end of the car, try this (old mechanic's trick)...jack up the car, and put something like a heavy hammer up close to the suspected wheel/tire...stand the hammer (with the handle pointing up)by the wheel and spin the wheel, this will visibly show you if your wheel is bent, or a belt has separated on the tire...if the wheel runs 'true', grab the tire and give it a side to side wobble test...this will give you an idea of the condition of your tie rod ends...then a 'shake' test vertically (poor man ball joint test)...good luck !!!

[Blkblurr]

You got it Tinboat. That's what I would do.

[johnwc723]

alright thanks guys ill give that a try tomorrow (weather permitting!!!)

[NXRacer]

i cant believe nobody has mentioned bearings....when they go out you get the same feel in the wheel. If its not the tire, pull the wheel off, put it in neutral and turn the axle at the hub and feel for any grinding feeling. That'll be a good indication that its the bearings and it'll save you a lot of money as apposed to replacing the suspension.

[johnwc723]

alright ill try that too when it gets above 0 F out

[Blkblurr]

It's possible that you could have bad bearings but they would not cause the wheel to jiggle back and forth. They would for sure cause a grinding sound but unless your wheel was about to fall off they would not cause his symptoms especially after hitting a curb. Bearings are the toughest part of the wheel assembly.

[johnwc723]

kool, i think my tires might be underinflated, IT NEESD TO WARM UP!! (i dont have any garage to work in at all :(