Steps to a Better Car

[BeachVibes]

I own a 2003 Mazda Protege5. About 2 monthes ago I hit a curb going at around 40mph and it dented the s*** out of my lower right control arm and bent the s*** out of my OEM right wheel. I replaced the right control arm but am to this day still driving on the same wheel. My steering wheel shakes due to the bent wheel and it's been close to 3,000 miles already. I finally can afford to replace the wheel but now I'm hearing some sort of a scraping noise coming out of my wheel. My car has not been the same since hitting the curb. I just want my old MP5 driving experience and would do anything (budget cost wise) to get my car back to normal.

Since I've been driving with a dent wheel for 3,000 miles, what sort of damage could that have done to my car?

I was told my struts could have been dented upon hitting the curb also but could not afford at the time for a full alignment inspection. Could that be causing some sort of noise if it's jacked up?

If you were in my position now, what steps would you take to try and get your car back to normal?????????????

Please help me get my car back!

 

[Moeed]

same thing happened to me. I hydroplaned and curbed. I highly recommend an alignment asap!!! That is what truly got the car back closer to normal. I changed my struts when i got coilovers and new rims. Got another alignment and am happy to say the car is better than factory.

 

[GNO]

The dent would have thrown off the balance of the wheel. The noise may be from a failing bearing. You may have to replace that as well now. Sadly, when these things happen, leaving the problem unattended sometimes worsen the situation.

Best of luck to you.

 

[dcarp]

To pile on, hitting the curb could have thrown off the balance of the wheel or screwed your struts. It more than likely DID screw your alignment. You should have probably gone and had it checked out for full replacement and tried to make an insurance claim. fixing it bit by bit could get very costly.

 

[p5power]

i did the same this, except in snow, two weeks after I got my car. luckily, I didn't bend my wheel, I just curbed the hell out of it. I still have the wheel on, but it's on the back now. I did file a claim with my insurance company (some guy really cut me off), and the repairs totaled to around 2500 bucks. that was with replacing the control arm, ball joints and all that good suspension stuff. they bought me a new wheel, too (haven't had it mounted yet). i would really get to somewhere to have it checked out...I can't imagine driving 3000 miles with possibly a variety of unknown suspension issues and a bent wheel can be good. just my $0.02

 

[BeachVibes]

Suggestions ?

I finally replaced the bent wheel but I still notice the same problem. The shop that I took it to said they believe the right front strut and spindle are jacked due to a previous alignment report I had on it. My mistake was taking it to a tire shop that did alignments and not a full blown alignment shop that weighed the parts with the inspection.

Here is my situation as of now:
I have the $70 lowering springs coming in on Monday and am close to winning a bid on some OEM struts from ebay. Should I just lower my MP5 with replacing the struts than take it to a full blown alignment shop (more bucks) or have faith and just buy a spindle and have it all done at the same time and hope for the best with the tire shop alignment?

How feasible is it that the strut and spindle could be causing my chirping noise coming out of my wheel?

Another observation someone told me was that my brake disks were rusted and if you sand the rust off ,,,,,, the chirping sound could go away.

I truly do miss the way my car used to drive and handle!

 

[FunkyBuddha]

Don't drive the car for a while till you get the springs and struts. Then have all that replaced, and aligned and tell them to rebalance your wheels too. if that doesn't fix it..then you're gonna have to find the problem.