[inspron]

My car has a minor rear end accident a while back.

Last week I got 4 new tires, today I took my car in for an alignment. The shop said all but the Left Rear adjusted fine; for the Left Rear, I needed a rear Camber, Toe, Caster kit installed for $340.

Based on the before and after alignment results, should I pony up $340 or live with this misalignment? $340 seems pretty steep if its only a minor tire wear problem.

Could some kind soul chime in for some expert advice? I would really appreciate your advice.

Attached are my adjustment results.

High res picture: https://www.dropbox.com/s/8cncc7dpz1vzw34/20130918_125525.jpg

 

[namegoeshere]

$340 for part, install, and re-alignment, or $80 for alignment (or whatever you paid), $85 for one camber and toe arm, and $175 for install.

The install is a rip off. Should be no more than $40. And we don't know what part(s) they're giving you.

The rear left camber and toe together will cause premature and uneven tire wear. If you're okay with replacing that one tire sooner than the others every time, then just leave it.

How soon? :dunno: Depends on the tires you're running. Softer tires will wear out sooner. If, for instance, you're still on the stock Michelin Pilot HX MXM4's which have a 300 UTQG rating, you could find yourself replacing it maybe every 10,000 or 15,000 miles instead of every 40,000 miles.

Would you rather pay $170 for a new tire every 10,000-15,000 miles.... which could be every year if you drive 15,000 miles a year like most drivers do.... or $200-$340 to get it fixed and be done with it?

Of course, you can rotate the tires to prolong the life, but then (depending on how you rotate them) you'll have to replace 2 or all 4 tires sooner than later, and that will cost you even more. If it were me, I'd get it fixed. It'd be cheaper in the long run.

 

[inspron]

$340 for part, install, and re-alignment, or $80 for alignment (or whatever you paid), $85 for one camber and toe arm, and $175 for install.

The install is a rip off. Should be no more than $40. And we don't know what part(s) they're giving you.

The rear left camber and toe together will cause premature and uneven tire wear. If you're okay with replacing that one tire sooner than the others every time, then just leave it.

How soon? :dunno: Depends on the tires you're running. Softer tires will wear out sooner. If, for instance, you're still on the stock Michelin Pilot HX MXM4's which have a 300 UTQG rating, you could find yourself replacing it maybe every 10,000 or 15,000 miles instead of every 40,000 miles.

Would you rather pay $170 for a new tire every 10,000-15,000 miles.... which could be every year if you drive 15,000 miles a year like most drivers do.... or $200-$340 to get it fixed and be done with it?

Of course, you can rotate the tires to prolong the life, but then (depending on how you rotate them) you'll have to replace 2 or all 4 tires sooner than later, and that will cost you even more. If it were me, I'd get it fixed. It'd be cheaper in the long run.

Thank you very much for this info.

Amazon link states "This does not fit your: 2009 Honda Accord" Should I just get it and disregard the warning?

 

[namegoeshere]

Thank you very much for this info.

Amazon link states "This does not fit your: 2009 Honda Accord" Should I just get it and disregard the warning?

Oops. My bad. Not sure why I was thinking of a 03-07 Accord when I was typing that.

You're going to need #35623 ( $157.22 + $10.55 shipping ) if you want Ingalls.

j-accord is happy with his: http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?t=62513


Another option is the popular SPC 67540 for $207.99 shipped
or $210 shipped.

Then there's the J-power kit for $179.95 + shipping. Quite a few people use this with no problem. And you get a set for both sides... not just one side like with the above kits.

Now that I think about it, $340 isn't that bad.... $80 for alignment, approx. $200 for camber/toe kit, and probably $60 for install. Maybe ask them what kit they were going to give you first and find out what their install price is if you provided the kit. Have them break down the costs for you.

 

[2010 LX]

Notice from your profile that you have stock suspension and tires/wheels. Shouldn't need a suspension kit to bring your car into alignment.

Maybe your rear accident was more than "minor". Was the collision on the rear left? Did you get hit in the rear or did you run over something? Maybe suspension damage or bent unibody.

$340 seems reasonable for repair and realignment if they use OEM parts.

Did you have unusual tire wear on your old tires?
Did you volunteer information about the accident before the alignment? How reputable is your shop, maybe they tweaked your car to show repair needed.............you never know today.

 

[Mechanic]

. . . Did you have unusual tire wear on your old tires?

Start here ^: You said you replaced your tires, but you didn't say what, if anything, you noticed about the tires taken off.

Maybe your rear accident was more than "minor". Was the collision on the rear left? Did you get hit in the rear or did you run over something? Maybe suspension damage or bent unibody.

All good questions. I doubt the unibody (sometimes mistakenly called the "frame") is bent -- the misalignment is not that extreme -- but, more important, if this is related to the accident you had, it should have been included in the repair work and (perhaps) covered by insurance.

$340 seems reasonable for repair and realignment if they use OEM parts. (Emphasis added.)

I agree. And, let me add, two degrees of negative camber, while not extreme, is still an "other than normal" number for normal driving. (Negative camber means the tire is tipped in at the top, out at the bottom.) If it were on the left front rather than the left rear, it would be fine for autocrossing, but two degrees of negative camber is not something you want on the left rear or for commuting. If accurate, it needs to be corrected or, as you were told, it will result in noticeable, pre-mature tire wear. How much and how quickly is tough to call from here.

 

[TopSniper69]

Who fixed the car after the accident? Was it done through insurance? You should have to pay a dime. You have insurance so if your car is in an accident it's restored to it's prior accident condition. You may have some bent suspension parts that were changed out during the repair. You want to fix the problem correctly not "jimmy rig" it to make it work. If you bought the car like this then you're pretty much SOL. Jack your car up, support it on stands, crawl under and look underneath for yourself. Anything bent, cracked, damaged in anyway? Start there and replace what's damaged. Good luck.

 

[inspron]

Thank you, thank you to all for your replies. Your feedback was very helpful.

I bought the car after an accident and subsequent fix. I was well aware of the issue before I purchased the vehicle. The accident was probably more than minor but not quite severe. Reasonable repairs were done but not back to undamaged stock condition. The car looks (to untrained eyes) and operated very well with no maintenance issues at all.

All was fair given that I was fully aware when I purchased the 2009 LX-S in 2009 for $10,500 out the door, after repairs were completed with only 7,000 miles on car at the time. Now I have 100,000 miles on the car with 4 new tires, I finally got around to the alignment. I am still split at the moment whether or not to spend the $340. Before I did this alignment, the used tires were a little bit unevenly worn at the time of replacement, but not so severe. That's why I planned for this realignment when I get new tires.

Thanks again for let me know that the $340 (SPC parts) was a reasonable quote.

 

[namegoeshere]

So you've owned the car for about 4 years and have driven it for 93,000 miles.

During that period, how many times did you have to replace the tires and with what tires? If it was 3 sets of tires or less, then the camber and toe isn't so bad that it needs to be corrected immediately, so it may be okay to just leave it as is. But if you've gone through like 5 sets of tires, then in the long run it may be cheaper to correct the alignment.

You also need to think about how much longer you plan to keep the car. If you're going to sell it in a year or two, then it might not be worth it. Just let the next owner worry about it.

A 2009 Accord bought in 2009 with 7,000 miles for $10,500.. Was this a salvage?

 

[BadBlackEXLV6]

So wait, you've been driving with this alignment for 93,000 miles and now it becomes an issue? If the car were newer I would fix it but now just slap the new tires on it and drive for another 100,000 miles.

 

[rahul1023]

my wife's 09 camry LE had a similiar issue with the camber on the front right, when it went in for new tires. She had a front end accident about 20,000 miles ago and it always pulled to the left. It was -2.0 degrees on the front right causing the pull to the left. In any case, Sears put a adjustable camber bolt on the lower bolt where the shock bolted on the bottom. This bolt had a lobe on the inside which pushed the whole assembly out and away from the car. Once the camber was correct the nut was torqued down and everything has been ok. However, in hindsight I think after her accident, they should've replaced the lower control arm. This is what is slightly bent I suspect. However I haven't had a chance to inspect this item. The bolt cost $30-40 and sears didn't charge me anything to put it in because they messed up the alignment to begin with. It pulls a lot less now, however the better thing to do is to just see if the lower control arm is bent.