[stoffius]

Going about 45mph, I hit a curb on the passenger side which broke the front wheel but thankfully spared the rear. The car obviously needs an alignment but it's currently driving a bit different and believe something, perhaps a motor mount, shock, joint, etc., may be damaged.

I plan to jack the car up this weekend, take the wheel off, and inspect for damage but looking for any helpful information in the interim. When I shift from Park to Reverse, there is a noticeable click/shift that I don't notice going from Reverse to Drive.

Budget being tight, I'm looking to do as much myself as possible before taking it to a shop for an alignment.

Thanks in advance!

 

[stoffius]

Well I've got the car jacked up and wheel off but don't see anything out of the ordinary. It does appear that the top of the A-arm struck the top of the wheel well. Not sure how to identify a broken motor or transmission mount.

Any ideas?

Does that look bent?

 

[asselin.jerome]

First, I am sorry that happened to you and good luck with this.

Can you see if the radiator support is touched.

To answer your question, yes this look really bent... Other components are also probably bent: shock, lower arm, hub, upper arm, inner & outer tie-rods, axle and verify the sub frame and transmission case...

Good Luck.

J~

 

[stoffius]

When I put the wheel back on and lowered it, it straightened out a little but perhaps that's because the shock is compressed. Saw no signs of anything else being bent but I'm no pro at detecting these things.

 

[cmpfastTSX]

that looks like a very hard hit to the curb...damm

one thing that you need to check is to see if there is any damage to the strut tower (the metal structural piece that the top of the strut studs goes through). you can see if it is damaged by comparing it to the other side of the vehicle. i am an ASE Master Collision Technician and also have my ASE in steering/suspension. On unibody vehicles the one big mistake i see people do (both IN the shop and at home) is they start just replacing every part of the suspension first. Obviously you want to replace any visibly damage suspension part, but you need to ensure that the vehicle structure didnt move at all as well. if the strut tower moved even 5 millimeters, it can through off your camber and caster measurements. as far as motor mounts/tranny mounts go, the front mount is hydraulic (meaning it doesnt have the rubber "center" that many mount have) and is difficult to see if it is damaged. one sure sign of damage is if you see it leaking fluid. as far as the ones with the rubber centers, take a flashlight and look to see if the rubber is cracked at all. if it is cracked it needs to be replaced.
by the way if you take a few more pictures of the bottom suspension components i can look and see if i notice anything unusual..

 

[cmpfastTSX]

that looks like a very hard hit to the curb...damm

one thing that you need to check is to see if there is any damage to the strut tower (the metal structural piece that the top of the strut studs goes through). you can see if it is damaged by comparing it to the other side of the vehicle. i am an ASE Master Collision Technician and also have my ASE in steering/suspension. On unibody vehicles the one big mistake i see people do (both IN the shop and at home) is they start just replacing every part of the suspension first. Obviously you want to replace any visibly damage suspension part, but you need to ensure that the vehicle structure didnt move at all as well. if the strut tower moved even 5 millimeters, it can through off your camber and caster measurements. as far as motor mounts/tranny mounts go, the front mount is hydraulic (meaning it doesnt have the rubber "center" that many mount have) and is difficult to see if it is damaged. one sure sign of damage is if you see it leaking fluid. as far as the ones with the rubber centers, take a flashlight and look to see if the rubber is cracked at all. if it is cracked it needs to be replaced.
by the way if you take a few more pictures of the bottom suspension components i can look and see if i notice anything unusual..

 

[stoffius]

The strut tower looks exactly like the other side with no visible damage or movement. As for the engine mounts, the front and passenger appear fine but can't really get a good look at any of them...all mounts are about 9 months old and OEM. The rubber bushing on the lower A-Arm has some cracks on it.

I took some pictures and will upload to computer this evening. Thanks for your help!

 

[wong05tsx]

Ouch. I have a two spare stock rims if you need

 

[EuroRspec]

That shock is super bent. Most likely the lower control arm and subframe is bent. The clicking sound could be a mount, but it can also be the transmission could also be damaged including the axle.

You should replace the right shock assembly, lower control arm, and then check the caster of that corner. You can also loosen up the front subframe, sometimes it just gets pushed back and dose not get damaged. It will realign it self.

 

[stoffius]

Ouch. I have a two spare stock rims if you need

I do need one! PM sent

 

[stoffius]

Photo's below were taken after I had put the wheel back on. I can pull it back off and take more if necessary but hope this is useful. Thanks again for all the help guys! I really appreciate it.

 

[waltershc]

Why are you guys talking about the potential for motor mounts to be messed up? If he hit something hard enough for the motor mounts to be affected, then the motor mounts would be the least of his worries. The motor mounts are fine.

Second, the damage is going to take the form of very subtle bends. It will be almost impossible for us to diagnose damage from pictures over the internet. You are going to just take it somewhere and have someone look at it; either that or just start replacing stuff. Just grab upper/lower control arms, new strut (springs are used to bending so it will be fine), upper/lower ball joints, maybe your inner/outer tie rod depending on how you hit the curb.

 

[cmpfastTSX]

from what i can see, you definitely need the strut , lower control arm,upper control arm.
the other items really need to be diagnosed in a shop environment with an alignment machine. if you are trying to save a little money, you could do the strut and the contol arms yourself...you didnt say what experience you have or what tools you have, but you are going to need a spring compressor to replace the strut safely and a ball joint separater (either a "pickle fork" or there are several tools that are made to do the same thing). normally i wouldnt use a pickle fork for the upper arm (cause you can damage the upper ball joint), but in this case is doesnt matter cause you are replacing it anyway. it is common on honda/acura vehicles to have the subframe shift and this can be done at the shop during an alignment. The knuckle may also be damaged but you are not going to be able to see that in a picture or from visual inspection. you need to replace obviously damaged items and then take it to a shop for an alignment. the alignment readings will tell the tech the places to look or further damage.if it does end up needing the knuckle you will also need a bearing as the bearing is pressed into the knuckle.
as far as tie rods go, unless they are visually bent i would replace them until you replace the lower arm and see if the toe setting is within specs.
you are going to have to take it to the shop at some point, but if you want to save a little money i would replace the strut,upper and lower control arms.

as for the last post, the only reason i commented on the motor mounts was because he asked a question about how to know if they are damaged. i doubt the motor mounts are damaged from this sort of impact.
i used to be a tech but now work as a damage appraiser for an insurance company and i look at quite a few vehicles that hit curbs ( i live in so florida, we have a lot of elderly people that hit curbs...lol) i have never had to replace motor mounts as part of hitting a curb.

 

[stoffius]

I'm taking the car the the Acura dealer tomorrow for an inspection as the damage appears to be much more extensive than originally thought. I've done a lot of repair work in the past and have all the tools necessary except for the two you pointed out above but those can be rented at Advance Auto. I'll try to do as much as possible by myself and have the dealer perform what I can't.

In regards to the motor mounts, my car was hit literally days after buying it while parked by some kids running from the cops who lost control of their car and crashed into mine. They struck the front passenger side and damage was fair. After initially getting the car back from the dealer I noticed an odd clicking noise coming from the front when shifting (auto). Upon taking it back to the shop, they determined the engine mounts were damaged and replaced them all. After hitting the curb, I now hear a very similar sound which was cause for concern regarding the mounts.

 

[stoffius]

The collision center at the Acura dealer stated the entire wheel assembly needs to be replaced including the upper and lower control arms, bearing, knuckle, strut, and the engine frame/subframe.

The tech showed me how the entire wheel had shifted backwards an inch compared to the drivers side. Decided to go through insurance as the damage is much more extensive than originally thought.

Thanks for all the help guys. Will post anything else that gets added to the repair bill.

 

[asselin.jerome]

Good luck dude!

 

[bella06]

It happened to me but I was drunk needed to change the upper and down control arm and shock was bent

 

[stoffius]

Total repair came out to just under $7k. Engine cradle/subframe replaced as was every suspension component on the front passenger side, two new wheels, and tires. Then the roof had to be repaired where the body popped up on three corners of the sunroof. This entailed removing the windshield in order to perform the repair.

The car drives just fine now and glad to be done with the rental car and back to normal. Feel spoiled now that I have GPS and Bluetooth...don't think I could ever do without it now.

Thanks again for all the assistance including those who responded to PM's when I was looking for parts.

 

[plus.repped]

Total repair came out to just under $7k.

yowza! congrats on the ordeal being over. i know you mentioned the tight budget - did you end up going through insurance? was it totaled out?