Hit a pothole... possible damage

[firestorm225]

I drove my Civic LX Sedan from San Francisco up to Lake Tahoe earlier this week. While driving around Tahoe, I hit a huge pothole with my front left tire. I guess it was impossible to see with the snow and water on the ground, so I didn't even know about it until I heard a loud noise when I apparently hit it.

Anyway, I stopped and checked the tire and it looked fine, so I continued on. Later in the week, I drove to Reno, and noticed the car was starting to vibrate. I read some topics here that said that vibration can happen when ice forms in the rims, so I didn't think it was a big deal.

Today, I set off from Tahoe, and the vibration was getting worse. I pulled off the freeway around Sacramento, and noticed that the front left tire was getting really flat. I drove to some RV repair place and they took the tire off and checked it out. The guy noticed that the rim actually got bent (I guess where it made the collision with the hole), but he sprayed some water on the wheel and he said it looked like there wasn't any actual damage to the tire. He hit the rim with a hammer to bend it back, and then switched the front left and rear left tires and told me to drive back to San Francicso and get it checked out by a dealership. He charged me $20 and I was on my way.

Anyway, the car still feels like it's vibrating (though a lot less than before). What will I likely have to replace? Could I have damaged the front axle by hitting a pothole so hard that my rim bent? Will the rim need to be replaced? Thanks.

[ImTheVoiceOfGod]

Go get an alignment. Simple as that. Even driving over railroad tracks can cause a car to go out of alignment.

[HondaFREAK]

could have been a bent rim or a broken belt in the radial tire...happened to me....alignment, new tires, and a new rim....worse case scenario

[dextor]

Originally Posted by ImTheVoiceOfGod

Go get an alignment. Simple as that. Even driving over railroad tracks can cause a car to go out of alignment.

Agreed, get your alignments checked often.

[firestorm225]

Alright, I'll check that out. Would the rim need to be replaced no matter what, due to it being fixed by a hammer, or could it still possibly work?

[HondaFREAK]

if it's barely bent you might get a really slight vibration and some noise like I did....for a while..but I went ahead an replaced it.

alignment will definitely do wonders for you. from there...if it's still bad a new tire or rim might be necessary..but if you can deal with the noise and slight vibe after alignment then don't worry about the bent rim...it shouldn't be too bad if you can still drive on it.

[firestorm225]

Do I need to do a four wheel alignment or just the front wheels? My dealership is telling me I should do a four wheel alignment for $89.

[darna]

^find another honda dealership to do the alignment. they usually charge $74 - 4 wheel alignment.

[Rems07si]

[firestorm225]

Well I had my dad do it this morning already since I need to pack and drive back to school tonight. They charged $89 for an alignment and visual inspection. Would they be able to see a the inside of the rim when they're doing an alignment or do you think I'll still need to get that checked out (They said they would charge $34 to take the wheel off and look at it).

[NIGHTHAWKSI]

for $90 you should get a full alignment...it shouldnt matter if they have to take the wheel off...and even if they did...$34 for removing a wheel?!?!

[firestorm225]

Well, I took it to another shop, they actually checked the wheel and said the rim needs to be replaced :/ Kinda sucky thing to happen considering I only have 3k miles on the car.

[HondaFREAK]

Originally Posted by firestorm225

Well, I took it to another shop, they actually checked the wheel and said the rim needs to be replaced :/ Kinda sucky thing to happen considering I only have 3k miles on the car.

Trust me..I know exactly how you feel...I had 5k on mine

[radiocontrolhead]

Originally Posted by firestorm225

Well, I took it to another shop, they actually checked the wheel and said the rim needs to be replaced :/ Kinda sucky thing to happen considering I only have 3k miles on the car.

Get it replaced, It's not going to be all that expensive. Doesn't the Lx come with steelies anyway? If your tire is fine, get the wheel replaced and have them check for axle/suspension damage.