azbyffolke

Short version of the story: I ran over a curb with my '06 LS (left front wheel). I didn't hit it very hard and it drives OK. Just to be sure I took it to Discount Tire for a wheel balance and check for a bent wheel - all OK. I took it to my Lexus dealer for an alignment; again, just to be safe. Dealer says he can' do an alignment; I need the camber/caster bushings (which I assume are the A-arm bushings) replaced. This is a ~$700 fix! This car has less than 85K miles on it and has spent it's entire life in the dry, warm Southwest. My last Lexus ('98 GS300) went 228K with all the original bushings and never had an alignment problem.
Does this sound like a legit problem? Thanks for

Marklouis

How fast were you going when you ran over the curb?

were you going straight at the time or wheels turned?

Does it drive any different at all?

Did you tell Lexus you ran over a curb?

I have hit some really bad potholes in my 05' this past year, Jarring everything inside the car, but not enough to cause Damage to Suspension or the rims, just knocked off wheel weights was all. Drives fine, alignment fine. Wheels rebalanced.

azbyffolke

Marklouis,
I didn't hit the curb going fast at all. I was turning in to a drive way. I missed the house, backed up and turned in. I didn't back up enough and ran the left front over a rather high, squared edged curb. I actually then drove the car on a 160 mi. trip and day to day for a couple of weeks afterward. It seemed to drive OK. I took it in just because I'm a bit of an obsessive type. The LS isolates the ride so well I think it's possible to do some (minor) damage and not be away of it. I have band new $900+ tires on the car and don't want risk premature ware due to misalignment, hence, I took it in for a check.
If there is a problem doing an alignment I would expect a bent tie rod, or similar. Not "bad bushings."
Can the bushings actually be damaged by this type of incident?

chrcrou26

You need to look at the bushings there referring to yourself....If your ball joint steering rack or arm bushing go you will notice play and bump steering in the front end.....but unless you've completely sheared off a bushing somewhere I would look at the tie rods and arms for bending yes....The stealership will always replace things before doing the proper diagnostics....There in the business of making money.....

azbyffolke

chkrcrou26.
The service rep said it was the "camber/caster bushings." I read this to mean the A-arm bushings.
If he had said any of the things you bring up I would say "OK." But A-arm bushings just doesn't make sense to me. But then, I'm just an old guy shade tree mechanic.

LiCelsior

iTrader: (32)

they probably recommended doing it due to the mileage on the car. if it drives fine after an alignment then i wouldnt worry too much. the low impact shouldnt have caused much damage.

ancdmd

Those lower A-arm bushings (forward one is camber, rearward one is the caster bushing) can be shot by 85k-100k miles. The rear one is fluid filled and a good jolt can ruin it if it's on it way out. You can easily inspect it by looking under the car behind the tire, illuminate it with a flashlight or your cellphone and check it out. If it's bad it will have some cracks in it and/or fluid on it. The forward bushing can be broken also but it's difficult for you to see. If the car drives fine without making any noises or funny business AND it aligns correctly then you can let it ride, but in all seriousness you're likely due soon for a new lower A-arm and caster bushings anyway. Good to do both sides, along with the outer tie-rods and maybe the ball joints too.

XJSFan

Go to a good independent alignment shop....

chrcrou26

Exactly what I was getting at when ur bushings are all shot....everything is basically rattling around your not dealing with a pickup or a civic....If everything isn't right these cars will find the weakest spot and destroy it....

chrcrou26

Example....One struck curb which would normally do nothing....probably bent something that already needed replacing simple as that

BradTank

Anything is possible, but I find it unlikely that you hit a curb hard enough to just ruin the bushing on you A-Arm but nothing else. I would think a bad impact on a curb would most likely mess up something like your tie rod or ball joint first. Or bend the rim.

Did you tell the dealer "I hit something and I want to see if anything needs to be replaced?" because that's usually a green light for them to find something.

When you go down a straight flat freeway and take your hands off the steering wheel, does it have a bad pull in either direction that you didn't have before?

The way you described the incident sounds really minor, I tend to think they're taking you for a ride. If you were going at a "parking speed" when you bumped into it, it's hard for me to see real damage.

If you're uneasy about a shop, always get a 2nd opinion and don't tell them what the 1st shop recommended.

chrcrou26

Agreed if it doesn't feel like anythings wrong and there's no noises or pull you didn't have before it's probably fine....but I'd just to appease your own uncertainties take it to a couple different shops and see what they say

mannye

Maybe just take it to a shop and say, "I need an alignment" and nothing else then see what they come back at you with.