LeeSmthsn
Active member
I've wrecked my 98 a3 twice now. both front end collisions.
the first time (3 years ago) i replaced the radiator, ac condenser, and L headlamp, but I didnt notice a difference in steering or alignment. however, my hood, grille, bumper, quarter-panels etc. have been jacked up since.
This year I ran the car off the road in a storm and crashed (uphill) into an embankment. The plastic brush guard underneath the bumper was ripped off, the bumper bent back, up and out near the wheel wells, and i pulled plenty of mud and rocks from underneath the engine bay. When I went to change my oil a few weeks later, I noticed that i had also bent my radiator in towards the the engine enough that I couldnt even get my oil filter out (i could unscrew it, but it bumped into the fan housing when attempting to remove it). The radiator still worked fine though. Now i'm looking for new radiator mounts.
HOWEVER, the steering started pulling slightly to the right and the tires started to wear off-camber (ONLY wearing on the outer edge of both front tires). After wearing through 2 new tires in 2 months, I began replacing parts that I hoped would fix the cambered tire wear: tie rod ends, control arm bushings, and strut mounts and bearings. The steering was slightly less loose, but still significant off-camber wear. When I took the car in for an alignment after replacing those parts, my mechanic walks out with a sour look on his face and an ugly vehicle alignment report in his hand explaining to me that my passenger side camber was at a -3.3. He says the only way to solve this is replacing the steering spindle.
Can anyone further explain this to me or point me in the right direction?? thanks
the first time (3 years ago) i replaced the radiator, ac condenser, and L headlamp, but I didnt notice a difference in steering or alignment. however, my hood, grille, bumper, quarter-panels etc. have been jacked up since.
This year I ran the car off the road in a storm and crashed (uphill) into an embankment. The plastic brush guard underneath the bumper was ripped off, the bumper bent back, up and out near the wheel wells, and i pulled plenty of mud and rocks from underneath the engine bay. When I went to change my oil a few weeks later, I noticed that i had also bent my radiator in towards the the engine enough that I couldnt even get my oil filter out (i could unscrew it, but it bumped into the fan housing when attempting to remove it). The radiator still worked fine though. Now i'm looking for new radiator mounts.
HOWEVER, the steering started pulling slightly to the right and the tires started to wear off-camber (ONLY wearing on the outer edge of both front tires). After wearing through 2 new tires in 2 months, I began replacing parts that I hoped would fix the cambered tire wear: tie rod ends, control arm bushings, and strut mounts and bearings. The steering was slightly less loose, but still significant off-camber wear. When I took the car in for an alignment after replacing those parts, my mechanic walks out with a sour look on his face and an ugly vehicle alignment report in his hand explaining to me that my passenger side camber was at a -3.3. He says the only way to solve this is replacing the steering spindle.
Can anyone further explain this to me or point me in the right direction?? thanks