Does driving up a curb damage your car?
The impact of mounting a kerb without the use of a dropped kerb to park on it can definitely cause damage to your car’s suspension. With enough force, the whole suspension spring can be displaced and cause alignment issues as well as causing damage to the rods and shocks.
How do you know if your control arm is bent?
Signs Of A Bent Control Arm
- Vehicle pulling to the side.
- Tire sitting at and unusual angle.
- Accelerated wear on either edge of the tire.
- Loose steering.
- Clunking noise in the steering area.
Can a front lower control arm be replaced?
Front lower control arm replacement is straightforward on some cars. But on others, it can be a real challenge. The level of difficulty depends a great deal on the vehicle’s suspension design. If you’re dealing with a MacPherson strut suspension, generally, the job is pretty easy.
What happens if you hit a curb, now what?
You may have just lost a weight, but you could have knocked the plane of the rim out of parallel with the plane of the hub. Worse case you damaged the lower control arm or its bushings from the impact. This requires an immediate shop inspection as it might be unsafe to drive now.
How does the control arm work on a car?
The bushings provide pivot points, allowing the control arm to swing up and down as the vehicle drives over bumps. The outer end of the control arm connects through a ball joint to the steering knuckle, the part that carries the front wheel. A stabilizer (sway) bar connected to both lower control arms or struts keeps the car stable in turns.
What’s the difference between upper and lower control arms?
Both the lower and upper control arms have a ball joint, although the upper ball joint is often smaller. As the wheel drives over a bump, both arms swing up and down on rubber bushings following the wheel.