Knocked wheel out of alignment or worse?

[Vinny73]

Hi all, HNY!

Been a while since I have posted on PH forums, but need to do so today... Last night I hit a curb turning into a car park in the dark, poorly lit just didn't see it. I was turning left into the car park wheel almost on full lock and hit the curb at about 4-6mph which stopped me dead (with a bit of a thump) due to the slow speed. The curb was 4-5 inches high with the road surface of the tyre impacting the curb itself.

No visible damage to wheel or tyre, however - driving today I notice the steering wheel is 2-4 degrees off centre (clockwise) with a slow and slight drift to the left if wheel is held straight when driving. Car tracked perfectly straight previously with the steering wheel dead centre.

Any ideas and likelyhood with this just being the tracking knocked out, or something more seriously damaged?

Car is a 2004 BMW 330 M Sport with low miles and in very good mechanical order if that helps in anyway...


Cheers
Vinny

[PaulKemp]

Your likely to have knocked the wheel alignment out, get it checked, get it corrected and ask them to see if the track control arm or other bits of the suspension have bent

[Vinny73]

Ok, that's all Im hoping it is! Thanks...

[S0 What]

In your opinion would a fog light having been on on that side have lit the curb enough to notice it?
Just thought i'd take the opertunity to ask somone who would have a qualified opinion of them conering lamps ?

[Vinny73]

Ok, so had car checked and full geometry setup today with one of those hawk eye systems used at National Tyres and Kwik Fit. It was all slightly out, now all green on the report, however, car still drifts to the left if the steering wheel is held dead center. It does this far less when I tried in what was a very flat car park, and if I sit in the middle of a road, with the then "neutral" camber, it drives straight with the wheel straight, but can only test this for short distances.
Steering wheel is 1-2 degrees off center to stay straight on normal roads, where the road camber is a factor.

It's possibly I just didnt notice this before, checks today, nothing could be visibly seen as bent, though the toe lines are S shaped so harder to tell. Any idea's? Im sure the car should drive perfectly straight when the wheel is dead center even on the roads where the camber is exaggerated compared to others?

[RetepSniktun]

I think its quite likely as you say, you didn't notice it before. Tracking misalignment won't normally cause the car to pull to one side, just wear the tyres unevenly. Uneven tyre wear is probably the most common cause of the car drifting one way, unless the camber angle is out due to damage.

Peter

[Locknut]

Are you turning the steering wheel to the straight ahead position or does it "pull" that way when you take your hands off the wheel?

When you had the four-wheel alignment done, was the steering wheel locked in the straight ahead position before any adjustments were made?