HI all,

I am so upset. I got into a minor fender bender after only 2 months of buying my fit! (2011, 45k miles).

I was hit on the passenger side rear quarter. The damage that is visible seems minimal. The rear bumper has scrape and paint marks and the inner lining of the wheel well, closest to the rear of the car, is very slightly dislodged. I did notice some paint on my rear tire, hit on one side of the tire and barely scraped the rim.

The car doesn't seems to be driving poorly. I can't feel or hear anything different than before the accident. The only thing I do notice is that the alignment of the steering wheel is slightly off.

What I am noticing that is causing some concern is that I have lost some MPG. I just filled up the car and when I did this previously I would see MPGs early into the low 40's high 30's and then drop down to the 37-38 range. What I've noticed now is that the car is only starting at the low 30's, even though the MPG gauge is above 40, and is slowing working it's way back up to 34-35.

My question is, could I have done some damage to some sort of the sensors that check the MPG? Could the front tire alignment be causing the issues? Is it possible that I've knocked the rear passenger wheel out of he alignment(And is this even fixable)?

I would really appreciate any help, as this is the first accident I have ever been in and I really don't know what to do next.

Thanks!

 

It's certainly possible the alignment was knocked out; if so, whether it's readily adjustable/repairable really depends on exactly what was done. I would strongly suggest taking the car to a reputable alignment shop to have it checked and adjusted as needed. (There indeed is little if any adjustment that can be made to the back end of a Fit, so if that's out of whack you may have to get a different back axel assembly.)

Misalignment can certainly affect gas milage, though bigger concerns for me are tire wear (misalignment will eat tires if it's far enough out) and handling in an emergency or near emergency situation.

The car computer figures milage by knowing how far you've traveled and how much fuel it has squirted with the fuel injectors. The initial average MPG readings after its reset are quite variable depending on what your driving conditions happened to be right then, but over time it averages out to something more repeatable. (I'm assuming you understand that the average milage is reset when the trip odometer is reset.)

If the accident was not your fault, the other driver's insurance should be paying to put your car right, which should include the alignment and whatever body work is needed. You're not obligated to file a claim with them if for some reason you prefer to work things out with the other driver personally, or eat the costs yourself, or whatever; but that is kind of the whole point in having insurance. If the other driver wasn't insured, you probably have uninsured driver's insurance on your car that covers just that situation. If you're at fault, your collision insurance (if you have that coverage) would cover the costs above the deductible.

 

yah, sounds like your rear torsion beam is bent from the impact on the rear quarter resulting in rear tire(s) being out of alignment.

 

took it into the shop and the mechanic said that he couldn't tell what the problem was. He was thinking that it could possibly be a bent spindle and or bent suspension. I really didn't think I got hit that hard.

My question is can a bent spindle be fixed replaced or am I going to have to total out this car?

Thanks!

 

It can be replaced, but isn't cheap. It's the shaft the bearings run on (that the wheel turns on). I think it would require changing the rear torsion beam on the Fit. A good alignment guy would check all these points including doing a wheel runout inspection.

 

How expensive are we talking about? Does it have to be replaced? The allignment isn't super off, to drive straight I have to turn the steering wheel maybe half and inch to the right.

Is there checklist of what I should ask the collision shop tomorrow?

Thanks!

 

If the rear beam needs replacing, new, the parts are about a grand. Probably another $500 labor.

They need to put it on an alignment rack to see how far out of alignment it is. If it's not within factory tolerances, I'd get the insurance adjuster back for more work.

A sideways blow to a wheel can wreak havoc with a car's suspension. They're not designed for that kind of force. The "paint on the wheel" points in this direction.

 

If you have to turn the steering wheel that far to keep it going straight you have big problems. The other persons insurance should cover these expensive repairs or totaling it.

Start by calling your insurance agent for advice.

 

I took my car into a couple of garages today.

First of all my alignment is off 1 degree where the fender bender occurred. I believe this exact words where 1 degree pushed. Is that a lot?

The first place didn't have a rack but say he could replace the entire beam for $1000. He was really nice and was going to look for a used one to lower the costs.

The second place I went to said that to rack and pull it it would cost $250.

My question is, isn't a rack and pull only if the frame is bent? Is that what 1 degree pushed means a bent frame?

Based off of what has been said which should I do?

Thanks

 

Why are you paying for this? Do you not have info on the guy that hit you? Their insurance should be covering this.

Sounds to me like you got talked into not reporting this for a couple of bucks and are now screwed with a large repair bill.

 

I'd rather not get into the how and why I am ending having to pay for this, but it is what it is. I am just trying to figure out the best way to repair my car with out having to go through my insurance.

Thanks for all the help so far guys.

 

wth is one degree PUSHED? find a shop that use correct technical terms. pushed which way? toe in toe out? is he
talking camber? one degree toe is a big deal.

and i too agree you should just go through your insurance. the other party will pay everything including reimburinsing your deductible if they
are at fault. GL!!

 

I have no idea what 1 degree is....maybe he said he was pushed in as well as 1 degree off. I know for a fact he said that it was 1 degree off spec.

What I am really curious about is this rack and pulling. Does anyone know what that is?

Thanks

 

Torture for your car. They put it on a metal frame with hydraulic pistons that pull on chains attached to various points on the car. The goal is to reform the car's unibody structure or suspension components.

If the damage is isolated to the rear beam (torsion axle) my preference would be replacing the part. Trying to bend it might damage something else, fail to correct the issue, or metal memory might revert the correction. (I really don't know, but these are questions to ask).

I'm really curious too: didn't you put in an insurance claim? Was it the other guy's fault? give us the dirt, we won't tell anyone...

 

+1 just replace the torsion beam if it is bent.


frame alignment is for accident cars that are in bad shape where you cant replace the suspensoin components to fix the problem.

 

QUOTE=Steve244;1257103]
I'm really curious too: didn't you put in an insurance claim? Was it the other guy's fault? give us the dirt, we won't tell anyone...[/QUOTE]

Depends on who ran the stop sign and his prior driving record? Certainly not a case of distracted driving. After all we Freaks are responsible drivers.

 

Update:

Yep it was the torsion beam being bent. I am getting it replaced and am fairly happy with the under 1k price tag.

The reason I did not go through insurance was because the police said it was both our faults right down the middle. Also going through my insurance wouldn't matter for this cost because of my 1k deductible.

This is my first accident ever.

Thanks everyone for their help.

 

GL with the fix. the deductable reason sounds reasonable.