Hi,
I just had a B1 (minor) maintenance check performed on my 2009 Fit at the dealer, and an alignment was suggested, since there was some uneven tire wear. Upon pick-up, I was informed that my rear torsion beam had been bent near the rear right wheel, so the car could not be successfully aligned. The camber was at -3.3 on the right rear, none of the other wheels are affected. I was told this would result in excessive tire wear, but was not a safety hazard.

I have not been in an accident. I have not felt a difference in the car handling lately. I do take the car on some dirt roads sometimes - I try to be responsible on speed etc when doing so. I haven't run over potholes that have blown the tires or anything. In short, I know the torsion beam didn't bend itself, but an "event" doesn't immediately come to mind that would have caused this, so:

I was wondering if the pricey suggested repair is worth it? or should I just commit to buying tires more ofter? Does this happen often with Fits?
How easily/often does bending occur with the rear torsion beam?
If I fix it once how likely is it to occur again (or not)? Is it predisposed to bend more if I let it go (than if the repair is performed)? Is watchful waiting an option to see how quickly I burn through tires? Is there an "upgrade" part that would make this less likely to recur?

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

 

I was told the samething by DCH Lemon Grove Honda.
I took it to a real alignment shop where they do shims, camber bolts and
what not, and was told there was nothing wrong with my
rear alignment, that their machine was probably out of calibration.
So try that, get a 2nd opinion because replacing the rear torsion beam is very
expensive!
Since then, I have gone through some big pot holes, and had another 2 alignments done else where, and no one says my rear alignment is off
on the printouts.

 

Are you Kidd'n me? Lemon Grove Honda! haha Not a place I'd wanta buy a Honda.
That's just funny 2me

 

Pay now or pay later are your options. Bent torsion bars are not a normal occurrence but I would recommend replacing the bent one. Yes it's not a safety hazard but you would definitely wear out the tire on whichever one is bent, quicker than the other 3. Potholes don't bend torsion bars. They make your tire's sidewall bubble if hit hard enough or the pothole is big enough. Yeah that happened with my Fit. Right front tire - kaput!

I bent a rear torsion bar on my Rex a while back by running over a pipe on the freeway (battle scars). The pipe ricocheted up to my torsion bar causing the bend. From then on the tire on the bent side started wearing quite fast from the inside. Decision is yours. Good luck.

 

Thanks again for the advice.
I took it to a well-regarded independent shop in the area.
They inspected, and in their opinion, there is nothing wrong with the car.
Maybe some minor wear indicative of shocks that could use replacement.
They gave me pointers on how to evaluate tire wear myself, and said they would be happy to examine again.
So, for the time being, it's watchful waiting for me.

 

Good! So I take it that the indy shop was able to do an alignment where the dealer said they couldn't? Yeah keep an eye out for wear signs and keep a log of your last rotation by date and mileage. I usually rotate mine at around 5k, others prefer 7.5k miles. Odd though if your car is still new that the shocks would be suspect unless you've been loading the heck out of it.
Usually:
-when shock/suspension related, you would see cupping
-over inflation, middle of the tire
-under inflation, middle stays good, both side show wear
-alignment issues, inner or outer wear.
But when nearing the end of tread life, possible to also show misalignment wear. Just from my experience...

Yes keep us posted please. Good luck!

 

Hi,
The indie shop did not do an alignment, but looked under the car at the torsion beam, as well as looking at the tires for wear. In particular, they looked at the newly rotated tire that had been in the problematic rear right position.

I am still on the original Dunlops, now at about 42k.

 

You are doing much better than I did with that many miles on the stock tires.. I replaced mine at about 18 or 20k miles which was 18 or 20k miles ago.. The Conti Pro Contact tires are wearing much better than the original tires.

 

Wow, 42k on the originals is pretty good. Just keep an eye out or maybe keep an eye out for a new dealer...

 

I wonder if it is really bent or an operator error, why not take it somewhere else ?