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ExpressAlign Total Alignment report

A few days ago I replaced the left front outer tie right and the right front inner and outer tied rods and then took the 2006 honda accord lx to another shop for an alignment. Firestone told me that the car can't be aligned because the frame must be slightly damaged on the front left and moderately damaged on the rear right.

I bought this car used for $1300 and it has clearly had collision that had been repaired. Overall it looks OK underneath the car on the right side rear end. A few bushings look cracked, and the rear struts probably need to be replaced as well (the rear makes a wobbling sound when I drive over bumps)

A friend called around some frame repair shops and they are estimating around $800 to do frame repair. That seems like a lot for a $1300 car.

question time! Will this car be safe to drive with the current alignment? I assume the tires will wear out sooner. What are some other options for dealing with this? will toe shims work in this situation? could you shim -2.4 degrees of toe?

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  • No way to answer and no way any answer could be sure to be safe. This car could, at worst, be a front from one and rear from another joined together, or it could be a car that has had a hard life and bumped several kerbs. Perhaps get a garage to check it - some of these tire places leave a lot to be desired...
    – Solar Mike
    Aug 24, 2019 at 18:26
  • Frame repair cost has nothing to do with what you paid for the car.
    – Moab
    Aug 24, 2019 at 20:41
  • Thanks for the feedback. I jacked it up and poked around, i really don't see any evidence of frame damage at all, I'll take it to the garage, i'm starting to think one of the rear control arms or stabilizers might be bent enough to mess up the toe. They all look original, but no obvious damage, hard to compare without seeing the new pars. Thanks!
    – Ivan Bohannon
    Aug 25, 2019 at 0:04
  • 2
    You won’t see any damage normally. What you have to do is a precise set of meaurements from points on the frame to see if it is square etc
    – Solar Mike
    Aug 25, 2019 at 5:06
  • I did find a few products that give additional toe adjustment options, spcalignment.com/component/spc/…
    – Ivan Bohannon
    Aug 25, 2019 at 15:49

1 Answer 1

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Short answer: No

Long answer: Don't ask us whether this is safe or not.

2.46 deg of toe-out is ridiculously out of spec (3075% out of spec, to be exact). If the amount that you're counter-steering to keep the car straight isn't enough for you, that amount of toe-out will mean that your car will be reluctant to rotate on right turns, and it'll have a tendency to oversteer on left turns. A thrust angle of 1.4 degrees means you're actually drifting the car at a 1.4 degree angle constantly, while driving in a straight line. With a total toe of 2.11 degrees, for every 1 km you travel, you effectively scrub both your rear tires laterally by over 18 meters. I don't remember the numbers exactly, but I imagine with that much scrubbing, the additional cost of tire wear will eventually approach the cost of frame repair if you plan on driving this car for any decent amount. Unless of course you only plan on buying junkyard tires.

If you're actually concerned about safety, don't buy a $1300 car that's been in a collision.

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