So, there I am on my way to work this morning. I'm going about 20 mph, hit some ice and all of a sudden I'm just along for the ride. Bam! I took a hit to the curb at about a 40 degree angle, directly to the driver's front wheel.

Bad news:
The tire lost a chunk of sidewall just above the rim
DSCI0358 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

The rim got a nice concrete rash, and split inside
DSCI0359 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Lower arm bent downward and to the rear
DSCI0364 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Inner tie rod bent rearward
DSCI0361 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Good news:
Nobody got hurt
No paint damage
Wheel still rotates freely, no noticeable bearing play
Drive shaft is OK, no leaks at tranny

So, obviously I will need an alignment after I replace damaged parts. I expect that I will see reduced life on the wheel bearing. Can anyone think of anything else I might be missing? I'm trying to decide if this is worth an insurance claim or not (Did I really set my deductible so high? Seems dumb now!).

 

Sad to hear the bad news... but your fit is almost fine :P...

 

Holy hell you weren't kidding. I cringed for the pics.

The deductible so high part sucks too. The month after I raised mine from $0 to $500 some asshole put his elbow into my windshield and spiderwebed it. Total cost to replace was $479...

 

sorry man...


at the same time - ate a curb? now all i can think about is american history x...

 

!!!no smart phones in class!!!

 

Wow, good thing everyone is ok. When something similar happened to me, it gave me a legitimate excuse to bu new wheels =).

 

I hit a curb once as well. I went ahead and replaced the two fron tires since one had to be replaced anyway.

Still, the inner part of the front fender is still kinda messed up; it pops out from behind the bumper and can rub against the tires. I already have a small hole where the tire rubbed against the inner fender. I did a "poor man's fix", where I put a clip on the inner fender and lodging it behind the edge of the bumper where it belongs. Now it doesn't come out as often.

 

Glad to hear ur ok good news is someone here has an '08 rim w/ur name on it, and the other parts should be had @ the local honda stealership. If I know you kbri you'll have her fixxed better than new in no time.
Mike

 

So, my parts finally are all here.... I get the control arm swapped (one bolt was kinda tweaked, but I was able to undo it by tapping the wrench around), have the new inner tie rod end in place, am putting the boot back on...

Then I got sloppy. I decided to turn the wheels to have the rack in a less extended position, so I wouldn't have to stretch the boot lengthwise to get it in place. I was dumb enough to not make sure it wouldn't get pinched.

So, now I've got a small tear in the boot right at the inner clamp land, extending maybe 3/4 of an inch along the crease between the clamp land and the first accordian bellow. Off to Bernardi's for a replacement.

"Well, it looks like there's only one left in the US, and it's in California.. If we can even get it, it'll be about 5 business days to get it here. That'll be $20.60"

Yikes! List price from Honda is only $16.22, and Bernardi sells it on their site for $11.87! I knew their counter was high, but wow....

So, anyway, I've checked the local parts stores, and they have nothing. I figure Japan's gonna be a while before they prioritize getting a new shipment over here, what with their current issues.... I'm wondering what anyone thinks of the repair scheme I've come up with:

The silicone rubber based self vulcanizing tape that is sold as emergency hose repair. No adhesive, it adheres only to itself. "All weather application from-55 to 176F wet or dry. All season use 0 to 100F.Heat, friction, and UV resistant. Not for use with items directly exposed to kerosene, gasoline, or other solvent based fluids." Magic Mounts product #3509

I'm thinking that since most of the boot circumference is OK, that should take the mechanical load of stretching as the rack gets exercised, and since the entire purpose of that boot is to keep dirt out of the rack and inner ball joint, anything is going to work so long as it stays and has a little flex. I can catch the tag end under the inner clamp, so it will stay on.

I really don't want to have a redneck hack job that won't hold up, but I am getting fed up sharing the wifemobile. I also don't want to do a quick fix that requires me to replace the boot in 6 months and have another alignment done.

Any thoughts?

 

I would share the wifemobile a bit longer. Never heard of a boot repair that worked and the risk to what it protects is too great to take the chance I'm thinking.

 

Okay you have 3/4 tear in the rubber boot, right. Here's what I've done w/ rubber in the 80's I had an unfortunate accident on the road w/ my car and no spare! but I did have an idea. Super glued the sliced sidewall of a tire together and filled it w/ air and drove it for over a year! I was 20 ish and it well ... anyway get some acetone clean the tear go to the dollar store and get a tube of "Super Glue" apply to one side gently aline both sides together making sure NOT to get your fingers glued to the boot, and you won't be able to pull that rip apart if ya wanted to! The secret is to clean All oils off the ripped area.
Fixxed
Good Luck w/ all the repairs to your car !!
Big Mike

 

Big Mike knows his stuff - me, all I can manage with the super glue is to do what you're not supposed to do, that finger part and can't get the things I want stuck together to stick.

 

Yay! Finally got all parts and the time and decent weather to get everything together!

Quick test drive - AW CRAP!! The steering is super stiff - almost like no power assist - and it doesn't return to center. I know from looking at it when I was doing the inner tie rod end that I managed to slightly bend the rack. It still has full range of motion, no play. I guess it's putting pressure on the bushings, increasing friction.

Get it to the shop, and aligned. The tech and shop supervisor both talk to me about the stiffness, but agree that it really isn't a safety issue, just annoying.

Drive the 30 miles home, do the same steering exercises I did on the first test drive. Great!! It's loosened up some already - If I'm just patient, maybe it will be more or less normal in a week or so of normal use. If not, at least I can get around until I have the cash to get a replacement rack and a chance to put it in.

FWIW, I was quoted from the AllData Flat time manual 1.5 + 1.5 hours for lower control arm and inner tie rod end replacement, alignment extra. Working in a parking lot, in the dark at night, using only hand tools and jack (YES, jack stands too!), it took me about 4.5 hours total - and about 1.5 of that was spent fighting the lca balljoint apart (got wedged & bent in the crash). Local labor is $100/ hour, so I saved $300 in one evening!