I HAVE A 2007 TOYOTA CAMRY WITH 20000 MILES ON IT. I GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT A FEW MONTHS AGO. I CRASHED INTO A CURB WITH MY RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE RIM. BECAUSE OF THIS MY RIGHT FRONT BALL JOINT AND LOWER CONTROL ARM WERE BENT. THE RIM SUFFERED COSMETIC DAMAGE BUT I ORDERED A NEW ONE. I REPLACED THE PARTS AND GOT A WHEEL ALLIGMENT AND BALANCE. ONCE I GOT ON THE HIGHWAY I NOTICED THAT MY VEHICLE WOULD SWERVE TO THE LEFT. I LET THE STEERING WHEEL GO AND NOTICED THAT IT SLIGHTLY TURNED TO THE LEFT. I ALSO EXPERIENCED A VIBRATION ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND REST OF THE CAR AS I BRAKED AT SPEED OF 60- 65 MPH. I ALSO NOTICED THAT AT HIGH TRAFFIC TIMES IN STOP AND GO SITUATIONS MY VEHICLE WOULD TURN COMPLETELY TO THE LEFT AS I WOULD LET THE STEERING WHEEL GO. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY RECOMMENDED ANOTHER ALLIGNMENT, BALANCE AND ROTOR REPLACEMENT. I ALLIGNED THE VEHICLE AND BALANCE THE TIRES, I DID NOT REPLACE THE ROTORS. NOTHING CHANGED. THE PROBLEM IS STILL THERE. I AM THINKING OF REPLACING THE ROTORS SOON TO SEE IF IT CORRECTS THE VIBRATION. I AM WONDERING IF THERE IS ANOTHER PART IN THE FRONT END THAT MIGHT OF GOTTEN DAMAGED THAT COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO TURN LEFT. I NEED HELP. WHAT DO YOU THINK I SHOULD DO. I

Do you want to actually talk about why this happens? Quote" Also, observing the caliper and turning or replacing the rotors is all 99% of shops will do if you pay them for it. I'd bet a high percentage of those will screw it up again while putting the wheels back on. " There is a cost for trying to be too cheap, and sure I'll get all kinds of responses where everyone will want to point out how expensive they are sure a shop is, but the facts are that is exactly how pressure has been applied to shops and techs for decades, and has forced auto repair to be artificially under-priced. In short, everyone tries to go too fast and be cheaper than the other guy, and eventually something (quality) has to suffer. Quote" Last time I paid a shop (all ase certified mechanics) to do something for me was to replace the heater core in our '98 durango. Air out the vents has been reduced to zero on the right side, 25% in the center, and to 75% on the left side. In other words, they screwed something up. Was the problem evident right away, and did you go back? Having done several AC/heater repairs on these I can tell you that something doesn't add up and I would have to see this myself in order to get to understand the symptom as you have reported it. Another thing, ASE certification is a start, but to truly be able to work fully with today's cars requires tons of continuing education, and an ever growing expense in equipment. Which again is part of the problem where everyone tries to be too cheap. The shop might have one true master tech, that everyone else has to rely on when problems occur. However did you know there are more lawyers in the state of New Jersey, then there are ASE CMATs in the entire country? Today there are between 600 and 700 registered cars on the street for every CMAT. That number is going to get uglier as my generation retires in the next ten years because the 50+ group makes up more than 70% of the CMATs! Quote" IF we ever get our house sold, and a new one built, and my new shop built, the Durango is going on the rack to be gone through stem to stern by me." If your that capable, instead of building a house that I can't understand the need for, why don't you build a shop, hire AND train techs to work to your high standards and show the rest of us how it should be done. If your as good as you imply you should be able to make a fortune. (sarc*) BTW, prior to doing any brake repairs, one should pull the calipers and gently tighten two wheel nuts, and install a dial indicator and measure the run-out on both sides of the rotor. Mark the high spot on the rotor, and where that high spot is on the hub. Now when the rotor is moved to the lathe, ensure whether the high spot marked on the rotor while it was on the car is still the high spot now that its mounted on the lathe. If it is, your probably good to go, if its not then you need to find and correct for the run-out at the wheel hub assembly. Sometimes that can be as simple as re-indexing the rotor when you put it back on. Other cases require shims that go between the rotor and the hub, or machine the rotor on the car which automatically corrects for run-out. This is what HAS to be done to correct your HHR's issue. Unfortunately, flat rate techs aren't paid to take steps like this, because as you said, some 99% of the time all they do is simply slap on a new rotor, or machine it off the car and stick it back on the car and that is sufficient to solve the problem. But the one time that it isn't we get to see complaints just like yours, its only then that the car moves to the more experienced technician. If you see a tech that measures rotor run-out when assembling every car, you have one who will be slower than average, but have fewer comebacks which means, you should and will pay more than average for his/her work. You cannot call the shop and ask "how much is XXXXXX" first and find them.

Well Daisy, it looks like you have gotten a pretty good response. First the best thing you can do with your money is deposit it into a CD, where it will grow for you, then should your car have a problem, you can use that CASH to address it. If your car does not have any breakdowns, then you still have the cash for whatever you want to use it for. For those that purchase aftermarket extended warranties. They really should not be called a warranty, they are better called insurance. Many of them set limits on what they will pay for even covered repairs, which makes it uncomfortable for the repair shop to deal with. My pricing is what it is based on my needs to survive, and reinvest in my business. It does not become flexible because you paid someone else money for some type of an insurance policy. Our only solution is for you to pay full price for the repair, and your insurance company sends you what they are willing to, or should I say contractually obligated to pay. They don't pay diagnostics. They set limits on labor dollars per hour. They look for the lowest listed labor hours in a "guide" for the job. Lots of them shop parts prices on line, and even try to only pay the parts wholesale cost. Then they apply their deductable! I could go on and on, but IMO it's a rare occasion that a vehicle owner benefits from purchasing one of these "insurance policies".

It's good to ask questions first like this. Otherwise you could get dissapointed. Valve wear on any engine essentially is normal. Nothing that man builds lasts forever. First and foremost if your truck isn't setting a missfire code, there would be nothing for a technician to really go and look for. The missfire detection designed into that vehicle is IMO "The Best In The World" for a production vehicle. Hence one of the reasons the light can come on so easily. Trying to come up with an excuse to have them look at the truck, is essentially automotive-hypochondria (I made that up can I claim it? :),,,) Even a complete teardown, without associated symptoms would yeild no actual trouble found, and work being done that would not produce any net results. Well outside of the fact that there is always a chance to introduce a symptom from the service that either isn't present now, or in fact is present but so far gone un-noticed by you only to be readily apparent after the teardown which then get's incorrectly blamed on the teardown.... Ah do you follow that thought? An example of what I am talking about was recently observed by my Brother-In-Law and he called me up to laugh about it. I've often talked about the "I never noticed it before you" syndrome. My Sister's Subaru had a brake warning lamp flashin on and off. When he called I told him to check the brake fluid. But he said, she is also talking about something clicking under the dash ever since that light started blinking. Sure enough, I nailed the low fluid level, and he pulled the wheels and checked the brake pads. It's going to need linings pretty soon. The clicking noise? That's the solenoid that releases the gear shift lever when the brake is applied. She simply never noticed the sound until the brake light flashing made her pay closer attention. Dollars to Doughnuts, I'll expect the same thing could easily happen with your truck if you have this looked at prematurely. The techs could end up in a no-win situation. Please don't get me wrong with what I am saying here, it easily might not be the case with you personally, but I have seen it so many times in my career that it is a trend that the public has to be made aware of, so that they take a step back and see why some of the consumer complaints really occur. GM to their credit has identified what they feel is an abnormal trait. They are extending the warranty in the event something does not meet their expectations, and customers needs. Applaud them for it, and "IF" your vehicle developes the problem inside of this contract they have made with you, rest assured they will live up to that agreement. You also have entered into a contract with them, that they have willingly altered in your favor. Be fair with them. Don't ask for something if you really do not need it. JMHO..