hey yesterday i was leavin a small parkin lot and a friend of mine came in like a mad man and i tried to move out of his way and i slid right into a little boulder. at the last second i tried to run up on it but i couldnt steer it cuz i was slidin on about 4 inces of snow.my rim hit the boulder and cracked it but its not bad it still drivable but it totally messed up my steering. the center cross pad in the steering wheel is runnin up and down rather than side to side.( where the air bag is ) i checked if i broke anything behind the wheel but nothin was found. im not sure if i just need an alignment. if anybody could help me it would be appreciated. thanks

 

uh...sounds like you need a lot more than an alignment!

 

if u hit it sideways and cracked a rim i would bet then u may have tweaked the spindle also.. u at the very lest bent something like a tie rod. i kno everyone is sick of me refferring to sears ha but i work there so i kno prices and all that stuff... they can do a front end eval for free to see if you broke or bent parts. also (at least at the sears i work at) they can do an alignment check for free.. which is basically setting it all up for the alignment just not turning any wrenches. if you do have bent parts and replace anything, you will NEED an alignment... i dont kno about other shops but most will do a front end inspection for free some may have catches tho like they wont let you leave if they find something..unless you pay them to change it out. good luck and hope its nothing too major and $$$!

 

thanks alot for the replies guys. i really appreciate it. i just talked to a friend of mine whos a mechanic and he said he will look it over for free and let me kno what i need. thanks