Is the camber adjustable on 2014 Mirage?

[cyclopathic]

IMHO it is not bent strut as the tolerances on strut arm mount holes and paint overspray. Of cause hard to diagnose without seeing, but on ours the holes were off by 0.1mm between left and right.

[deleted user]

The lower ball joint HAS to be in the original location. If not then you get into bump steer and other geometry issues. You also need to check the wheel base on both sides to make sure it is exactly the same.

All of this is much easier to diagnose when you can see the car as it was originally damaged, without any repairs.

This is where you start gauging the location points of various spots under the car to insure you have actually got everything where it is supposed to be, within 1 millimeter tolerances.

Speculation will only make the end results that much more difficult. Having rebuilt close to 200 totals beginning in 1973, I've been there and done that many many times. That does not include the bodywork from 1968 to 1975. I remember a 1972 Plymouth hit right on the frame horn. Pulled the frame, replaced the bent 90 degrees strut rod and got it perfect with only that piece replaced. The wheel was sitting back 5 inches hitting the fender skirt when it was towed to the body shop where I worked at the time. Even the front bumper was bent out at the top around 6 inches and it all came back into position when the frame was pulled, with no repainting. Customer was astounded.

regards
mech

[cyclopathic]

Of cause as old mech says there could be numerous reasons such as damage to cause it, so if car within 12k adjustment period and dealer is taking it then it is better to take that route.

To old mech: bump steer is interesting subject, and on many cars suspension is designed in such way that they have it from the factory. For example, my C had so much negative scrub built in, so it took -1.8deg of negative camber AND 5mm spacers to get rid of it. If my guesstimate is correct it came with -15mm of srub. Many modern cars designed similarly, because it is deemed to be "safe" as it provides self-centering feel in case of blown tire or when hitting a patch of ice with one of the front tires. Of cause it is also a good source of understeer, which US lawyers love so much.

[codenamezero]

So far, the car itself drives fine, it didn't pull left nor right.
The damage cost was pretty high, from what they told me, it was above 5000$ range.

I am a car guy myself, I've done pretty much everything myself from oil change to replacing suspension to JDM front end swap on my Integra. When i check the car out, everything looks fine, I can tell there was some front left damage that was repaired because there was some very slight misalignment on the headlight/fender and the door gap between the fender and the hinges wasn't perfectly even.

Right now I am just gauging what could be the damage (that wasn't repaired) and what might need to be replace. Ultimately, I don't wanna do the work myself if the dealer would fix it, and I don't really mind/care if the car had been accidented as long as it is "fixed" and most things are within spec then I am fine with it.

I am rooting for the shocks/control arm to be bent, that would be the easy way out.

[3dplane]

Well if you bought your car from a dealer they should be ashamed for selling it to you with the camber like that! And they should be HAPPY to take care of it for you!

You don't mention where you got the alignment readout and no mention of caster reading but I was just going to say that if it had a bent (lower)control arm that would show up beautifully on the caster reading as low numbers. ( I guess it could be bent the other way but I have never seen that before!)

Also the wheel would be sitting toward the rear of the car in the wheel well (like in old mechanic's example )with the steering wheel in the straight position. Or whatever position it is in when the car runs down the road straight.

Thanks to the Mirage's tight steering they will not pull untill something is horribly wrong. They simply go in the direction it was last pointed! Some people dislike that, I love it!

[deleted user]

Check to make sure both tie rods exposed threads (where they are adjusted) are the same length. If they are off by more than 1/8th inch, then you have to start thinking beyond the strut itself. They ride on the same plane as the strut from the lower ball joint to the upper mount. Bent strut, usually right above the mounting bracket messes up that plane. You can roll the strut, mark dead center on the bottom and look for the mark wobbling when you roll it on its outer housing, just above the bracket where it mounts to the knuckle.

regards
mech

[codenamezero]

Here is the readout of the alignment, and suprisingly the rear seems fine despite the whole rear toe issue going on this forum
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1c...ew?usp=sharing

[cyclopathic]

Here is the readout of the alignment, and suprisingly the rear seems fine despite the whole rear toe issue going on this forum
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1c...ew?usp=sharing

1.97 on right front is way too high for stock, but it shouldn't cause abnormal tire wear. With respect to front toe, did they centered the steering wheel?