The past weekend I hit a curb (pretty hard) there was no body damage but my front passenger wheel is bent inward. I replaced the control arm but a little after the wheel went back to being bent inward. I was told it may be a bent subframe if so I've heard that frame damage is pretty costly so would it be worth the fix?

 

Are the strut and ball joints ok? Did you get an alignment check?

Harv

 

Any update on this ?

 

Did u check where the bend is... Check the radius rod. Is everything right? In the suspension area ?

I had to replace the sub frames on the front. I believe there are two actually. an upper rear and a lower front iirc.

Just make sure the unibody is not bent, if it is u will need to get the frame pulled. They literally strap ur car down and pull with this hug metal thing bolted in the ground and a chain.

 

Having a bent frame repaired may seem like a daunting and expensive task but my experience had quite a positive ending. Both of the frame rails on my black CL-S6 were bent when I bought the car originally. The core support was bent in a decent amount toward the engine on the passenger side and there was a buckle in the driver's side even with the shock tower.

I was routinely quoted 10 hours to fix it on the frame machine once I had sent pictures to body shops and gotten opinions from their techs or owners. In these pictures the hood, fenders, front bumper and headlights had all been removed. Their labor rates ranged from $48 an hour to $55.

I ended up going with the guy who was $55 an hour because he is routinely awarded the best body shop in our area year after year. I've also taken most anything I've needed painted there in the pas as well.

I ends up costing me $248 after taxes and fees. I was blown away. He said it bent back into place like a noodle after he released stress caused by the disfigured core support with a cut in the middle. I have a parts car so I'm okay with that.

My situation may be unique, but it happened. Once I get some "after" pictures I'll post the "befores" as well.

If it turns out that it's just the subframe, go to car-part.com, find one for sale near you from a 1999-2003 3.2TL or 2001-2003 3.2CL, buy it and replace it. To replace it you'll need to jack up the vehicle on all four corners and place it on stands. Hoist the engine with a lift just enough to remove most of the weight off of the subframe mounts. There are a few parts bolted to the subframe but they can all be unbolted and supported with tie-wire. Undo the large bolts that fix it to the body and it will drop out. Installation is the reverse of removal. An alignment is crucial.

 

Not sure if you have any junkyards close by but those subframea are a dime a dozen at my local yards. 9/10 they're already taken out since people yank the trannys out. I think I paid like $50 for mine and yeah they're pretty easy to replace.