Hey guys, new here and hope you might be able to lead me down the path of enlightenment!

A few years ago I was pushed off of the road doing about 45mph, slid across the road backwards and sideways and hit a farmers drainage ditch at speed square with the passenger side of the car ('05 Civic VP). Upon impact it blew out both passenger side tires. I got the car towed to the shop and had them mount up new rubbers all the way around. I had a pretty bad vibration after that and I knew then that I had tweaked the wheels pretty bad. However I didn't have the jing to splash out on a new set of wheels (stock steel) so I just dealt with it for about a year.

I then proceeded to buy a brand new set of steel wheels all the way around with brand new tires. The vibration got much better and it no longer shimmied at low speeds. However at about 45mph it would start to get an intermittent vibration which could be felt through the pedals, steering wheel, and through the floorboard. This is when I knew something must be tweaked in the front end. I figured maybe it was a bad wheel bearing, bad CV, or something in the drivetrain or steering.

This is when I decided to take it directly to the Honda dealer to have them diagnose and repair the problem. This is now seeming like it was a huge mistake as my car has been in the shop for over 2 weeks, they have spent $900 of my money replacing both front CV axles, and it still shimmies and are now telling me they don't know what's causing the problem. They said the wheel bearings felt good and everything was tight in the steering. They also did a road force balance on the wheels and tires just to make sure that my new set didn't have a defect, they all balanced perfectly.

Where should I have them look??? I am at wits end, I want this problem fixed and I want them to stop GUESSING at what to replace next. I figured a reputable Honda dealer would be able to do a PROPER diagnosis and fix the problem without just throwing random parts and my hard earned money at it blindly until the problem stops.

What parts can "tweak" in a side impact like this that they seemingly have overlooked? I want my car back!!

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may be able to make, I really appreciate it.

 

NOt too sure about what is causing the problem. But the reason why I take a car to the dealer is to have then do a professional diagnosis. A few years ago my moms car was acting up and I took it to the dealership. After a week the said the bill was 1k (new fuel pump) and car did not start still. I was pissed, talked to service mgr and got them to replace the 2 fuel injectors and the fuel regulator I think. Injectors and fuel regulator is all that I paid for... Sucks but is sounds like you are getting ripped, 900.00 is a lot of money for you to still have the same prob, sorry...

 

Almost always vibration at speed is because of a tire that is out of balance and/or not round. The latter you have to check by substitution, either put the spare on or if you know anyone else with a Civic, borrow their tires and wheels and test drive.

Also the struts could be worn out by now, do the bounce test. I doubt this issue is crash related, if you haven't had unusual tire wear the suspension is probably not bent or anything.

 

Just because they're a dealer doesn't mean they're going to automatically know what the problem is and a lot of times you cant tell what the problem is until you replace the part, like how would they know if the axle was the problem without replacing it.

That being said, I have a real problem when they say replacing something will fix the problem when in reality they're taking a guess. You should be informed of that upfront because it's a risk you don't know you're taking. I would demand they put the old axles back on and you get your $900 back. Seriously, it takes maybe 10 minutes to swap them out with a lift and air tools.

The fact that they're asking you what to replace next means they're idiots because they have to at least give you some recommendations based on what they can see.

If you're certain your wheels are good and steering is good, did anyone ever check the alignment? Bushings? Other suspension parts? Maybe driving on unbalanced wheels for a year did in your shocks.

2 weeks?!! give me a break!