Feels squirmy after alignment (post accident)

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by tmorrowus, Aug 29, 2023.

  1. tmorrowus

    tmorrowus Member

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    My revered 2004 Prius was in the middle of a 6 car pileup on the highway. It has body enough damage that insurance will total it, but is still drivable. I need a car until I can get ahold of a 2023 Prius Prime, so I'm hoping to get the totaled car back to a safe state for to drive for a year or so as a beater before it heads to the junkyard.

    The alignment feels very noticeably more squirrelly after the accident. Not pulling to one side or the other at all, but I can feel it repeatedly losing and gaining traction, as if some tires are tracking differently than the others. Especially on cornering and braking.

    I brought it into Pep Boys where I have lifetime alignment. They showed me the alignment report, with no adjustments made or needed (attached). Sorry for the wrinkles and smudge :)

    The squirminess is unchanged by the alignment, and still feels borderline unsafe.

    I'm guessing that perhaps the wheels are correctly aligned to the unibody, but the unibody "frame" is not properly aligned due to the accident?

    Or maybe the traction control or ABS is somehow confused post-accident and is causing the squirminess by activating inappropriately. I don't remember the traction control indicator light coming on though.

    Or maybe pep boys just gave me an old alignment result from their system and didn't actually do any checks. I might take it to another pep boys just for a verification.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it sounds like you need a shop that can check the entire frame for straightness.

    are you getting any trouble lights?
     
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  3. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Pep Boys should be able to address your symptoms rather than BS you that nothing is wrong. I'd try to get your money back or demand a valid diagnosis. But in general their repair services are starting to seem unreliable based on your comments and other posts on here.
     
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  4. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    That's all fine and dandy let's see pictures of the car this car's been in a wreck so what our body panels missing You can see exposed frame in the front wheel well liners ripped off? You were in the middle of a sixth car pile up so that means people hit you in the front and rear of your car probably pretty lightly I would be surprised seriously if there's really suspension damage maybe the suspension was worn out to begin with and the getting squished in between three cars front and back was enough to tweet the stuff and knock it out and you say it sometimes feels more squirrely or something like that so what is it you have to do put the car on a wet road and try to get it sideways? Maybe you're just feeling this because the car's been in a wreck and now you worry every time you get near it and that's something's going to implode or something whatever it is you think maybe reevaluate and check it again usually a car getting real squirrely and not seemingly driving right usually will net you one or two tires that wear fast I mean silly quick I mean it looks like you're in California You should be able to get in the things that the kids always drive in that collect the water from the storms and run the h a l e out of the car until you figure out that there's nothing really going on or it's really that bad. I don't think pep boys would just print out an old alignment sheet and send you on your way but I guess anything is possible That's not a lot of adjustments to perform on the car really. Run it up and down a dead street that's not used in LA a few times . But a pic of the car or two will really help If you were sandwiched in between this pile up you should have been hit front and back like vehicles trying to squish you from the front to the back not side to side and all of this so that shouldn't be really suspension loading type of accident.
     
  5. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Consult a reputable body shop.

    And check the tires for proper pressure
    and inspect for damage.
     
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  6. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    In the frame section of most Toyota manuals there are diagrams with measurements that you can do with a tape measure and lady slippers or tapered bars putting them into the holes that they want you to measure between and measure across the lady slippers stuck in the holes you'll figure it out once you see the measurements you need to check and or make It may show in the manual some methodology on how to do it so that you can see if some basic things are not square or straight.
     
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