*EDIT* The picture is of the front passenger side wheel *EDIT*
ok... so this happened to my friends car after a night of dounuts in the snow... im curious how this happened... i see some curb rash on the rim... which is confusing because we didn't hit any curbs.

I'm thinking that maybe some tie rod or something bent... i have a 97 accord and i replaced the cluth, so im hoping (ok, begging...) that the mazda3 has the double wishbone suspension similar to the accord?

Anyone have a similar issue to this? Could it also be a control arm? I replaced the front control arm in my sister sentra (1991) and that was a PAIN! so... any input would be appreciated, I'f like to have this fixed within a day or two...

also... anyone have a link to an online mechanics manual? One with pictures of the suspension, and the pieces?

Thanks
~Tim

 

well as far as i know the suspension is independant. so i dont know. however you may have moved the spring a little bit... or broke the control arm.. which is bad news for you unless you have warranty... but then you have to explain what exactly happened. course the spring could have been moved and the bolts loosened maybe.. im not sure just guessing. take it into mazda and ask them what they think.

 

damn... i hoped it wouldn't have to go into the mazda stealership... (it's an '07 so it's still under warranty) but my friends parents are dumbasses and will probably take the car because she broke it...

any links to an online mechanics manual... for a do-it-yourself repair?

 

not as far as i know.. plus just go in there to get a quote.. im assuming its her car.. then dont let the parents know and go to the stealership to see what they say. lol

 

you can do that? just take it into the stealership and have em take a look? mmm... sketchy, id rather just diagnose it myself...

still, any mechanics manuals you can recommend? i might give the dealership a call tho, see whats up...

 

I would say to pull into some place dry and jack up the front end and then look and compare both side to see what is bent.
And if something is bent and not broken, or even broken from something that was caused by what ever caused the damage to the rim it would not be a warranty item, it would be the regular insurance.

 

Another illustration of whyit is a good idea to buya NEW car ...

Curb rash? If it's fresh, that would explain a lot.

 

holy cow!!

something is definetely bent. and something like that wouldnt be covered under warranty.

you can always jack up the car, remove the wheel, and take a look at what happened.my guess is that you hit a curb, or somethin hard.

my friend curbed his grand am drifting once. he screwed up his power steering, and it costed him $600

 

Whether or not the two of you realized it at the time, you definitely hit something hard w/that front suspension and wheel. Perhaps a concrete "tire stopper" that was buried under the snow?

It's a Macpherson strut front suspension, not and double-wishbone(upper and lower "A" arm) and will require bending and/or replacement of parts to put it right again. A professional w/the right equipment and training will need to do the job, imo.

 

my guess would be that they'd be replacing parts, not fixing them. it takes alot less time to do so.

and this reminds me alot of a thread on vortex. some guy posted a pic of a svt focus with the exact same problem.
the wheel was pushed way back, and inward as well.