Potholes, steering, and alignment

aj22 · Mar 17, 2015

So I hit a huge pothole at ~50+ mph a couple of days ago. Loud and hard enough that I'm shocked I didn't lose a tire. Anyway, following this, my steering wheel is now slightly off-center, as in it is turned a few degrees counter-clockwise when driving straight. There's no pulling or steering issues, but clearly something is wrong. I'm waiting for a service appointment to find out exactly what's wrong, but I was hoping to get some wisdom from the forum. Any guesses as to what could be bent/broken/etc? I don't want to get fleeced by the stealership, so going in with a little knowledge would help.
Also, anything I can look at that might be obviously wrong? And finally, any reason I should go to a dealership, or you think a good indy mechanic can sort me out?
Thanks for any and all info.

cperez · Mar 18, 2015

aj22 said:
And finally, any reason I should go to a dealership, or you think a good indy mechanic can sort me out?
Thanks for any and all info.

A lot (if not most) Land Rover indy techs are former trained LR dealership guys. I think that's the whole point of the indy shop concept-- comparable knowledge and gear but with potential cost savings. I would certainly talk to a few people on the indy side. The only downside is if there are diagnostic fees involved, then you'll have to take a bit of a gamble but at a certain point you gotta trust someone.

I have been fortunate to have a couple of trustworthy indy shops near me and have enjoyed developing a relationship with the one that's closest to where I live. My 2011 just departed the cosseted world of warranty coverage so I'll be seeing a bit more of these guys in the years ahead.

Good luck getting that diagnosed. Dodging potholes here in the DC area is like driving a slalom course.

aj22 · Mar 18, 2015

Trying out an indy shop on Friday, some good reviews on Google Plus. Worst case, I'm out $95 diagnostic fee. Anybody here have recommendations in the NYC/Westchester county area? I'm going to British Auto Works in the Bronx, will report back after the fact.

Also, if I need tie rods replaced, which seems the most likely issue after a little googling, any ballpark on what that should cost, per side? I'd like to have at least some idea if I need to negotiate a crazy quote.

aj22 · Mar 26, 2015

If anyone cares:

Wound up being only alignment, which surprised me. I went to British Auto Works, an independent Rover specialist. They were great, checked it out right away despite being pretty busy. I'm always pleasantly surprised when I get good honest service. They (like many places) usually charge a $95 diagnostic fee, but since this was very simple in the end, I was charged for alignment only. Definitely recommend, and will go back myself(if needed). There must have been 20 or more assorted Rovers in varying states of repair there, so they definitely have experience on their side.

cperez · Mar 26, 2015

aj22 said:
There must have been 20 or more assorted Rovers in varying states of repair there, so they definitely have experience on their side.

I took comfort from that exact same observation when I scoped out my indy shop the first time. The lot was full of Rovers of assorted vintages. There may not be a direct correlation between that and the level of service, but it was a good start. I suppose a pessimist might see the same thing and think "they keep screwing up so their customers have to keep coming back." :biggrin:

Glad you found a place that fixed you up and gave you confidence that you had chosen well. Thanks for the followup report. It's always nice to hear these post-action briefs of a well-sorted Landy back on its feet!

BlueOvalConvert · Mar 26, 2015

Great to learn of a place to get the car serviced in NYC. Without LR Manhattan, I have been driving up to LR Mt. Kisco, which is way too far. Do you have any idea whether British Auto Works is able to perform work covered by a LR warranty?

aj22 · Mar 26, 2015

BlueOvalConvert said:
Great to learn of a place to get the car serviced in NYC. Without LR Manhattan, I have been driving up to LR Mt. Kisco, which is way too far. Do you have any idea whether British Auto Works is able to perform work covered by a LR warranty?

I have no idea, give them a ring, they were nice enough. Also, there's a LR Larchmont or New Rochelle, which is way closer than Mt Kisco. I bought at Mt Kisco, debating where I'll go for warranty work myself.

BlueOvalConvert · Mar 27, 2015

aj22 said:
I have no idea, give them a ring, they were nice enough. Also, there's a LR Larchmont or New Rochelle, which is way closer than Mt Kisco. I bought at Mt Kisco, debating where I'll go for warranty work myself.

I will check out LR Larchmont. Thanks. I also bought at LR Mt. Kisco.

Potholes, steering, and alignment

aj22

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cperez

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aj22

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aj22

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cperez

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BlueOvalConvert

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aj22

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