# URGENT:Rear axle situation!Experts!



## ZachFools (Jan 15, 2013)

Hello all!I need your opinions based off my sticky situation.For the record I have a 2013 MT 1.4L.

Okay, so this last Saturday, I was driving to work, and I ended up hitting a curb at about 25mph with my passenger rear tire. Of course, it blew my tire, and put a little scratch on my rim. I'm thinking okay, my mistake I'll just buy a new tire.

So I go to the dealership and get the new tire put on, after its fixed, when I went to drive it, my steering wheel is turned a smidge to the right now, however, it doesn't pull one way though, still drives straight. Another thing I noticed, is that my rear as a whole sways.It feels loose like as if people were on both sides pushing it back and forth. I hope that's understandable how I described it.

This is where it gets confusing. I take it back to the dealership to get it checked out, and not even 30 minutes later, they come to the conclusion that my axle is bent, and this kind of axle can't be aligned, so that would require me to have to buy a new axle, which is 950 bucks! So they've been pressuring me to file it under insurance.

I got home and jacked it up myself, and I looked long and hard at that axle, and it does not seem to appear to be bent what so ever, at least from the naked eye. All the bolts are still in place, don't look stripped or bent in any way, and if you look at the wheel that hit the curb from the side of the vehicle, the wheel is facing inwards at the top JUST a smidge.

I sat there and watched the service worker inspect it the whole 20 somthin minutes, and he couldn't sincerely come to a conclusion other than the axle being bent, and he couldn't even point out where it was bent? The way this whole ordeal has been handled makes me a little skeptical, can someone please put light of this before I go putting claims on my insurance?

Big thanks for reading! Id really appreciate the opinions!


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Contact your insurance company. You hit hard.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

It is a solid rear axle. I had this happen to me when I got rear ended last year in October. Guy hit me hard in the rear passenger corner and scraped my rim in the process. Car drove straight, but with the steering wheel turned. Ended up having to replace the entire rear axle because it was bent ever so slightly. It can't be aligned. 

Go through your insurance for this. Since they will pick up the deductible for it, you can have them cover the tire and the rim as well.


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## ZachFools (Jan 15, 2013)

So I couldn't consider the trailing arm or anything like that being the issue?I know that can sometimes cause those two problems I'm having, and they never checked that out in the process.

I only was hoping because I'm 22.Full coverage isn't cheap I tell ya, lol.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

Seeing as the car isn't driving properly something has to be wrong, by the axle he might mean literally the axle at the end of the beam and not the beam itself?


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

The rear axle is a one piece twist beam.
If you hit sideways hard enouph to blow a tire and nip the rim you imparted all that side force into the axle assembly.
Something had to give and it was the axle......right now the tail is trying to chase the nose.....the rear wheels are not aligned with each other but you can't see it.....you are only talking a few degrees here.....you need a rear axle assembly.

Time to use that high cost insurance which btw, this is usually a comprehensive claim.

Rob


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## jakkaroo (Feb 12, 2011)

Check if you bent a wheel too


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## ZachFools (Jan 15, 2013)

Robby said:


> The rear axle is a one piece twist beam.


I know, its the watt linkage.I just think its stupid to make it one piece and call it better.if it where a multi linkage system it would be a cheap fix.



Robby said:


> Time to use that high cost insurance which btw, this is usually a comprehensive claim.
> 
> Rob


Yeah, that would be my only hope.I'm zip broke.ill go the extra mile to find out for sure to save a penny lol


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

The watts link assembly is a seperate component that is attached to the trailing stubs.....usually it will not be damaged......I said usually but you may have rung its bell harder than I know.

Rob


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## Erastimus (Feb 9, 2012)

This incident was 100% your fault, so your insurance company is going to make you pay the deductible. If your deductible is $100, go for it. But if it is $1000 like I carry, you will be on your own to pay for the repair. 

Why go to the dealer? Check with some local repair shops and see if they can't locate a good unit out of a front end wrecked car at a salvage yard. Might save you a few hundred.


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## ZachFools (Jan 15, 2013)

Erastimus said:


> This incident was 100% your fault, so your insurance company is going to make you pay the deductible. If your deductible is $100, go for it. But if it is $1000 like I carry, you will be on your own to pay for the repair.



I was aware this was 100% my fault when I heard a loud thump from my rear tire.lol.
And for the record its 500.


But more or less,I have yet to have some kind of legit explanation disproving what I previously stated.Call me skeptical,but like I said,it doesn't necessarily make 100% sense.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

I thought I was able to answer your question.....want to try again, maybe I misunderstood (or likely I misunderstood)

Rob


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## Mcgin014 (Oct 6, 2011)

Like everyone else said, best to go thru your insurance. Have them perform an alignment check, and print off the specs showing it is out. If the rear is out and no adjustments than you bent it.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Get the alignment checked. If it's out just a little, a shim between the axle and hub may be able to be used to get the car driving straight. The axle will still be bent, though. If it's a whole degree or so off the factory specs, you'll need a new axle for sure.

Since this is a twist beam, a DIY replacement shouldn't be that hard. A weekend project, if that. Things that would need to come off would be hubs and any brake hardware. Swap it all over and bolt the new one in place. The axle-to-body bolts might need a cheater pipe or impact gun to get off. The brakes would also need to be bled once the whole assembly is back together, also.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

sciphi said:


> Get the alignment checked. If it's out just a little, a shim between the axle and hub may be able to be used to get the car driving straight. The axle will still be bent, though. If it's a whole degree or so off the factory specs, you'll need a new axle for sure.


^What he said, I did the same thing to another car with a rear suspension setup just like the Cruze. It was a 5-7 MPH slide though, but enough to throw the alignment off. Shimmed it, and still driving fine to this day!

Worth looking into - an alignment is much cheaper than a deductible or whole replacement.


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## Silver LT RS (Jun 4, 2012)

Some of your symptoms sounds like a bent wheel, easy enough to check. Just jack your car up and spin the wheel, although i would have thought that the dealership would have noticed that when mounting your new tire.
I also would have thought that the dealership would have checked the rear axle on the alignment machine if they suspected a bent axle. Then they would know for sure, not just assume.????????????????


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## Hoon (Mar 18, 2012)

Considering the damage, repaired at the stealership is only $950, and the deductible is $500, i would look for a junkyard axle, and have an Indy shop swap it in. 

Probably cost you 5-600 and no insurance hike. Much cheaper in the long run.


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## ZachFools (Jan 15, 2013)

Silver LT RS said:


> Some of your symptoms sounds like a bent wheel, easy enough to check. Just jack your car up and spin the wheel, although i would have thought that the dealership would have noticed that when mounting your new tire.


You would have thought they would have, but nope they just put the tire on, then put it on the machine skimmed the rear axle (with just his eyes) and came to that conclusion. I went home last night and jacked it up and spun the wheel, both wheels spin perfectly straight I assure you.

BUT, I did notice on my way home last night from work, the wheel wasn't nearly as crooked when i first made this post. Now its just slightly off center now.



Silver LT RS said:


> I also would have thought that the dealership would have checked the rear axle on the alignment machine if they suspected a bent axle. Then they would know for sure, not just assume.????????????????


As he scanned it with his eyes, it was on the machine, and when you pull it up it does not provide toe numbers or anything it just says not provided, because the frame is incapable of being aligned. 

There's nothing it that I can really possibly think of as to how that rear axle is bent, there is just too much evidence disproving it based on my troubleshooting. Not to mention how aggressive they are to push me to claim insurance immediately afterwards.

ALSO, THE SWAYING HAS STOPPED NOW? Its just the steering wheel now? There's no way its the rear.maybe its something just as simple as that the tires needing to be re learned, because I know if you have a tire switch due to some kind of impact, you may have to use a scan tool to relearn.

Insight to this new information anyone?


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

The tyre has to re learn what? I assume you mean the tyre pressure monitor but unless the tyre is flat or on the wrong pressure this has no affect on stability.

If the rear was hit on the curb and the steering wheel is no longer straight, get a friend to drive behind you and see if the rear of your car is what we call crabbing, that is sticking out to the side a bit when driving straight. This would indicate something in the back has been moved out of position.


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## ZachFools (Jan 15, 2013)

Aussie said:


> The tyre has to re learn what? I assume you mean the tyre pressure monitor but unless the tyre is flat or on the wrong pressure this has no affect on stability.


Sorry, I should have specified what I meant. I meant relearn steering angle sensor centering with a scan tool.




Aussie said:


> If the rear was hit on the curb and the steering wheel is no longer straight, get a friend to drive behind you and see if the rear of your car is what we call crabbing, that is sticking out to the side a bit when driving straight. This would indicate something in the back has been moved out of position.


Ill have to do that sometime.
Another thing I found out, is my cruze has the rear axle WITHOUT linkage. So no trailing arms are there basically. Its all one piece.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Take it somewhere with a new Hunter alignment rack, and tell them that you want a 4 wheel alignment. When they tell you that it's a twist beam rear and that the only adjustments are shims, yes, you know that. The wheel alignment for the rear CAN be read, and checked against what the factory settings are. If they're within tolerances, have them set the front toe and call it good. If they're outside tolerances and able to be shimmed, ask how much it would be. If it's unable to be shimmed, new twist beam time.

They sell shims that correct for up to +/- 0.50* of toe or +/- 0.25* or 0.50* of camber. Those shims are $18 apiece, so figure $30-40 apiece with shop markup. Then however much for installation, plus another alignment to make sure it's within specification.


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## ZachFools (Jan 15, 2013)

SOLVED!! I finally figured it out, and I am more than happy that I stuck with my gut feeling on this one. This will most likely benefit anyone with the same suspension as mine if you ever come across hitting something in the rear! I will thoroughly explain the problem once I get home.


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## ZachFools (Jan 15, 2013)

Ok,so beings my car is a rear suspension without linkage,that means that axle is indeed one piece.But as I said before,I knew it wasnt bent.There had to be something else that bent.

I jacked the vehicle up myself the other night,looked farther into the problem than the dealership service did, and its pretty simple: Like all suspensions, you would normally have some kind of cushion in place that would break before the axle would (With types of accidents along the lines of like mine). Cruzes' with the Z-linkage and Watt Linkage will have trailing arms that would bend before the axle (Again,depending on the accident).

The Cruzes' without any linkage, which I have, is the same, but without trailing arms basically. So what else could it be? 

Well, there's two places where that axle is connected: To the wheel of course, and to the frame of the vehicle. So just a little more frontwards of where its connected to the wheel, there's an arm that connects to the frame of the vehicle. That arm is connected to the mounting bracket with a bolt and a bushing, while the bracket is bolted to the frame with four bolts, one in each corner roughly.

The short answer to this, is the bracket took the damage. 

I couldn't tell by just looking at mine however, so I took advantage of working at the dealership, and looked at what it looked like on a new cruze on the lot, and thats when I knew. My bracket was slightly bent in two corners, (caused by the axle and the bolt attached to it pulling when I hit the curb), while a new one is smoothly rounded on each side. That slight bend caused all of this ordeal.

So the only reason I thoroughly explain this, is to help show that someone in a similar situation can consider this an option. Or else I would have just been oblivious and went through with it, but I trusted my gut and looked at the science of it. 

Anytime any of you hit your rear and are having the same symptoms my car has, ask yourself, would that REALLY be hard enough to bend my axle? Your the one who did it, so you have the best idea.

Thank all of you for your help, seriously, you all helped me put the puzzle pieces together along the way.:goodjob:


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Cool! Glad you figured it out without major expense. 


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

If you recall I said something had moved to affect your steering angle and you found it, good work, now can we find some techs that are just as diigent?


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

jakkaroo said:


> Check if you bent a wheel too


This. How friggin hard did you hit this curb? If you hit hard enough on the wheel to be worried about a bent rear beam then you most certainly damaged the wheel or the hub, both of which can and will cause the car to shimmy. Swap the wheel to the front and see if you feel it in the steering wheel before you go buying a rear beam.

edit: disregard, I see you fixed it. That makes way more sense. I really didn;t think you could have bent the beam without damaging a whole bunch of other stuff. It is nowhere near the weak link in the rear suspension


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

How much is that bracket, and how hard of a fix does it look to be? I'm betting $100 and 2-3 hours to fix it in the driveway.


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## ZachFools (Jan 15, 2013)

Aussie said:


> If you recall I said something had moved to affect your steering angle and you found it, good work, now can we find some techs that are just as diigent?


Doubt it since I had to get to the bottom of it like Sherlock Holmes, It'd be nice though!:icon_scratch:



sciphi said:


> How much is that bracket, and how hard of a fix does it look to be? I'm betting $100 and 2-3 hours to fix it in the driveway.


2013 Chevrolet Cruze Parts - GM Parts Online - GM Parts Direct

CHEAP!:dazed052: Thats what makes this so sweeter, but this is currently where I'm at now. I'm trying to determine whether I'll also need the bushing and bolt (#2 on diagram) that connects to the mount from the axle. I'm not thinking I do since the mount is bent, I'm thinking its gotta be a tough bolt for it being the only thing linking the two!

I'm also wondering if the four bolts that bolt into the bracket need to be torqued (If so, what numbers), or I can simply tighten em in?


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Can you post some pictures of the bent bracket so others will know what to look for?

The goofballs at the dealership just wanted to generate work on your insurance's dime. They surely CAN check the alignment of the rear wheels, even if it means not loading up the default program for the Cruze... just tell the rack it's a Corvette or something, not hard. If you told them you hit something with ONE wheel and the toe was off on BOTH wheels, well that should alert them to something more than a bent axle on one side only. Their default response in a situation like that SHOULD be to correct it with shims, as others pointed out, not just to start throwing new parts at it on someone else's dime.

If you had just taken their word for it they would have ordered the new axle, installed it, and then handed you back the keys without bothering to check the alignment since they can't check it anyway... and you'd drive off with the same issue you came in with (the same bent bracket). Genius.

Glad you figured it out.


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## ZachFools (Jan 15, 2013)

Blue Angel said:


> Can you post some pictures of the bent bracket so others will know what to look for?
> 
> The goofballs at the dealership just wanted to generate work on your insurance's dime. They surely CAN check the alignment of the rear wheels, even if it means not loading up the default program for the Cruze... just tell the rack it's a Corvette or something, not hard. If you told them you hit something with ONE wheel and the toe was off on BOTH wheels, well that should alert them to something more than a bent axle on one side only. Their default response in a situation like that SHOULD be to correct it with shims, as others pointed out, not just to start throwing new parts at it on someone else's dime.
> 
> ...


 That's exactly what I thought from the get go, that's why I posted on here.

Sorry it took me so long to reply, been super busy.

Excuse my corny drawing, but the part that I outlined and arrowed is the part that is bent. It's really hard to tell, but those edges are supposed to be smoothly rounded, but in the corners you can see that it is been bent just a smidge, knocking that arm connected to it off track a little.

What your seeing, will be inflicted with damage before your axle, unless you really hit something hard, and you should be able to tell when that is so. I really hope this can help other people out that might come across this problem, because I guarantee you GM won't hesitate to take your money and insurance claims. I work here and I know from personal experience


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## Opel (7 mo ago)

Hi everyone!!

Sorry for bringing back this old thread but I need your help because I'm in the same situation as you were.










I think you can see what's wrong  
That bolt was straight before 
My question is whether it supports bushing that it's bent or is the axle?
Thanks in advance.
PS: if you want me to start a new thread pls feel free to tell me, thank you.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

saradinn62 said:


> This incident was 100% your fault, so your insurance company is going to make you pay the deductible. If your deductible is $100, go for it. But if it is $1000 like I carry, you will be on your own to pay for the repair.


Welcome Aboard!

Who are you replying to?

Don't forget to introduce yourself and your Cruze here.


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