Corolla Pulling To Left After Strut/shock Replacement - Corolland: the Toyota Corolla Forums

Hi guys, 2003 corolla, the shock on right front was leaking, so I had

a china strut/shock assembly placed.

Now I hear little clunking over bumps on the road on right.

and I feel the car wants to go to the left.

I was wondering if the right assembly is replaced, that affects the "balance" of the car as

the left one is old and perhaps the spring is sagging ??

I will be returning to the garage to check on this and the clunking sound , well added

sound that I now have on the right side.

Thanks

Yes, you need a new matching strut and spring assembly on the left to keep it well balanced... Also, you now likely have positive camber on the right, instead of required slight negative camber, and it's probably toe in from proper alignment. So, replace your left strut/shock as well, then have it aligned. Make sure you don't also need new front wheel bearings, tie-rod ends, or ball joints first. Clunking may be from loose or worn out sway bar end links or worn mount bushings.

garage checked everything again, checked all the bolts and joints and could not find anything to cause

the noise, but worn engine mount ,,, the rubber.

So I did not do anything. Maybe I get a wheel alignment later.

Thanks Dom

Did you replace the spring as well - or just the strut? Sometimes, even replacement struts are bad right off the bat. Mixing aftermarket and OEM, especially in this situation, is a recipe for problems.

Like dom mentioned, most of these suspension components work best when replaced as an axle pair. Getting an alignment down will just be a band aid fix at best, more likely it will potentially shift the geometry around enough to start to excessively wear out the other side.

The shop should measure ride height at each corner, to verify even loading of the corners.

fish..I got a big headache..stupid private garage...right now I go back to dealership to replace strut shock...

I'm leaving the after market new spring on....

I don't think I want to sink more money into this nightmare created by the private garage..I will never go back to them again for using cheap parts without explain the consequences

the dealership changed the strut, the strut mount, and kept the cheapo china springs that came with the assembly, it was expensive...

I will never buy another china suspension component again in my lifetime.

Maybe a cup holder or a mirror , but never any structural component that can lead to safety issues.

I hope the damned china spring lasts me 5 yrs when I will scrap the car.

There should be a warning on aftermarket china parts that don't seem to have any standards sold by

many private garages.

OEM is better than risking my neck....

I hope everyone here takes my advice and not waste time , money and safety getting after market parts

of dubious quality.

I just test drove the new shock and strut mount..the suspension is smooth...much smoother over bumps than the left side....what a difference OEM shock makes..

and it pulls just slightly to left now..

I can't imagine penny pinchers trying to save on parts sacrificing on comfort..safety and trauma to the body of the car over bumps...

Sorry to hear about your experience. There is a reason why some parts are cheaper than others. OEM is the way to go, though the most expensive way to keep the car maintained. Cheap Chinese knockoffs - are hit or miss. Sometimes you can run into a great deal - sometimes it could be a nightmare. Couple this with sometimes incompetent mechanics and technicians - the deck is definitely stacked against you.

But sounds like it is heading in the right direction. That slight pull might "fix" itself, once the tire wears in and takes a set (likely trying to correct itself from the other strut that was on there). Definitely keep an eye on tire wear - especially if the pulling is pretty strong. Could go from an OK tire to one down to the wear bars in a surprisingly short amount of time.

thanks Fish, I should ask you before I do any repairs from now on...

the pull to left is slight, very slight.

I'm trying to hit all the pot holes with the right side to even it out.

Still, what ever china parts that are reminant,, ie the spring and the other hardware is stiffer and

louder over big bumps, but quiet over the average sized bump.