My brother in law changed my CV shafts on both the driver and passenger side of a 92 Buick Century, because the boots were torn and would not pass inspection. Now, the car is way out of alignment. The steering wheel is at 10 & 4 going straight, and when I flatten it to 9 & 3, it’s like making a left hand turn. Also, when making a turn, I hear a rub.
Are these problems related? Is it a sign of a poor repair job? Will a front end alignment most likely cure the rub and occasional wobble?
I’d say the rub during the turn is a sure sign of the CV joints not being installed properly and an alignment won’t help that.
This is exactly why I buy exclusively rear drive cars. 
Almost certainly.
Almost certainly.
No.
What you describe is potentially dangerous. It should be evaluated and rectified before driving the car any further. It is not unreasonable to have the it towed to a qualified repair shop. Beats losing control and hitting a tree.
Shit. That’s what I was afraid of. I actually drove it back from the in-laws last night, about 15 miles away or so. I was going to drop it off at the mechanic around the block to get it inspected, but figured I wasn’t going to waste his time with the alignment being so screwed up. Looks like my best bet is to take it back to the dealer, and see if they’ll take a look at it. Hopefully, they’ll agree to fix it and put the repair cost on the loan.
Crap.
Thanks, gentlemen.
It’s easy for a driveshaft replacement to leave the alignment off, because you have to tear the suspension apart to replace the shaft. A car should always be given a proper alignment after any suspension repair or disconnection of the driveshafts.
True. A certain degree of misalignment is typical after this type of repair.
The described degree of misalignment, rub, and wobble are not typical. They suggest something loose or incorrectly fitted. An alignment would be appropriate after that problem is fixed.
I asked my FIL about the rub, and he’s saying it’s the new breaks, and that it will go away. Since it wasn’t a grinding rub, and only did it when I’d brake into a turn, it made sense. He said my sister-in-law made an 80 mile round trip in the car yesterday and didn’t have any complaints, other than the steering was tight. While I’m guessing that if there was a serious problem, it may have announced itself more harshly in the first 100 miles or so, I have made arrangements with the dealer to take it in and look at it on Thursday. They’ll align it and inspect it while they have it. If it’s just an alignment and inspection, it’s just ~$100. If it’s more than that, they can add the repair bill to the car loan.
If it makes any difference at all, we also replaced the drivers side wheel bearing.
Either way, I refuse to put my wife and child into that car until the dealer gives the OK. Fortunately (sort of), my mothers car is still available for her to use.
Thanks for the input, everyone.
Dealer called.
Car needs an alignment, which I figured, but I also need new rims on the front tires, which he said is the cause of the rub and wobble.
My wife asked why we need to get rims, and then got mad when I said “Because you hit potholes and railroad tracks at full speed. Slow down and/or avoid them.”
Other than that, everything is good with the car, and it should be in my wife’s hands and drilling potholes by the weekend.:rolleyes:
Thanks for the input , guys.
I had a cv joint replaced on my Beretta a few years ago and the mechanic wouldn’t let me take it out of the garage without getting an allignment. He’s a very trusted neighborhood mechanic so I don’t think he was jerking me.