Violent vibration at high speeds....PLEASE ADVICE!!! (HELP ME!!)

Hi - do you know the history of the car - has it ever been in an accident?

I only ask because I got mine back from the garage yesterday after a bad rear shunt - it's just not the same car - had to drive 300 mile round trip to Gatwick and back today and the vibration was horrific. Could hardly keep it on the road - has gone from a car that handled beautifully to something I never want to drive again!

My husband has told me that the wheels need balancing properly but it feels a bit more drastic than that. Not only is there bad vibration but the road noise is horrific - can hardly hear the radio when it is almost up to maximum. Don't know what they've done to it at the garage, but I'm not letting them get away with it!!!!

Ann

Nope, as far as I know, no accidents. I did an HPI check when I bought the car, and it was all clear. I've posted this message on the ford focus owners club. If you're having the same problems you should check out my post there as well....I've had much more responses on that post. Here's the link:

Hope you can sort it out. What ever you do, dont take just one opinion from Rapid Fit, take it to several garages before you commit to a repair!

T

I'd hazard a guess that you were sold a car that had been badly jolted. If there's no body damage then it probably hit on the underside - possibly a slide and a hard impact against a curb. That would explain a damaged wheel, so I wouldn't dismiss this part of the advice. But there's obviously more than that. Hopefully it's only to the front suspension and not the front subframe.

The only way to know for sure would be a good bodyshop with full capacity to diagnose alignment problems.

The best way may be to get a written damage assessment by a certified shop and take legal action against the seller (if your local laws enable that).

This kind of thing happens once in a while when buying used cars, particularly from private parties. That's why the prices are normally lower than at dealers.

Sell it, and let the next owner sort it out. Looks like the beginning of a nightmare. I have a 2000 Focus ZX3 and it is smooth as silk at higher speeds. The bent rim is a clue, I think. Even if there was no outward damage it may have been beached at a high enough speed to cause transmission damage.

Another option, instruct your garage to install a used transmission from a reputable wrecker.

Ron

Check the CV joint by driving a tight circle to the left and to the right in an empty parking lot. Should give a lot of noise on the bad side. /per

"feersum endjinn" skrev i meddelandet news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com...

Hello,

My 2002 Focus ZTW began violently vibrating under the same conditions after the dealer did my first tire rotation. The dealer told me that they have been having problems with the Firestone Firehawk tires (205/50R16) as others complained with the same problem. The dealer rotated the tires back to their original position and the problem went away. Ford offered to pay a pro-rated amount to replace my tires. Only thing is that they would only supply the same brand of tire. I'm still thinking about it.

Hope this helps.

Wallie

feersum endj>>Hi - do you know the history of the car - has it ever been in an accident? >>

That's strange. I have the same type and size of tire. They were rotated about 3,000 miles ago, and I have not had any problems with them. (Knock on wood.)