[CL9] rear tyres wearing on inside

[assailant]

now this has become a real issue for me.
i bought my 04 lux in february 08 @ 40k kms.

february 09 @ 47k kms i had to replace the rear tyres due to excessive wear on the inside of the tyres - the outsides were still within spec. clearly something was wrong so i asked the beaurepaires shop to sort out whatever issue cause this so i wouldnt be forking out for new tyres prematurely again.
the previous owner had had a factory tow hitch fitted, so presumably some towing was done in those first 40k kms. (no towing ever since i bought it)

$500 for a pair of dunlop sp sport3000a's to the front with the fronts swapped to the rear and a wheel alignment later i was back on the road.
the wheel alignment printout shows they adjusted the toe but not the camber.

march 10 @ 56k kms i was again forced to replace the rear tyres due to wear on the inside.
i took the car to the other beaurepaires store in town hoping they could fix it this time because clearly the first store did not (we have work account for beaurepaires)

the two sp3000s fitted to the front previously now went to the rear, and two nct5's went onto the front.
another $500 later.

june 10 @ 64k kms i was 800ks from home and just arrived at the holiday house with friends. we noticed scratch marks in the concrete driveway behind the euro which were from the steel belt in the tyres.
crawled the 80ks to the nearest beaurepaires because i did not want to pay again!
they checked the wheel alignment, toe was out by ~20mm on both sides.
i spent an entire day waiting around for head office to approve the tyres to be replaced under warranty.
i still ended up being invoiced $332.70 for 55% of the new tyres (warranty only covers the percentage of tyre remaining measured at undamaged section of tread) and fitting.

i have since complained over the phone, in writing and in person at my local beaurepaires store. i have not yet had any joy.
they have had my car back up to check the wheel alignment 1000kms after this latest pair of tyres was fitted and the toe is massively out again.

they are unable to explain to me how this can be possible and now suggest i take it to a honda dealer.

does anyone have any experience with this problem? i have trawled through search results and the 'common euro problems' thread but havent seen anything similar.

the tyre monkeys have been telling me for a long time that the camber is not adjustable on this car, but the most recent visit they now tell me it is adjustable. who do i believe?
im not asking for advice on how to get compensation, i am already fighting to have the latest invoice cancelled.
i want to know who to take my euro to: a better tyre specialist, a suspension specialist or a honda specialist?

this massive outlay on tyres is killing me and if i cannot resolve it, i will sell the car before this set of tyres wears down too far.

[tron07]

what size rims and tires you got on your car? stock is 16" and 17". perhaps the owner change to bigger wheels and play with the camber to clear the guard. Stock car doesnt comes with camber adjust

[DR1V3R]

so you are averaging about 55,000kms from a set of rear tyres, thats not bad if your car is lowered on low profile tyres. For a standard car though with standard ride height very average, definetly a camber problem, they should be able to adjust camber to a certain point, i think a few degress only.
my car is slammed on floor and they adjusted my camber from 5deg to 3deg with standard setup. ive done about 30,000kms and have roughly 50% tread left on inside of my tyres

[Type R Positive]

so you are averaging about 55,000kms from a set of rear tyres, thats not bad if your car is lowered on low profile tyres.
re-read his post again..... he averaging 8,000kms LOL!

[Type R Positive]

Wheel allignment FTW!
p.s. Go to Pedders and get done properly.

[DR1V3R]

oooops, yer that is a massive FAIL

[aaronng]

What was the camber reading when you had the car alignment done? Was the toe +20mm on each side or -20mm on each side? Or was it the total toe in/out on both sides?

[assailant]

what size rims and tires you got on your car? stock is 16" and 17". perhaps the owner change to bigger wheels and play with the camber to clear the guard. Stock car doesnt comes with camber adjust

ive got 205/55 r16 tyres on the factory honda rims.

so is that a definite no camber adjustment on my euro? im no mechanic, im a sparkie... so i can only believe what im told by these guys.


What was the camber reading when you had the car alignment done? Was the toe +20mm on each side or -20mm on each side? Or was it the total toe in/out on both sides?

the reading taken the day the latest set of tyres were replaced:

rear axle

camber
left -1°41'
right -2°24'

toe
left -21.8mm
right -17.5mm


after driving 800ks home and a fortnight around town they put it up on the machine and it was 'way out' again apparently. i dont have a print out, so ive only got their word to go on at this stage.

[aaronng]

the reading taken the day the latest set of tyres were replaced:

rear axle

camber
left -1°41'
right -2°24'

toe
left -21.8mm
right -17.5mm


after driving 800ks home and a fortnight around town they put it up on the machine and it was 'way out' again apparently. i dont have a print out, so ive only got their word to go on at this stage.
I recommend going to a different shop to do the alignment. Either they did not tighten the nut properly or the nut is worn out and is loosening when your drive or their alignment machine is crap.

[assailant]

and that would have been a fair recommendation, except it has now been on 3 different shop's machines.

once at the retail beaurepaires store in the middle of town, a number of times at the beaurepaires store in the industrial area and once at beaurepaires in bunbury.

after coming back from holiday and having it back up on the machine, the local guys said the nuts were all tight still (as you would expect after only 1000kms) but that the alignment was out.

they cant explain how, they dont seem to understand why and have no answers for me. its an apparent mystery.

is this possibly a suspension issue? do i take my car to a suspension expert next or to a honda dealer?

[Type R Positive]

If you're going through Perth soon, the best wheel allignment I had done was from the Tyrepower in Osbourne Park, around the corner from Barbagallo's car joint.
I've had great service from the Pedders in Morley too! Both know what they are doing, and got the good lazer allignment gear.

Worst I've had was from Beaurepairs in Albany. They screwed everything up, and not long after, you guessed it, I had to get new tyres......
Must be a Beaurepair thing.

There is Wilkinsons suspensions in Bayswater. They are the suspension guru's in Perth.

[tknova]

Sounds like an alignment issue.

Are the inside of the tires feathered? (tread pattern will go up and down like a wave) and you will hear some noise due to the feathering. Kind of like a wheel bearing.

Also, Some wheel alignment places set the car up wrong to begin with and run 0 toe on the rear ect.

Make sure your running a total of -2 toe on the rear. So -1 toe in on each side.

Also, get the rear subframe looked at to ensure it's running straight.

I would recommend you go to a suspension company not a tire company. If you where in Melbourne, i would recommend centreline suspension. :) They do a wheel alignment the old fashioned way, good old tape measure. Nothing beats it...

Good luck!

[aaronng]

I usually use Tyrepower. Not really a fan of Beaurepairs. Currently using a Bridgestone Tyre Centre that I found that has an excellent mechanic who does the alignment.

Another thing is whether you drive your car with just yourself in it or do you usually have passengers in the back seat? Passengers in the back can cause the rear to lower more, which in turn changes the suspension alignment.

[tron07]

I get mine done at Bridgestone, free service cause bought their tires... lol...

if serious work I will go to Heasman steering

[limleong]

Sorry to hear about your problem. Sounds like you car has a perpetual alignment problem. The explanation could be that this car has been in an accident before and it may have a sub frame alignment problem. It is very hard to fix a sub frame and make it 100% straight again once it has been in some sort of accident.

I would suggest taking to a reputable panel beater to let them assess if the car has had any kind of structural repair before as it might explain your perpetual alignment problem.

[SPQR]

...the previous owner had had a factory tow hitch fitted, so presumably some towing was done in those first 40k kms. (no towing ever since i bought it)




rear axle

camber
left -1°41'
right -2°24'

toe
left -21.8mm
right -17.5mm


after driving 800ks home and a fortnight around town they put it up on the machine and it was 'way out' again apparently. i dont have a print out, so ive only got their word to go on at this stage.

I think the previous owner might have towed something heavy. Does the rear have a bum-down look? CL9's sit pretty level normally. If not then maybe the suspension bushes may have been damaged which are more likely to show up as variable out-of-spec toe etc. 17-21mm toe is well and truly out-of-specifcation. It should be 0-1mm. I suggest that you have the bushes checked and the springs as well.

[assailant]

it doesnt appear to be sitting low at the rear.

on the recent long trip away i did have passengers in the back, which is very unusual, as well as luggage in the boot so it was certainly weighed down more than normal. but the passengers in the back were less then 150kg between them and estimated no greater than 100kg of luggage so it wasnt seriously overweight.

the previous owner must have towed because he had a genuine honda tow hitch fitted. whether or not its been in an accident i dont know, but i have wondered.

so it sounds like a trip to a suspension specialist when im next in perth is in order.

[NEWTEK]

Hi,


Honda Accord Euro 2004 - 2005 have problems with the rear camber.
Mainly the R/H/R. The camber arm is slightly shorter than the other side.

[limleong]

Hi,


Honda Accord Euro 2004 - 2005 have problems with the rear camber.
Mainly the R/H/R. The camber arm is slightly shorter than the other side.

Interesting. Did you have a Technical Service Bulletin which explains the fix to this problem. Honda usually issues a TSB to its technician for known problems. Getting hold of a TSB usually involves a bit of a hunt around using Google.

[NEWTEK]

Only thing to do is replace that camber arm, they are about $200 nz dollar.
Can be purchase from Honda NZ