Wobble and tyre wear

[BigTom]

Well guys and girl I need help. A while ago i was sideswiped by a fast moving VW Polo and although the body damage was limited to a pushed in rear arch, it seems to have left me with a problem. The car wobbles violently through the steering wheel at all speeds and the drivers front tyre seems to be wearing on the outer edge. Ive apparently got a sticking caliper there but that cant cause a wobble like this. The car still tracks straight and brakes fine but the wobble is horrible. Any ideas would be much appreciated.

[exdos]

Whenever you get vibration or wobbling through the steering wheel, the first thing that you should look at is wheel balance. Did the sideswipe knock one of your wheel weights off, was a tyre distorted on the rim or is one of your wheels damaged?

Is the tie-rod on the front driver's side damaged by the sideswipe?

[c_w]

Ive apparently got a sticking caliper there but that cant cause a wobble like this.

A sticking caliper can definintely cause a wobble like you wouldn't believe so I wouldn't rule that out. They can shake the steering wheel like the wheel is about to fall off if it's really bad.

[GazHyde]

I had a sticking caliper on the front of mine when I bought it, and it was horrendous when it stuck!

With regards to your recent bump and assuming there is some kind of link... Not meaning to be alarmist, but I would suggest a proper 4 wheel alignment check as well.

My 525 was side swiped by an artic on a roundabout (granted it was bigger than a Polo!), but you can see from the visible damage it looked like it only touched the rear wing. No visible markings on the alloy or tyre either. Noticed a slight wobble from the rear end on way home.

Body shop wouldn't give final quote until they checked the alignment which had been knocked well out of true.

Sometimes what seems like a little bump can be a bit more serious on reflection.