Frame Damage During An Accident: What Every Driver Should Know
If you have recently been in an accident, it's easy to dismiss your repair needs if there's no or very little obvious damage to the vehicle. However, what many car owners don't realize is that your car can suffer frame damage from an impact and you may not even realize it. Since the frame is the structural foundation of the car, it's under the body panels. That makes it tough to see any kind of damage to it if you're not really looking for it. Here are some signs that your car's frame was damaged in that car accident.
Trouble Driving Straight
The structure of your car's frame is vital for keeping the front and rear wheels in proper alignment and keeping your car square. When the frame is damaged, it typically shifts it slightly, or even bends it, which then places your car out of proper structural alignment. You may notice that, when you're driving down the road, the back of the car looks a little bit crooked in the rearview mirror.
The more significant the frame damage, the worse the problems that occur. You may find that you have to fight the steering wheel when you're driving to keep your car straight on the road. If you're having to pull harder on the wheel to turn or you have to pull the wheel one direction or the other to keep the car steering straight, you need to have a collision repair shop check your car's frame.
Difficulties With The Doors
Because of the role that your car's frame plays, it also contributes to how your car's doors, trunk, and hood open and close. If you're finding that you have to shut the doors harder than before to get them to close or you have to pull on the doors hard to get them to open, those are indications that your frame was damaged in the accident.
Even a slight misalignment of the frame can affect the delicate balance of the door, trunk, and hood geometry. You may notice trouble with your doors even if you don't have problems with the steering.
It's important to have this checked by a collision repair shop right away because another accident could leave you trapped in the car if there are already problems with the doors opening and closing properly.
These are two of the best indications that your car's frame may have been damaged in the accident. Talk with your local collision repair shop today to have it examined and see what your repair options are.
To learn more, contact a collision repair shop.
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