If you haven’t been in an accident, you should count yourself as lucky. An average driver will experience one crash every 17.9 years. On top of the anxiety that comes with an accident is the anxiety of car damage. One of the worst types of damage your car can have is definitely car frame damage. This is particularly devastating because frame damage causes misalignment, which is not only unsafe but can be very expensive to repair.
For this article, we’ll tackle the many different types of frame damage and how they are repaired so that you know you’re getting your money’s worth.
3 Types of Car Frame Damage and How to Repair Them
1. Sagging or Twisted Frame
When the frame of your car is sagging, one of the things that you should look for is gaps in the body. Due to uneven parts in the build of a car frame, sections of the vehicle often lean towards the direction of gaps. When left unattended, these gaps can cause the tires and coils of the vehicle to wear out faster as time goes on.
A twisted car frame damage can also result in the same kind of damage. However, a twist damage can be harder to detect in most cars. In order to find the source of the damage, a thorough frame damage inspection is needed.
To repair sagging or twisted vehicle frames, an experienced home mechanic or an auto body professional will use frame straighteners. This equipment does a great job of fixing minor frame damage by using a leverage process.
2. Sway Damage
Sway damage can be a real headache for any driver. The sway can happen if your vehicle gets hit in a corner.
When your vehicle has sway damage, it will lean toward a certain direction. This type of damage is easier to detect when compared to the twisted or sagging frame. However, it’s not the kind of damage that you can afford to ignore. For starters, your vehicle won’t be able to drive in a straight line. Also, you’ll feel the obvious vibrations while you’re on the road. The misalignment can also cause some serious damage to the car transmission.
Like the previous type of damage, the best frame damage repair solution is an auto body frame straightening machine.
3. Mashed Frame
When you are hit head-on or get rear-ended, you will likely experience mash frame damage. A mashed frame means that the collision has caused the frame to crumple in on itself.
Basically, you have a part of the unibody frame that’s shorter than the manufacturer’s specifications. This type of damage is usually indicated by distortion or wrinkles in the hood, fenders, rails or frame horns. A mashed frame can have a ripple effect of damage, as it can extend to other portions of the vehicle.
If left unattended, mash damage can cause serious wear and tear on the rest of the vehicle. For modern cars, the repair is simple if only one section of the vehicle is damaged. The damaged section of the frame can be replaced.
Get a Professional Frame Damage Repair
If you have experienced any of these or other types of car frame damage, your best bet is to get in touch with a company that can provide professional collision repair. In the right hands, you can make your car look brand new and prevent any further damage.
