accident damage detrimental to car???

[crazyazn]

Hi guys. Had i slight accident a while back and the car has been in the panel shop for quite some time now. They informed me that the front end had been pushed to one side a little. They said that it can be fixed by putting the car on a jig to straighten out the chassis. Just wondering whether there would or could be any detrimental effects to the car even after getting it fixed like handling for example. I hope im not just being over paranoid but as car enthusiasts we gotta worry bout stuff like this when it happens.

Cheers guys.

[beeza]

I'm guessing it's a case of how straight they get it.But how do you test that?

I know I've heard a few once a car is 'twisted',forget about it....

[crazyazn]

dont know if its twisted. From what the panel beater has told me the front end has just shifted across a bit. Hes got a machine that measures the specs of what the car should be and straightens it out accordingly. Im still worried tho

[beeza]

bumP!

[SHOGUNOVDDRK]

I'll be honest, I'm supprised that wouldn't be counted as a write off/un-safe/unroadworthy

[Zilli]

you should be ok mate, depending on the amount of damage it has caused... generally if its the ends of the chassis theyll put it on a jog and straighten rather than total loss it... this is because cars these days are designed to crumple like that... it musnt have been slight if its bent a rail...

As for what happens after... really down to how well they repair it... remember you suspension has give to perfect the geometry through alignment settings so chances are you wont feel any difference

Some people will say that a car is never the same etc... it comes down to the quality of the repair... some people have religious views on panel work/repairs, but the reality is most cars out there have had some work done

When a race car has some damage that results in a kink in the chassis, i doubt they replace the whole chassis... they straighten in to spec unless it is well and truly ****ed... i may be wrong, but doubt it

[beeza]

Yeah I doubt it to Zilli.Sounds right to me mate.

[chargeR]

you should be ok mate, depending on the amount of damage it has caused... generally if its the ends of the chassis theyll put it on a jog and straighten rather than total loss it... this is because cars these days are designed to crumple like that... it musnt have been slight if its bent a rail...

As for what happens after... really down to how well they repair it... remember you suspension has give to perfect the geometry through alignment settings so chances are you wont feel any difference

Some people will say that a car is never the same etc... it comes down to the quality of the repair... some people have religious views on panel work/repairs, but the reality is most cars out there have had some work done

When a race car has some damage that results in a kink in the chassis, i doubt they replace the whole chassis... they straighten in to spec unless it is well and truly ****ed... i may be wrong, but doubt it

I agree with this man. Speaking from personal experience if the repairs are professional and the chassis is straightened back to spec I doubt you will notice the difference.

[mattyd]

basically the jig that you are referring to loads up the manufactures specs and and lazer guides where certain things should be, per the original specs and then pulls/ straightens out accordingly until it matches up with the lazer guides.
This is pretty standard practice for a lot of repairers and repairs pretty well often getting it within better range/ tolerance that when it rolls off the factory floor.

To explain this better...

Every Car manufacturer have their set tolerences when making vehicles. with chassis points it may be 5mm it may be 3mm and some times it is 10mm (quality i know). They have these as their margins of error as lets face it, nothing really can be 100 perfect.
When they re jig your car, they are straighting to within 2-3mm tolerance which in most cases is better that a lot of the car manufactures have to start with.

Speak to your repairer about it.. they usually love speaking about the awesomeness of their work! lol

[crazyazn]

Thanks guys for the help. Certainly my panel beater loves to rave on about his special machine and when i spoke to him on the phone yesterday he didnt hint that the damage was terminal. He just said that there was more damage than was first apparrent coz when i took it in initially we looked at the damage and he said that nothing really appeared out of shape. It was only when they were fitting the bodykit that they realised that the front end was misaligned slightly. I trust my panel beater and know that he does good work so its good to know that as long as the repairs are good then it will be ok. My mind is at ease a little more now.

[beeza]

Great Info there Matty!