Most modern cars have an integral frame that is part of the main structure of the vehicle. This integrated frame means that sometimes even a minor collision can damage the frame and affect the handling of the car. Depending on the level of damage, the frame can be straightened on many of these cars.
How Bent Is Too Bent
Determining how much damage can be repaired often requires a collision repair center to put your car on the frame rack and use a precision, computer-aided measuring system to determine just how far out of square the frame is. There are some limits to how much damage is correctable, but the amount of damage sometimes depends on where the frame is bent, not always how much the frame is bent. In some cases, a tiny bend or twist can total the car because of the location of the twist and the difficulty in straightening it. If the collision repair center suspects the frame is bent or twisted, they may start with evaluating that damage before they deal with body panels.
Straightening The Frame
Once a vehicle is on the frame rack and the location of the damage has been determined, a technician will use the computer system on the rack to decide where to attach chains and hooks to pull the damage out of the frame correctly. The computer will help determine precisely where the pulls need to be made in order to straighten the frame safely. If the frame is not straightened correctly, you can become weak and potentially fail down the road. Because the computer uses precise measurements, it is the best tool for correcting damage to the frame properly.
Uncorrected Frame Damage
If the frame of your car requires repair but it is not done correctly, the suspension geometry can be thrown off, causing handling issues and premature wear of suspension and tires. New cars have a suspension system that incorporates the tires, suspension components, and steering parts to create one system that works well together. The geometry is critical to the elements working correctly, so even a small amount of damage that changes the geometry of the suspension will show up when you drive the car.
If your vehicle has been in a collision and repaired but does not seem to drive appropriately or is wearing tires quickly, take the car into a collision repair center like Exoticar Paintworks Inc and ask them to check the frame. There may be damaged that was not obvious when the initial repairs were made to the vehicle.
