If you're searching for “how to know if your car has frame damage,” below are the most common signs:
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- Misaligned body panels
- Visible cracks and bends in the frame
- Uneven tire wear
- Weird noises while driving
- Difficulty closing doors
- Difficulty closing trunk
- Inconsistent excessive vibration
- Vehicle drifting when turning
- Suspension issues
- Weird vehicle handling
The vehicle frame serves as the backbone of your car. It gives your car the required strength and shape to ensure stability and prevent safety issues.
During the accidents, it's not surprising to deal with situations where your car's frame gets bent or damaged. When this happens, in most scenarios, you will not be able to drive this vehicle legally, especially if the impact is severe.
Understanding what to look for if you suspect A-frame damage is critical for every driver, especially after getting involved in a car accident. Therefore, automotive experts came up with a list of potential symptoms your vehicle will suffer from immediately after it has frame damage.
This article summarizes the ten most common symptoms indicating car frame damage to help answer the question, “How do you know if your car has frame damage?” If you confirm this damage, you must discuss it with your mechanic and see your options to fix this car.
How do you know if your car has frame damage?
Detecting frame damage is a critical thing that you have to do every time your car gets involved in a car accident or when you suspect such damage. If you fail to detect this damage, you can easily deal with many complications that might impact your safety and get you into legal problems.
The following list summarizes the ten most common symptoms your vehicle will show you, indicating frame damage to help answer the question, “How do you know if your car has frame damage?”
1- Misaligned body panels
The easiest thing that could help you detect any frame damage is looking at the body panels. Please park your car on a flat surface, move away from the vehicle, and look at it.
If you feel that the car is misaligned and the panels are not aligned properly the way they were before the car accident, then you're most likely dealing with frame damage that needs immediate attention from your mechanic.
2- Visible cracks and bends in the frame
Another thing you could do is perform a visual inspection of all the frames around your car. You must know where this frame is located by referring to your vehicle owner's manual or looking at YouTube videos.
Once you determine where the frame is exactly, take a closer look and see if there are any potential signs of cracks or visible bends in the frame. If that's the case, you'll most likely deal with some frame damage that might be repairable, but it could be severe.
Your mechanic will have the final call to determine whether the frame is repairable. In most scenarios, your mechanic would suggest selling this vehicle rather than wasting your time and money if the car accident is severe.
3- Uneven tire wear
You won't see the issue immediately appear in some minor frame damages. In other words, until you drive your car for some time, you'll start noticing some weird vehicle behaviors and impacts because of the issue with the frame.
For instance, if you look at the tires, you'll see that they are not wearing out properly and at the same time. That should not be the case if your vehicle is in good shape and has no major problems.
Remember that problems with uneven tire wear can be related to many issues, not only the frame damage. For example, if you have an issue with the vehicle alignment or the suspension system is not set up properly, it's not surprising to deal with such a problem.
That's why before you even move forward and assume that your vehicle is not repairable or has severe frame damage, you must consult your mechanic and have him look at the easier ones to resolve before concluding that your car is gone.
4- Weird noises while driving
Another potential symptom you might experience when you have frame damage is strange noises from the vehicle. These noises will come from almost all over the car, especially if the vehicle got hit in a major car accident.
The noises will come more from one side if your car gets involved in a car accident from the side. In other words, monitor where these noises are coming from, and if you hear any clunking or grinding noises or probably indications of loose components, you need to check on the vehicle frame.
Regardless of where these noises come from, addressing the problem is critical to avoid further complications. In most scenarios, automotive experts suggest that addressing noises as early as possible helps you fix problems without replacing major components.
5- Difficulty closing doors
If you got to this point and you're still unable to determine whether your car has frame damage, try closing the doors. Sometimes, if the frame damage impacts the entire car, you'll find it difficult to close the doors.
Of course, it could be a simple problem with the car door, but if you know for sure that your car was involved in an accident recently and the door issue did not happen until after the accident, then you better take a look at the frame and confirm it's in good shape.
6- Difficulty closing trunk
The same issue applies to the trunk. Many people involved in car accidents that impacted the vehicle frame indicated that their trunks are not closing properly. This is obvious if the accident happened from the rear side of the car where the trunk is located.
7- Inconsistent excessive vibration
Another potential symptom that you might deal with if you're dealing with frame damage is some weird, inconsistent vibration. The vibration will get louder and louder, and you'll experience it the more you drive your car and wait for the problem.
Unfortunately, it might be a little bit challenging to determine whether this vibration is coming from a frame damage or something else. Therefore, you need to check on other components like the steering column, for example, or other related to the wheels that might cause some vibration.
8- Vehicle drifting when turning
Sometimes, a car frame damage might result in issues with your vehicle every time you try to turn. For example, some people indicated that it drifts every time they tried to turn their cars.
While this might not be a significant issue to some people, it can be a huge safety problem. If you're trying to turn away from an A situation that might impact your safety and cannot do it, then it is an issue you must address immediately.
9- Suspension issues
Ignoring frame damage can easily lead to further damage in your car. For example, many drivers who ignored issues with that frame suffered from problems related to the suspension system that cost them more money to address the problems.
10- Weird vehicle handling
Finally, if your vehicle got involved recently in a major car accident and you don't think the frame was damaged, try monitoring how it behaves every time you try to handle it. If you feel that the car is not as easy to handle as before, you have to check on the vehicle frame because there might be a hidden problem you're unaware of.
As we mentioned before, addressing frame damage problems is important to happen immediately. The more you word and the problem, the harder it gets for you to fix the issue and the higher repair costs, which means that you'll most likely end up selling your car.
How to Know If Your Car Has Frame Damage? Final Thoughts
Frame damage is a severe car problem that impacts your safety. You must address this problem as soon as possible before you deal with safety issues and legal complications.
This article highlighted the ten most common symptoms indicating a car frame damage to help ask, “How do you know if your car has frame damage?” If you confirm that your frame is damaged, it's important that you don't drive this vehicle, and you have to discuss with their mechanic what options you have available.
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