You get into a wreck, you inspect the damage, and you think there might be some damage to the frame.

It’s not a great situation, and it always comes up with the question of—is it salvageable, or is the car more appropriate for the scrap yard?

Some say that if your car frame gets damaged, it’s time just to let it go. But is it solid advice? Here’s how to know if car frame repair is worth it.

What Is a Car Frame?

The frame of a car is the main supporting structure of the vehicle itself. The main functions of the frame are to support the weight of the vehicle. It also provides a rigid structure to ensure the safety of the occupants in case of a sudden impact, and to ensure safe drivability on the road.

Is It Safe to Drive With Frame Damage?

The simple answer is, No.

If the car frame is damaged, this reduces optimal drivability, and it presents a risk to the driver and occupants on the road.

Along with these risks, frame damage can cause additional mechanical problems to your vehicle if not taken care of soon.

Types of Frame Damage

These are the different types of frame damage that can occur:

Twisted Frame

A twisted frame is hard to spot, but one way you tell is if there are gaps in the body. The car will tend to lean in a specific direction and will cause your coils and tires to wear at a faster rate. Other tell-tale signs are instability at higher speeds.

Mash Damage

Mash damage occurs when the vehicle gets hit from the rear or a head-on collision. The frame accordions onto itself, and the frame ends being shorter than what it used to be.

The bad thing about mash damage is that it can occur even at low-speed collisions.

Sway Damage

Sway damage happens when a car gets hit in the corner or t-boned. This causes the frame to bend to left or right. An easy way to tell if you have sway damage is your car will tend to favor drifting to the left or right—it will not drive in a straight line.

You will feel vibrations, and it can also cause driveshaft issues.

Is Car Frame Repair a Smart Choice?

Absolutely! Contrary to popular belief, frame damage can be repaired by an auto body shop with skilled technicians. Repair is done using specialized framing machines, which can return as close to factory specifications.

These machines use hydraulic pressure and torque to straighten bent parts of your frame. If the structure is deemed unrepairable utilizing this method, parts of the frame can be cut off and replaced with new metal pieces which are welded in place.

When Can Frame Damage not Be Repaired?

In most cases, frame damage is repairable, but the real question—is it worth it?

Most insurance companies will determine this with the repair-to-value ratio. If the Damage to repair car costs more than what the value of the vehicle is worth, it may be more cost-efficient to write the car off. If your car was severely damaged in an accident to the point where the frame is in several pieces, it might be advisable to let that car go to the scrap yard.

Know Your Options

If you are dealing with frame damage, don’t panic! There are many options that you can choose from to repair the problem. If you are in  Limerick PA or any of the surrounding areas like Pottstown, Royersford, or Collegeville, contact us, and we can go through all the options and help you out with any questions you have about car frame repair.

Whether you’re dealing with severe damages from a crash or if you’ve come in contact with car dings from a parking lot, we are going to go over car body damage in this article.

We are also going to talk about why you should fix the damage on your vehicle to keep your car operating and looking its best. Continue reading this article to learn more about auto body damage and what you should do.

Frame Damage

Frame damage is serious damage and can cause your car to operate improperly. If you need frame repair, your car frame will need to be measured by a computer.

It is important to get your car’s frame back as close to the manufacturer’s specifications as possible.

Car Dings

Car dings cheapen the look of your vehicle. While the paint might not be chipped right now, if you leave it alone, it could chip and cause further problems.

When you fix your dings as soon as possible, you’ll protect your paint job. Now dings can be fixed without paint as long as the paint isn’t cracked. Paintless dent repair is becoming more popular but you should check to make sure it is the right option for your situation.

Weather Damage

When your car is out in the elements, it may be damaged by the tough conditions. Even if you have your vehicle in a garage, if you have to drive it to work, it is still out in the elements which can cause major problems.

If your car has a lot of moisture on it then rust might come into play and cause problems. If your car is out in the sun a lot, your paint might be damaged because of too much exposure to the sun.

If you have problems with rust or paint chipping, sanding and repainting can usually remedy these problems. If you let things get out of hand too much then you might have to get that piece cut out and have it replaced which can be on little on the pricey side of things.

Paint Scratches

Whether you scratched the vehicle or someone else did, there’s no denying that the scratch is obvious and hurting the look of your vehicle.

If you’re worried that you’re going to have to pay a lot of money to get a scratch out so you keep waiting — don’t. You might be surprised that a small scratch can simply be buffed out and it’s not going to cost a lot of money to get your car back to pristine condition.

Keep Your Car Looking and Functioning Its Best

Now that you know more about common auto body issues from like car dings, if you’re dealing with any of these problems, we would love to help.

We have experience in all different types of damage both minor and major. When you’re ready to get your car fixed and back on the roads in its best condition, contact us and we will be glad to help you.