Two Reasons You Should Have Your Car Examined After Being Side-Swiped by Another Vehicle
Posted on: 11 February 2020
If your car was recently side-swiped by another vehicle, you may have taken a look at your car and decided that the only damage done to it was cosmetic, such as chipped paint or minor dents. However, there may be more damage than your eyes can see that could make the car difficult or dangerous to drive. Below are a couple of reasons you should have your car examined by a professional before taking it out on the road after your accident.
1. Tires and/or Suspension May Have Been Knocked out of Alignment
One reason why you should have your car looked over by a professional after another vehicle side-swiped it is that the tires and/or suspension may have been knocked out of alignment. Even if the other car did not hit your head-on, the sudden force striking the side may have caused a misalignment of the suspension or may have made the tires crooked.
While this may seem to only affect the way you handle the steering wheel to keep your car straight on the road, being out of alignment can affect the overall handleability of your car. Depending on the severity of the alignment issue, even if you take your hands off the steering wheel for a second, your car could pull sharply to one side and potentially cause another accident.
Also, a misaligned suspension or tires will eventually wear down your tires and cause extreme wear on the driveshaft and motor. A mechanic can determine what needs to be done to bring the car back into alignment.
2. The Car's Frame May Have Been Bent
Another potential problem that can make driving dangerous is that the car's frame may have been bent during the accident. Just as with a misalignment, a bent frame can cause issues with being able to handle the car properly and safely while you are driving since one side of the car is no longer straight.
However, a bent car frame can also become a hazard if you are ever in another accident, even a minor one. The frame is designed to take the brunt of the impact during a collision. However, if the frame is already damaged, it will not be able to do this effectively, which means a small collision could lead to major damage.
Since unseen damage after a side-swipe collision could make your car hazardous to drive, you likely need to have it looked at by a mechanic. Take your car to an auto collision repair service so that they can diagnose any potential problems and discuss with you options for making repairs to the issues that they find.
Share