There are some instances where on-road accidents and collisions cannot be avoided, especially if the fault is not on your end.
Some accidents may be serious while others tend to be less serious to the point that the only visible damage you can see is on the frame of the vehicle. This may cause the frame of the vehicle to bend, but the car is still operational.
In such a case, can you still drive a car with a bent frame?
Driving a car with a bent frame
In most cases, you can still drive a car with a bent frame, as long as the car is operational and safe to do so. There are risks associated with it because the car’s maneuverability and alignment might get affected by a bent frame. And there are instances where there are internal damages that aren’t apparent.
The thing that you need to know is that the frame of the car is not only to support the exterior. It actually serves to protect the passengers from accidents and supports the wheels as well.
Of course, some damages may only seem to be limited to the exterior of the vehicle but you can never tell whether or not the internal parts and components are free of any damage.
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What happens if the frame on your car is bent?
One of the things you never want to happen to you while you are driving is getting into a road collision or an accident.
That’s because there are plenty of dangers to life and property when it comes to road accidents.
But while some accidents tend to be serious, there are some that don’t seem like they are that serious because only the exterior seems to be affected.
At worst, the frame of the vehicle may end up bending in accidents that tend to be a bit less serious.
That said if you do end up in an accident that caused the car’s frame to bend, what is the effect on the car? What happens if the frame on your car is bent?
Frankly speaking, there are plenty of things that can happen if the frame on the car is bent.
There are some cases where the damage is only cosmetic in nature and will not affect how the car functions in the overall sense. However, you should also know that there are instances where the damage can be quite serious.
Such an instance is when the damage to the frame may cause the alignment of your car to be off.
That’s because the frame supports the wheels, and a bent frame can shift the alignment of the wheels and cause your car to pull over to one side more often.
When that happens, it will be more difficult for you to steer your car towards the center, as the vehicle is more likely to pull over to one side. This may cause you to lose control of the vehicle.
In connection to that same problem, when your car’s alignment is off, the weight distribution and the pressure on the wheels will no longer be balanced.
That means that the wheels on one side of the vehicle are more likely to wear out faster than on the other side. The rapid wear and tear on the tires can be quite hard on your wallet.
You should also know that the car’s frame is also responsible for making sure that the internal parts are protected and that the passengers are as safe as possible.
Think of the frame as your skeletal system, which is not only there to support your body but is also there to protect your internal organs from getting damaged.
When you have a broken or damaged rib bone, the protection of your internal organs will be compromised. As such, getting hit on the same spot will most likely cause internal damage.
Going back, when you are driving with a bent frame, it may seem like you are safe and all but you are only going to put the car’s internal parts and you and your passengers at risk.
If you happen to find yourself in an unfortunate accident, you are not as protected as you should be due to how the frame can no longer protect you the way it should. While the car may still work, you can never be too sure when it comes to safety.
Then there is also the chance that the car has already been damaged internally or that there are minor damages that may not be apparent but will ultimately surface later on if you left them unrepaired.
A bent frame may seem like it’s only cosmetic in nature, but you need to understand that there is still a chance that the accident also caused internal damages that may not be initially detected when the car still works.
So, when the frame is bent, there is a chance that the car is also internally damaged as a result of the frame bending due to an accident or a collision.
Can you drive a car with a bent frame?
Now that you know what happens to your car when the frame gets bent, does that mean that you can’t drive your car when it has a bent frame?
In most cases, you can still drive your car even though it does have a bent frame. That’s because most cars with bent frames aren’t always affected in terms of the car’s overall functionality.
And there are some instances when the damage is only cosmetic in nature and does not affect the overall handling and functionality of the vehicle.
However, there are also some instances when you shouldn’t be driving a car with a bent frame, especially when it has become apparent that the damage has affected how operational the vehicle is.
While the car may still work, you may notice that the handling is different or that there are some internal problems that may seem minor but are actually going to pile up somewhere down the line.
With that said, there are actually dangers associated with driving a car with a bent frame, especially when the damage to the frame is no longer cosmetic in nature. And that is what we are going to talk about next.
How dangerous is it to drive a car with a bent frame?
As mentioned, there are some risks and dangers associated with driving a car with a bent frame.
However, how dangerous is it to drive a car with a bent frame?
In most cases, it shouldn’t be too difficult to drive a car if its frame is damaged or bent. But the fact remains that there are going to be some risks involved when you do drive a car with a bent frame and you hold off on having the frame repaired.
First off, as mentioned, there is a chance that the car’s alignment will end up becoming off if its frame is bent. This will not affect the overall functionality of the car because the vehicle will still work.
However, it will affect the way you handle the car. You might even struggle to maneuver the vehicle and end up in an accident when you are driving at high speeds or on a slippery road.
Then there is also the chance that you might end up in another accident. While no one wishes for another accident to happen to a person, the fact is that accidents can happen at any given moment even without any fault on your part.
When you find yourself in an accident and your car’s frame was already bent, the frame will no longer be strong enough to protect you and the car’s internal parts. This can lead to serious damage and injuries.
Finally, even if the car is still working fine despite its bent frame, there might be minor damages that the car incurred due to the accident that caused the frame to bend.
Those damages might not be apparent at first but they can end up becoming more serious in the future if you left them unrepaired. While a frame repair can be expensive, damages to the car’s internal parts will only cause the expenses to pile up.
How much does it cost to fix a bent frame on a car?
What you need to know is that having a bent frame fixed can be quite expensive. And we are not talking about the frame alone.
In most cases, having the bent frame fixed can cost somewhere between $600 and $1,000. However, you have to understand that you might also have to have the car repainted as well, and that can cost you about a hundred bucks extra.
And these expenses are only the minimum and when the damage to the frame is so minor to the point that the other components are not affected.
When the other components are affected, the expenses will pile up. Tires that have become too worn out due to bad alignment can cost you $50 to $200 extra. Meanwhile, wheel alignment can cost you $100 on average.
Then there is the chance that the frame damage can be quite serious to the point that some internal parts and important frame components such as the radiator support or the frame rail have become damaged as well.
In such instances, you could actually spend more than $10,000 for repairs. And that is because the damage has become structural in nature already.
