bent frame

[geno69377]

i drive a 2005 pontiac sunfire and we were rear ended in a accident and it bent the passenger side frame in the back and buckled in the the rear panel behind the passengers side door they say they can straighten it up on new cars is this true or will i always have problems with it and is it still safe even after they fix it? we got hit while stopped and she was probably doing 50 or 55mph

[handsomebassman]

hmm, you are going to get a lot of mixed opinions regarding if you will or will not have any more problems with it, or the safety behind it. Frames are a very very touchy subject...

[geno69377]

where could i go to get the best answer to my question then?

[iceburns288]

I thought frame damage=totaled?

[geno69377]

so did i but the collision center said its not uncommon to fix them on newer cars but i thinks its because i owe too much on it still and the insurance company dosent want to pay the car off what do you think?

[Zephyr]

It will never be the same. Bent frame = screw it. Alignment issues, weakened frame structure overall as well.

Collision center will tell you that because they want to charge the insurance company 3x the normal job to make money.

[gp36912]

ya bent frames does affect the cars stiffness also, ive noticed this on my beemer after its been fixed. it dosn't quite take corners like it used to. i miss my old car :(

[the_ace]

bent frame = write off = don't do it = but thats just me!

And then lastly , pontiac sunfire?????? hmmmmm, really ?? you wanna repair it??

[gp36912]

ya try to get it written off, my stupid insurance company would not wanna write it off no matter how much i complained so i'm just going to change insurance companies :P though because of my subwoofers the frame did not bend too much :P my subs were stuck wedges in between some things.

[Zero102]

This is a tricky subject as is already mentioned.
If the work is done by a reputable shop on the proper equipment, then it will be virtually as good as new afterwards. That said, if you look from the inside, you will probably always be able to see where the damage was.

Post some pics, there is a good chance it's a write-off. Usually once the frame is bent, repairs quickly climb into the $7000+ area. Honestly, the best thing at this point would be if it's written off.
I've driven a couple cars that were repaired incorrectly, and they can be rather frightening at times. I've also driven one that was repaired correctly, and I would never have known if I wasn't told. There is the possibility that it can be fixed correctly, but most of the time it won't be.

If it's not a write-off, I've taken previous work to SOS autobody. The people up front can be real a$$holes, but they do good work.

[Supa Dexta]

Mine was done at national.. I think the parts were around 3k, and then the actual bill came out around 7k.. But I never payed a penny.. They told me at the time it has to be over 75% of the value to be considered a write off nowadays... I can't tell the difference in mine, it seems as good as ever, but it will always be in the back of my head....

[GoChris]

who cares about her insurance company, she rear ended you, make her insurance company write it off. let them work that out with the lady that hit ya.

[gp36912]

i notice the difference in the car before and after. but others don't, my mom and dad for instance have driven the car before and after the accident, and they can't tell the difference.

[PrezeS_PL]

Originally posted by iceburns288
I thought frame damage=totaled?

you were very wrong

yes the car would get totaled if the damage was very extensive but thats not always the case

with the unit-body cars almost every hit needs to end up on framing machine

[geno69377]

thanks for all the info guys but it looks like im going to be stuck with the car but i have been informed by my insurance that i can get a lawyer and go after her insurance company for the loss in value my car now has