Car accidents or collisions can happen very quickly, and many of them occur in parking lots or areas where the speed you are traveling is not very high. No matter how hard the impact is or how fast you are traveling when the accident occurs, some things can be damaged or knocked out of alignment. Having the vehicle assessed at an auto collision repair center is essential.

Minor Damage

After a collision, the vehicle may look fine and might have some light damage to it. It is possible that there is damage or things knocked out of alignment that you can see. Taking the vehicle to an auto collision repair center and having the vehicle checked is the best way to ensure it is safe or if there is something that needs fixing.

Most collision repairs shops offer free inspections and estimates of the vehicle, so find a shop in your area that has time to look at the car and see if they can look it over for you. If the tech finds any damage that needs repairing, they will include the information on a written estimate for you that consists of the cost to make the repairs. 

You can take the estimate to your insurance company to have them review it and approve the repairs, or you could pay for the work yourself if it is inexpensive enough. Many times a slow-speed accident will leave minor dents, dings, or scratches in the car that can begin to rust with exposure to weather if they are ignored. 

Other potential damage could include tires, wheels, suspension, or even frame damage depending on the angle of the impact and what you collided with.

Frame Inspections

Most new cars and many car manufacturers for the last ten or so years have used a frame system called a uni-frame that incorporated the frame structure into the body of the car. The manufacturers use this design to create a more rigid passenger compartment that is safer for occupants during a crash. However, the frame is more easily twisted or bent even in low-speed collisions, so the auto collision repair center checking your car should check the frame on a frame machine after any accident.

The inspection involves putting the car on the machine and using a computerized system to check many different points on the vehicle with the specs from the manufacturer. If all the points align, the vehicle is straight and should be fine to drive. However, if there are points that are off, the frame will need to be adjusted and pulled or pushed back into the right spot to ensure the car drives safely.

The auto collision repair tech from a place like Elite Auto Collision can make the adjustments on the frame machine, but before that work starts, it is critical to check with the insurance company to ensure the cost is covered. Frame straightening is expensive, but it is also the only way to return the car to the proper geometry after any collision that causes even a small chassis misalignment.