Is my frame bent?

I was in a minor accident recently (hit from behind in on the driver's side). The damage seemed minor and the other guy's insurance paid about 1k - the body shop replacing the rear plastic piece, the shock absorbing material, and the bumber itself. I felt the impact was actually fairly minor. The other car was going only 15 miles hr or so.

My girlfriend sat down in the passenger seat yesterday and said "wow - this is new". There is a gap of about 5/8 inch where my dashboard meets the left window side garnish molding. I didn't remember seeing this gap either.

Has anyone else with a 2000+ Mustang noticed any fit-problems with their dash in this area? The fit is nice and perfect on the driver's side.

Thanks,

John

Reply to
John
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snipped-for-privacy@excite.com (John) wrote in news:d4a53ed0.0402101555.632b751 @posting.google.com:

driver's

seeing

driver's

Take it to a body shop with a frame rack and have them scope it out. They'll be able to tell you if the car's out of whack. If so, get the written results from the body shop and go visit the other guy's insurance again.

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

Reply to
Joe
** My girlfriend sat down in the passenger seat yesterday and said "wow - ** this is new". There is a gap of about 5/8 inch where my dashboard ** meets the left window side garnish molding. I didn't remember seeing ** this gap either.

Anytime a car is damaged in a wreck, no matter how small, it is NEVER, EVER the same afterward, no matter what is done to remedy it. A gap that big is a pretty big clue. Try seeing if it crabtracks; that is, drive it straight down a road with a buddy behind you, and see if it 'skids' one way or the other, with the rear tires riding slightly outside the tracks made by the front tires. This is a classic symptom of a bent frame. You might also want to take it another independent shop for an evaluation of the work done by the repair shop you've already taken it to. The results may surprise you.

Regards,

-JD

--------------------------------- JD's Locally-Famous Mustang Page: http:/207.13.104.8/users/jdadams---------------------------------

Reply to
JD Adams

JD Adams wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

After my "big" accident, my LX came out perfect. Even after they cut the whole front off just ahead of the firewall and welded new frame rails on. Some places are good, others not so good.

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

Reply to
Joe
** After my "big" accident, my LX came out perfect. Even after they cut ** the whole front off just ahead of the firewall and welded new frame ** rails on. Some places are good, others not so good.

I guess this is possible; I've been run into 10+ times in the past 30 years, and none of the cars were ever the same after the repair, good or otherwise. I always ended up collecting for diminished value, selling it, and buying another car because they never drove the same. Of course, we're talking Suckatomato, CA repair shops here, so I probably got a good sampling of the bottom dwellers.

Funny, since leaving Suckatomato, CA over 10 years ago, I haven't been run into even once. Hmmm...

Regards,

-JD

--------------------------------- JD's Locally-Famous Mustang Page: http:/207.13.104.8/users/jdadams---------------------------------

Reply to
JD Adams

The way you wrote that reminded me of a tale I read over in alt.callahans last week... Thought I'd share, as this guy has a real flair for writing. :)

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Reply to
Garth Almgren
** The way you wrote that reminded me of a tale I read over in ** alt.callahans last week... Thought I'd share, as this guy has a real ** flair for writing. :) ** **
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Indeed he does! I'm going to read more of his stuff this weekend. His thoughts are nearly as devilish as my own.

Regards,

-JD

--------------------------------- JD's Locally-Famous Mustang Page: http:/207.13.104.8/users/jdadams---------------------------------

Reply to
JD Adams

Take the car back to the repair shop. They should be able to tell if it was caused by the wreak and fix it if it was. The insurance company will then pay for the repairs.

Steve B.

Reply to
Steve Brooks

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