nearly totaled car supposedly repaired

spend $100 or so for a shop to give a 2nd opinion when completed and picked up...

sounds weird...did she hit hard enough to wipe off a lot of body work, or pannles?...

air bags went off, etc?.....

The air bags went off and roll bars went up. A car had cut her off to cause the wreck. She only got a minor cut (probably from the air bags) and walked away from it. From what I heard many of the panels were damaged. I think that if the car was more than a couple of years old it would have been considered totaled by the insurance company.

I assume that the computerized(?) frame bender can get things right with alignment restored. I suppose she'll have to watch for fluid leaks and listen for unusual noises in the days to come.

--Art

There's not much a person can do other than inspect it very closely, especially things like trim pieces and other bits that might not fit correctly. Personally I'd unload the car as soon as possible though, once a car has been hit hard enough to bend the frame it's never quite the same again. You might not ever notice, but the fact is it's been in an accident, there will be evidence hidden somewhere, and the car's value will never be as high as it was before.

Frame or Sub-frame repair is like trying to reform a paper clip when it has been straightened out. Ditch the car. It's not worth keeping. Believe me...I've been through it. No way is the car ever going to handle like it once did. Push it over a cliff.

Our '85 765T was rear-ended exactly two months after we bought it (used.) Witnesses said the car didn't brake and hit at about 25 mph. The unibody was pretty seriously bent in an inverted "V" shape, with doors not fitting and creases in the rear quarter panels. After a session on the frame straightener, a new rear bumper assembly and little else it was perfect, with barely $1000 US from the insurance company to pay for it. I looked hard for evidence of the repair (since there wasn't even any mention of paint in the invoice, and no panels at all) and couldn't find any. It has racked up nearly 200K miles since then with no aftereffects.

Separate frame/body arrangements may not fare as well, but unibodies straighten beautifully.

Mike

I bet if you remove any of the interior panels you'll find plenty of evidence, also if the car were in a harsh climate you'd probably discover it rusting in unusual places. Also if you look closely you'll probably find that welds don't match perfectly or other hidden damage, but with the mileage you've put on it obviously you've gotten your money's worth anyway.

Pay an expert it might work out cheap .One of my employees met a lady who thought the red light was pretty and looked at the green light further on .So the insurance company AAMI Hobart repaired my car with cheap Asian parts .I wondered why my head lights were so dim ,the globes melted in the head light and were facing down .I know AMMI insurance wont mind me saying this after what they tried another time which involved white out, two copies of the repairers quote and fraud they got caught .Never trust an insurance company get an independent expert from an auto club or such . After years of liars and insurance criminals as well as try ons , believe me, play it straight it pays every time .Make sure you keep names times and paper work ,phone calls and all costs .Please take photos from every angle as well .

I've had the rear interior panels apart several times for gas tank access and never saw anything. The rest of it I can't tell you, because I haven't looked. It was also a Phoenix car most of its life. The last 4 years have been in Flagstaff, but we use cinders here instead of salt so I can't speak to that. (The area is volcanic and dotted with enormous cinder hills.)

Mike