What exactly does "frame damage" mean?
Asked by GuruJZZV May 29, 2017 at 03:50 PM about the 2004 Jeep Wrangler Sport
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
I understand the initial basic meaning of the words yet questionable remain. My appreciation to any who can offer a useful interpretation and application:
Does frame damage mean the same thing when applied to every car, ex. Jeep Wrangler and Ford Focus?
Are there degrees of frame damage, and what should be questioned regarding repairs?
Should the mere words "frame damage" cause one to roll their eyes and quickly turn the page?
5 Answers
Even minor damage, if not repaired properly, can seriously degrade a car's ability to protect you in an accident. Structural/ frame damage is damage to any component of a vehicle that is part of the main structure of the vehicle, and/or any component designed to provide structural integrity.
Unibody construction means that the frame and the body of the car are one. That means that if there is damage to the body, usually there will also be damage to the frame. However, unibody frame damage is much easier to repair in modern vehicles than older vehicles
A vehicle frame is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism. Until the 1930s, virtually every car had a structural frame, separate from its body
A person can not fix a bent car frame — the vehicle needs to be repaired at an automotive service center that has access to a frame straightening machine. When a vehicle is damaged during a collision, the frame of the car may bend, and in these cases, throws off its structural integrity and the ability to drive.
I would never buy a bent frame car even if they claim it was repaired properly. The downside is just too risky.
