What is Hidden Auto Body Damage?

When you’re involved in a serious accident, you’re obviously going to bring your car to an experienced auto body shop like Sudden Impact Auto in Las Vegas. But even if your vehicle was involved in a low-speed collision, we still recommend to bring it in because there could be damage that can’t be detected with the naked eye.

Low-speed collisions like bumping into a pole in a parking lot or backing into another vehicle can cause damage you can’t really see in your car. One of our trained repair specialists can give you peace of mind if you have cosmetic damage, or give you advice for internal problems that can be very expensive if you don’t take care of them.

Hidden Auto Body Damage

Here are some examples of potential problem areas that could have hidden damage:

Cooling Hose/Transmission

Going over a little bump will possibly not affect your vehicle’s transmission directly, however, it can damage the cooler hose. If you drive without a working cooling hose that could lead to a complete transmission failure. This would mean a very expensive and maybe a dangerous scenario.

Wheel Alignment

It would be hard for you to notice any misalignment by just looking, but wheel misalignment can occur from just about anything, even a low speed. Having misaligned wheels can lead to your tires wearing in an uneven manner, which will require a replacement earlier than you think. That’s money spent that you weren’t planning on spending.

Diagnostic Codes

As you probably already know, almost everything in your vehicle is computerized. Some modern cars have up to 100 sensors onboard, later on, it could go up to 200. Even with a low-speed fender bender, you could have these systems damaged. A quality auto body shop like Sudden Impact Auto has special equipment that allows us to check the car’s diagnostic codes. This is very important because even if your engine light is not on, you could have pending codes. Definitely worth a trip to the shop.

Body Frame

Having a damaged frame in your car can be serious, even if you can’t tell. If your car’s frame is bent, the car won’t work properly. Having a damaged frame can lead to wheel misalignment and it can mess with airbag deployment. 

Bumpers

Nowadays, bumpers are not welded-on slabs of metal that absorb the impact of a collision. Instead, the modern car’s bumpers are build of energy-absorbing materials like styrofoam or plastic. When enough force hits the bumper, it triggers its energy absorption capabilities. That’s why they need replacing because it’s only good for one use. Obviously, this wouldn’t be obvious to everybody. You need an expert assessment.

Vehicle Monitoring Systems

Often, bumpers contain components of vehicle monitoring systems. Therefore, when a bumper suffers an impact it can affect blind-spot monitoring as well as parking cameras and airbag deployment.

Trunk Malfunctions

Minor rear-end collisions can cause a string of potential problems related to that particular impact. These problems include truck malfunctions and water seepage when its raining or the truck opening while driving.

Electrical

Electrical problems can also occur after a seemingly harmless bump. This is because the impact loosens the wires that can come detached. Having loose wires can make brake lights to go out or end up in a dead battery.

Sudden Impact Auto In Las Vegas

So that’s basically what hidden auto body damage is. For your safety and your wallet, but mostly for your peace of mind, minor fender-benders need to be checked out by an expert shop like Sudden Impact Auto. If you have any cosmetic damage, we can handle that as well. For more information call 702-457-3002.