Every driver gets in some sort of an accident once in a while. Fortunately, in most cases, you will drive away with nothing more serious than a fender bender or a minor dent on a bumper.
In most cases, such insignificant damages can be fixed very fast. Some drivers don’t even pay attention to them. However, sometimes a seemingly minor hit can lead to unseen damage that may affect the safety of your vehicle.
In this article, we shall talk about the 5 most common signs of hidden after-collision damage that should not be ignored.
Signs of hidden damage in your car
There are 2 types of hidden after-collision damage in a vehicle:
- Those that show immediately after a collision but don’t look like anything serious;
- Those that develop and become obvious with time.
In both cases, ignoring those symptoms, you risk getting into another accident or facing a problem that will need a complicated and expensive repair in the future.
Here are the 5 warning signs to look after.
#1 – Uneven tire wear
Every mechanic will tell you that your front and back tires don’t wear off the same. That is why it is so important to check and rotate tires regularly to expand your wheels’ lifespan and save you a great deal of money on new tires.
However, if, after a check-up, your mechanic tells you that tires on one side of the vehicle are worn significantly harder than on the other, you are probably dealing with some hidden damage that affects your car’s alignment.
You may also notice at some point that your car is drifting to the side when you are driving. It is another sign of the same hidden damage.
#2 – Problems with the lights
Modern vehicles are extremely sophisticated. Your car may have a complicated system of sensors and detectors that you are not fully aware of, but they make your driving experience so smooth, safe, and comfortable compared to old cars.
However, you don’t have to be an expert in cars` complicated electrical systems to understand that you may have hidden damage that affects it. Suppose you notice problems with the headlights or the lights in your car are flickering from time to time. In that case, it s a clear indication that you should head directly to a garage and check the whole electricity system, especially if you got into a minor accident not long ago.
#3 – Leaking fluids
There are lots of different fluids in your car, and each of them is extremely important for your safe and smooth driving experience. Once something starts leaking, you may face serious (and costly) damage to the engine or any other crucial part of your car.
If you notice stains on your parking lot or driveway, your car may be leaking one of those vital fluids, which is probably a result of a crack or any other mechanic damage to one of the containers or pipes in the system.
#4 – Trunk or doors won’t close and open as usual
If you have been driving the same car for some time, you definitely know how every door and trunk “behave.”
Sometimes you may notice that the trunk or one of the doors won’t close and open as usual. They may need a bit more effort or vice-versa seem to open from the slightest touch or even bump on the road.
In most cases, it is a sign that your car’s body was somehow affected and deformed due to a recent collision. You may not see any visible damage, scratches, or dents anywhere, but even the slightest frame deformation can lead to such symptoms and dangerous consequences in the future.
#5 – A problem occurs after the car has been treated
Suppose the damage after the last collision bothered you, and you took a car to a garage and had that scratch or dent fixed. The car looks fine, but you suddenly notice that it “misbehaves.”
Whether we are talking about flickering lights or drifting to the side on the road, one of the sensors that start signalling without any reason, or a fluid that runs lows faster than it should, the problem might have been more serious than an annoying scratch on the paint job.
Once your car goes through any accident, make sure t take it to a reliable service station, where it will be thoroughly checked and diagnosed in order to find all sorts of damage.
Whether you need a post-collision repair and diagnostics or it is time to do a routine check-up on your car, contact OHS Body Shop.
Our branches are located all over Montana’s Greater Flathead Valley, in Kalispell, Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Polson. Give us a call whenever you need a thorough consultation, any sort of repair, diagnostics, or a 24/7 towing service.
