Expert: Charlie Barone - 10/9/2009

Question
QUESTION: In a rear collision, where to car that is initially with so much force that it hit the car in front of it and that car in turn hits the one in front of, is it possible that the car that is initially can have damage to it's motor mount. the car that was initially hit was sitting at a Red light and suffered over $5600. in damages.
Thank you

ANSWER: Absolutely. Broken motor mounts are very common indications of indirect damage. That is, damage that occurs as the result of the inertia of an impact that affects remote areas of the car.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much. As a follow up question, is there any other damage  that may have occured due to the rear end, that I should check for before signing off on the repairs?
Again Thank VERY much.

Answer
Yes, be very careful with respect to structural (frame) damage. Ask the shop for a printout from their measuring system, which they may or may not be able to produce. It doesn't hurt to ask, however. On your own, look for things like panels that don't line up properly, tight or very large gaps between fenders, doors, hood and deck lid. Also check the paint match for variations in color, light/dark, etc.