Expert: William Forster - 12/30/2009

Question
Hi William

Recently, while making a left turn, my brother hit a patch of black ice.  The car slipped and hit a tree.  The front bumper is cracked up, so are a few components in the hood.  What concerns me the most is the kink caused by the collision behind the passenger side of the bumper.  It looks like part of the unibody chassis, according to the mechanic.  He suggested that he'll straighten out the kink by pulling the frame on the machine.  The obvious concern is that the strength of that frame has been compromised, so he suggested that he could weld some metal on top of it to give it some strength.  He doesn't suggest cutting out the kinked part and welding in a new sheet metal.  According to him, the welds are weak and in the case of another accident, the chassis is going to break off at the weld, is that true and what would you suggest?

Answer
Find another body shop. DO NOT have him weld a plate over the kink- unibodies are specifically designed to bend and kink in very specific ways in very specific areas. Modifying it will jeaporadize the safety of the vehicle in another crash much more than pulling it out and repairing the kink. If he has so little faith in his ability to weld, I surely wouldn't want him doing any sort of structural repairs. It also depends on the severity of the kink as to wether the frame horn needs replaced- if the metal is bent over 90 degrees, it needs replaced. If it's just bent (not torn or crushed) it should be repaired. Bill