Is a car usually driveable if frame is bent?
I really think it depends on what you mean by “bent” and again what you mean by “frame”. The body of the car is the frame of the car, or are you referring to the chassis. Whatever it is, I think you’d be better off calling roadside assistance and making sure that you get back home in one piece than to risk driving a compromised vehicle!
well i’ve read the answers, some good, some not good. the car does not have what is considered to be a typical frame, that does not mean that someone is lieing to you about a bent frame, it is just a generallized term that most shops use for repairs that are going to require the use of a frame straightening machine. this kind of structural damage can be all the way from very dangerous to something you will not even realize. the cost of this repair also is like this. most shops have a “setup” cost for hooking the vehicle up to the machine, and from there, depending on the damage the cost can be very low to very high. one thing that is unsafe is to take anyone’s word for whether the vehicle is safe or not without them personnally checking the car out. the best thing to do is get several opinions from several shops, and don’t be afraid to ask them if the repair is for cosmetic reasons, or if it is a matter of safety. MOST generally, if the car can be aligned, (4 wheel), it will have no sa
Impossible to tell without having it accurately measured. “Bent FRAME” is sort of a misnomer, as modern cars do not have frames. (except for Ford and Lincoln large vehicles) It takes very little to whack the body out of shape which result in “bent frame” symptom. A good body shop can pull the body to a shape that would be safe to drive, depending on severity of the bent. Sometimes, it is not financially feasible to do so. Yes, once the “frame” is bent, alignment will be way off, and it needs to be done once the “frame” is fixed.
A Saturn (and most unibody cars) have upper and lower rails in front. The upper rails affect fender alignment with the doors & hood and are usually part of the upper strut mounting. If the upper strut mounting has moved it will affect caster and camber which can cause pulling & tire wear. The lower rails support the engine and lower suspension mounting points. If one or both are bent at or behind the suspension mounting points, it can cause pulling due to caster/camber issues or a shorter wheelbase on one side. (as in one front wheel is back farther than the other) A bent frame will not necessarily affect wheel alignment, it all depends on where it is bent. As long as all 4 wheels are in proper alignment, the car will drive properly regardless of any body or frame damage. Without being able to actually see the car, it’s tough to make a call. I would take it to a “good” wheel alignment shop for a 4 wheel alignment. If they can’t get it aligned within the factory specifications, they sho
If the frame is bent, usually the auto insurance totaled the car. In this case, 4 wheel alignment is needed. If the vehicle is still pulling to one side, even with the 4 wheel alignment, it is going to be a problem. 4 wheel alignment is harder to correct on the bent frame (or bent suspension). The car has a uni-body construction, meaning the frame is actually the whole car. The car will have a handling problems, which is dangerous to the one driving it. That’s the reason why the auto insurance usually totaled the car if they see a bent frame and a bent suspension, because it cost a lot of money for repairs.
