Rear-end accidents occur when a car runs into the rear of the vehicle in front of it. When this accident happens, your vehicle will need to go to an auto shop for repair. Unfortunately, damage to the vehicle is not always obvious and may reveal itself only after leaving the shop.
Always schedule a professional car inspection to assess your vehicle’s damage after rear-end collisions.
What Is a Car Inspection?
A car inspection is a service that checks a vehicle to ensure everything is functioning smoothly. Taking your car in for inspection is an excellent way for a professional to assess any vehicular damage.
A car inspection agency or body shop will generally conduct a multi-point inspection after an accident. This process involves checking the functionality of your car’s driving features and other aspects.
Issues Commonly Associated with Rear-End Collisions
Alignment
The car’s alignment deals with the suspension and its relationship to the movement of tires and steering. If your alignment is not correct, your steering wheel might not be as responsive as it should. Additionally, your tires may face too much inward or outward, which an inspection will diagnose.
Trunk Damage
Trunk damage may seem like a cosmetic issue; however, it can pose severe threats if not treated quickly. Injury sustained by the trunk will affect your vehicle’s resale value and its longevity. In worst-case scenarios, hinge and attachment issues could cause the trunk door to pop open while driving.
Transmission
It is not uncommon for a transmission involved in a rear-end collision to absorb impact and sustain damage. Consequently, the plates inside the transmission, known as the clutch plates, do not work correctly. Specifically, they cannot communicate function to the engine or exhaust system.
As a result, loss of function interacts with brake and shift timing, affecting your control over driving.
Turn Signals and Brake Lights
A vehicle’s signal lighting is usually involved in any type of car accident, especially rear-end collisions. Malfunctioning signal lights cannot tell drivers if they are stopping or turning, leading to confusing or dangerous situations. Therefore, car inspection agencies regularly check for lighting issues and identify signal lighting damage when collisions occur.
Brakes
Brake discs, shoes, and pads located behind the inner portion of the tires seldom emerge from rear-end collisions unscathed. Because of the brake system’s intricacies, it is not uncommon for a body shop to miss at least one damaged element of the brakes. In addition, a compromised brake system will continue to worsen with each drive, making a quick diagnosis essential.
Body shops are generally good at catching all issues. However, getting a car inspection after crashes occur leaves little room for error. Besides inspections after rear-end collisions, you should get a car inspection once a year or every five thousand miles, whichever comes first.
If you or someone you know experienced a rear-end collision, contact Desoto Collision Center of Memphis, TN. Call us today for more information at (901) 552-4395.
