What are the impacts of a bent screw on a car chassis?
2 Answers
If only a screw on the car chassis is bent, it generally won't have a significant impact. It is recommended to drive the car to a 4S shop or repair shop for inspection. Most repair shops have chassis lifts, and once the vehicle is raised, any scratches or damage on the chassis surface will be immediately visible. During the design phase, car chassis are built to have a certain level of impact resistance. If the chassis is scraped but the vehicle can pass over the obstacle quickly, it indicates that there was no large-scale hard contact between the obstacle and the chassis, and thus no major impact on the chassis. On the other hand, if important components or pipelines are hit, it may affect the normal operation of the car. The car chassis contains many critical parts. For example, dividing the chassis along its midline, the front typically includes the engine oil pan, transmission oil pan, subframe, suspension arms, and other components. The rear part of the chassis also has subframes and suspension arms, while the middle section contains the exhaust pipe, drive shaft, and various wiring, making the structure relatively complex. When components like the exhaust pipe or catalytic converter on the car chassis are hit, any resulting faults are usually limited to the exhaust system. However, if suspension components such as the arms are severely impacted and deformed, the original four-wheel alignment parameters of the car will be disrupted, potentially causing the vehicle to pull to one side or produce serious friction noises. Additionally, if the reinforcement ribs on the car chassis are hit, the protective coating may be scratched or even expose the bare metal. If not treated promptly, this can lead to severe large-scale rusting of the chassis. Therefore, it is advisable to take the vehicle to a repair shop for a thorough inspection if the chassis is impacted. Based on the location and severity of the impact, appropriate fault diagnosis and targeted repair measures should be applied.
I've personally encountered the issue of car chassis screws getting bent from an impact before, and let me tell you, it's definitely not something to take lightly. Bent screws directly affect the vehicle's alignment and stability, making the steering feel off-center and causing the car body to shake during driving, resulting in noticeably poor handling. Over time, this can accelerate tire wear and potentially increase fuel consumption. If this happens during high-speed driving, there's a serious risk of tire blowouts or loss of control, which is extremely dangerous. Moreover, uneven stress distribution at the screw locations might lead to deformation of the entire chassis, subsequently causing problems with the suspension system, such as damaged shock absorbers or loose connecting components. My advice is to immediately visit a repair shop for inspection, where they can use professional tools to realign or replace the screws. Don't try to save a few bucks here, because neglecting this could lead to much costlier repairs or even accidents later! For prevention, always be mindful of potholes while driving and avoid hard impacts to the chassis.
