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Secondary
Damage
The vehicle
below sustained a substantial rear impact.
A unitized vehicle is basically a one piece steel stamping
with structural reinforcements. The car is designed with
crush points. In other words, the vehicle is designed to
fold upon impact. This protects the people riding inside
the vehicle. This design is good for the people, but not so
good for appraisers and the repair industry. The design
fosters what is called "Secondary Damage". The impact
is carried into the body of the car, creating other areas of
damage that are subtle and not easily detected.
Professional appraisers are trained to detect this type
of damage. Take a look at this photograph and then
join me down below...
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The
"Secondary Damage" on this car is indicated by the red arrow.
As you can see,
there is a small buckle in the roof.
Also, it should be noted that the gap along the top
edge of the door gap is distorted. Both of these
are indicators of "Secondary Damage". It is not
unusual for this type of damage to occur to the opposite
side of the vehicle than where the impact occurred.
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Although
this damage is significant, it can
be repaired with the proper equipment.
Our next article will outline the unibody
"bench machine" and how it works.
Been in a "wreck"? You better be represented
by a licensed professional appraiser!
To view
additional examples of Secondary
Damage...click HERE
Learn about
a "Bench Machine"
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