Is My Car Safe To Drive After An Accident?

If your car has suffered damage in an accident, you may be concerned about its safety. External damage is often apparent, but you may not be able to see all the damage caused by the collision. These tips can help you determine if your car is safe to drive on the road. If your vehicle is damaged, you need to schedule an inspection at a professional body shop.

 

Law Enforcement Can Determine Road-Worthiness

If you are involved in a collision, local law enforcement often responds to the call. For those insurance claims, you need to contact the police to obtain an accident report. The officer is also trained to assess a vehicle’s damage and can determine if it meets the legal standards to drive on the roadways.

A law enforcement officer can tell if your headlights, turn signals, and brake lights are operational. If the tires or turning mechanisms are damaged, you cannot control the car. Police can even determine if minor problems will prevent your vehicle’s safe operation on the road. In most cases, if all safety mechanisms and mechanical features of the car are operating, the vehicle will be determined safe to drive.

 

Look Out for These Danger Signs

If there is smoke coming from your vehicle, it may not be the result of a fire. Smoke is often caused by fluids hitting those hot areas of the engine. At this point, you want to check for any fluids leaking from the car. If fluids are dripping, this is a major safety issue. You might have antifreeze or coolant leaking, and that can cause your engine to overheat. After an accident, oil can also leak out from your car’s engine. When that happens, you are risking the chance of major engine failure or a fire. Finally, brake fluid is an essential part of your safety system. A brake oil leak runs the risk of a catastrophic brake failure on your car. If smoke or steam is coming from your engine, it is unsafe to drive as it could obstruct your view.

All of these leaks could be potentially harmful to yourself and others on the road. If you notice leaking fluid from your vehicle, make sure to contact a tow truck. You can have your car towed to an experienced body shop or repair center. These professionals will inspect your vehicle to determine if it is safe to drive. You don’t want to take any risks when you get behind the wheel.

Although it may seem like common sense, you should never drive on a flat tire. You can quickly lose control of the vehicle and crash. Proper wheel alignment is important after a collision. If your wheels are aligned, then your car is drivable. However, if your wheels are misaligned, you will notice that your vehicle pulls to one side. When that happens, the car can swerve into traffic and cause an accident. If the engine is making strange noises or pulls sharply to one side when driving, it is not safe on the roads and should be parked until you can bring it into a repair shop.

Flat Tire

You should never drive a vehicle without tail lights, turn signals, brake lights, or headlights. Before you hit the road with your damaged car, you want to take a look at your lighting systems. Broken lights may also indicate other issues that you cannot see. For example, a hidden electric component short could lead to a fire. Driving with a broken headlamp, lens, or tail light is dangerous. It is also illegal in almost all states. If you are heading down the road with broken safety equipment, you will likely be pulled over and ticketed. In any case, you never want to drive your car until you can get those broken or missing light fixtures fixed.

Your side mirrors are essential safety features, and you want to make sure they are intact. If the driver side mirror is in place, but your passenger-side mirror is missing, then you will still be able to drive the car. You will have to use the rearview mirror to compensate for that lost mirror. However, with two mirrors missing, you might be pulled over by law enforcement for operating a vehicle without the proper safety equipment. Along with that, it is hazardous to drive without these mirrors. You will increase your chance of causing another accident if you cannot see the traffic around your vehicle.

Side Mirrors

Finally, make sure to check out your hood. If the hood can be locked and closed, you are safe to hit the road. After an accident, the locking mechanism can become damaged, and your hood will not stay shut on the car. A damaged hood can cause air pressure to build up from the engine, and the hood can pop open as you drive down the road. As you can imagine, the hood will completely block your vision. In this nightmare scenario, you are a danger to yourself and other drivers on the road. You never want to risk the chance of an accident. If your hood or other components are broken, make sure to take your car to a reliable auto body shop.

 

Driving After an Accident Checklist

In short, here is a review of the parts and components you need to inspect before hitting the road. This checklist will ensure that your vehicle is ready to drive. If any parts are broken or failing, you need to tow your car to a repair shop before driving.

  • Make sure your lamps are functioning.
  • Check to ensure your mirrors are intact.
  • Make sure there is no leaking fluid.
  • Ensure your wheels are in proper alignment.
  • Make sure your hood is not broken.

 

Repair Your Car

After an accident, there is going to be damage to the vehicle. In some cases, the damages are minor. You might even consider hitting the road without the proper inspection. However, there are a few things that you need to take into consideration.

Depending on the severity of the accident, you might be able to drive the car without any issues. If there is significant damage to your vehicle, and you drive it without an inspection, you could face some severe consequences. In some cases, the damage is not visible to the driver. When you drive the car, it could be causing more damage to essential components. In turn, your insurance company might deny your claim since you never had an initial inspection of the vehicle. After driving a car in an accident, you can cause more vehicle problems. In some cases, the car might be damaged beyond repair.

Car Inspection

Without a proper inspection, your car is an unsafe vehicle. Your brake fluids might be leaking, or the wheels are misaligned. When you take your vehicle on the road, you run the risk of another accident. If you cause an accident with your damaged vehicle, you can get into serious legal trouble. Anyone injured in this accident can sue you for damages, and your insurance company might deny your claims. You don’t want to take the risk and cause injuries to other drivers and passengers because you neglected to have your car inspected.

 

Looking for an Auto Body Shop Near Me?

If your car has been in a collision, contact Elmer’s Auto Body to set up an appointment. We can get your vehicle back on the road as quickly as possible. You can schedule an inspection by calling (856) 218-0202.

Will My Car Be Worth Less After an Accident?

After an accident, you may be worried about your vehicle’s value. Those minor accidents can require bodywork and other repairs. When you bring your car in for a repair, it does not mean your vehicle’s value will drop. There are many factors to take into consideration regarding car value. Here are a few things you should know about repair work and car values.

 

Damage Can Lower Value

Most experts will tell you that a car with damage is worth less than the same vehicle without any damage. Some claim that the car loses as much as 33 percent of its value if it has required repair work after an accident. However, this figure does not take into consideration the mileage of the car, options installed in the vehicle, or other factors that can affect a vehicle’s value.

After an accident, your vehicle has experienced economic loss known as diminished value. If your car is damaged in an accident and gets repaired, it will have a damage history. In most cases, this history can lower your vehicle’s resale value. For many cars, the vehicle’s diminished value is due to aftermarket parts. However, even those cars repaired at a dealership will see some diminished value when they are fixed.

There are several ways that your car can sustain diminished value after a car accident. Immediate diminished value is the difference between your vehicle’s trade-in value before the accident and the resale value after the completed repairs. Inherent diminished value assumes that your car has been repaired to the original condition. However, this value takes into account that your vehicle has been in an accident. Inherent diminished value reduces the car’s worth when you try to resell it. Lastly, repair-related diminished value is the lost value that results from the quality of repairs. For example, if you used aftermarket parts or the paint color does not match, then the quality of the repair can cause a loss in the vehicle’s value.

 

Should I Worry About My Car’s Diminished Value?

After an accident, your vehicle will see a decrease in its value. When you list your car for sale after an accident, it will not have the same value as a brand new vehicle. Even when you repair your vehicle, you might not recover its full value. Any type of accident will lower the resale value when compared to those cars that were never involved in an accident. When your insurance pays to have the damage fixed, the accident will become part of the vehicle’s history report. Services like Carfax can access those reports, and that can lead to a lowering of your car’s value. These values will come into play when you are ready to trade-in or resell your vehicle. In some cases, an accident can knock off thousands of dollars from your original car value.

Unfortunately, the diminished value can affect your resale value. If you are selling a brand new car after an accident, your insurance company will repair it to its original condition. When you sell your vehicle, the new buyer or dealership often checks out your car’s history. In turn, they might not be willing to pay your asking price for the vehicle. Many buyers will not even consider buying a vehicle that was involved in an accident.

Diminished Car Value

With diminished value, your vehicle has not only incurred physical damage, but it has suffered from a loss in value. This diminished value can affect your car on several levels. Now that you know your vehicle will lose value, you can be compensated for the overall loss of value by filing a diminished value insurance claim. This claim can help you recover the difference in the car’s value before your vehicle was in an accident. Depending on the circumstances, you cannot always file these claims, but you might want to look into these options. You will need to get your car professionally appraised so that you can make a claim for its lost value.

 

Can I Prevent Vehicle Depreciation After an Accident?

Cars will always lose value, even those that are not involved in an accident. The only way you can prevent severe depreciation is to avoid any accidents. You need to keep your car in good working order, perform proper maintenance, and be vigilant behind the wheel. However, even with the safest drivers, there is a chance that your vehicle could be involved in an accident. In those cases, you cannot prevent the damage to your car, but you can take a few steps to minimize the loss that can occur from these collisions.

 

Choose a Good Repair Shop

A good repair shop may be able to discreetly fix the damage so that even an experienced appraiser will not notice issues with your car. There are also methods for repairing vehicles today, like paintless dent repair, that allow technicians to repair your vehicle with no need for body filler or painting. These techniques mean that the repair may be virtually undetectable when you trade it.

However, it is important to note that almost every car has a vehicle report that may show it was involved in an accident. If your dealer uses one of these reports, they will discover any repairs to your car.

Good Repair Shop

Think About a Dealer Trade-In

If you are trading your vehicle at a dealership, there are a few things you need to know. Any undamaged car with less than 30,000 miles will receive the highest offer from a dealer, especially if it has a look that buyers want at the time. The dealer can detail the car and place it on their own lot. Undamaged vehicles with 30,000 to 65,000 miles will receive a higher offer than a car with the same mileage and accident damage. However, if the damage is virtually undetectable, your car might be able to command a higher resale price.

Dealers often put these cars on their used lots, but they usually auction or wholesale them. Damage in vehicles with more than 65,000 miles may not impact the dealer’s asking price since they are going straight to auction or wholesale. In these cases, the more mileage you have on an older vehicle, the less likely damage from an accident will significantly impact the dealer’s trade-in price.

 

Individual Sales

One way to avoid losing money due to damage is to sell the car by yourself. The person who purchases your vehicle may not mind that it is damaged. It is wise to inform the buyer of any car damage as vehicle reports are available online to anyone who wishes to purchase them. Any insurance claims or police reports will appear in the vehicle report. The report may even note any significant damage to the vehicle.

Insurance companies will use a precise formula to calculate your damaged car’s depreciated value. In most cases, the figure is usually the same for all insurance companies. However, if you are selling the vehicle, the depreciated value can become more subjective. The potential buyer might feel the car is worth more than its depreciated value. If they are looking for a specific vehicle, it may be worth more to them, even if it is damaged. On the other hand, they can use the damage history to negotiate your car’s price.

 

Need an Auto Body Shop Near Me?

While you cannot prevent a car’s value loss after an accident, there are a few things to do to help prevent a complete loss on your vehicle. Besides selling the car, you want to complete all the car’s necessary repairs. When your vehicle needs repairs after an accident, there is no need to worry. A good repair shop will do the work that can minimize the vehicle’s loss from an accident.

Elmer’s Auto Body can return your car to its original condition and get you back on the road. If the damage is relatively minor, we may be able to use paintless dent repair technology. Many of these repair techniques are virtually undetectable, and your vehicle will look good as new. Schedule an appointment today by calling the shop at (856) 218-0202.