It is vital that you are aware of whether your vehicle has a bent frame so you can look into getting it repaired as soon as possible. To help you determine whether your vehicle may have a bent frame, you will want to check out the following three signs.

It Keeps Going Out Of Alignment

Even vehicles that have a perfectly straight frame will go out of alignment from time to time. However, a vehicle that has a bent frame will always continue to be out of alignment, no matter how many times you take it to a shop to have it aligned. If your vehicle has only had one alignment, it could be that the shop made a mistake, as properly aligning a vehicle takes a lot of skill. However, if you take your vehicle to a different shop for an alignment and you find that you are still having trouble getting the vehicle to stay aligned, your problem might be with the frame itself.

Improperly Fitting Parts

When the frame of a vehicle is bent, even slightly so, you will find that a lot of the exterior parts are not going to fit properly. A side panel might overlap or stick out a little to the side. There could be an abnormally large gap between the doors. You might find that a lot of the bolts and mounts that are used are not able to go on properly when you try to replace a part, thinking that the door or panel itself was bad. These are all signs of a problem with the frame of the vehicle.

Shocks Are Not Wearing Evenly

Your vehicle was designed so that it rides down the road in an even manner. Therefore, if you find that your shocks and other suspension parts are wearing unevenly, it may be due to a bent frame. When the frame is bent, more pressure or weight is being placed on one side, end, or corner of the vehicle depending on where the frame is bent and how bad it is bent. No matter how many times you replace those worn out shocks and suspension parts, they will continue to go bad and will probably do so again before the parts on the other side either need replaced.

After taking the previously three signs of a bent frame into consideration, you will know whether it is time to have a skilled auto body shop take a look at your vehicle so it can be repaired. To learn more, contact a company like Lombard Body & Fender Inc.