I found a Corolla hatchback, 2019. Carfax said 0 accidents. I looked at it myself, the seams were off. Took it to a mechanic and they said that there was some impact damage to the lower radiator support but that it didn't really seem to damage the frame. They said they had also found codes for the steering angle sensor.
Would something like that cause mainly aesthetic issues? Or is there anything else to be worried about for something like that? I don't mind driving a less-than-perfect car if I can get a discount on it for something like this. But I also don't want to naively sign up for something that will be a problem in the future.
Looking for a bit of peace of mind, thanks. Or some wisdom. Both is nice.
Cars these days are all unibodies. They're basically like riding in a soda can. There is no frame, the skin of the car is the frame. It's cheap to make, lightweight, and provides ample crush zones to protect people in an accident, win-win for everyone involved, to a degree.
The problem is, for the fact there is no frame, it's extremely difficult to pull back into shape -you can't cut a bad section of frame out and put a new piece in. You can do that with a pickup truck. They have real frames. Ever dent a soda can and try to pop it back perfectly round? You can't do it. Once crumple zones have been triggered, it won't perform correctly again if it hits something else. The radiator support is part of the front crumple zone. If the panels don't line up, it made more than a bumper scuff.
I would also completely forget about this one. Unreported accidents are suspicious. My step dad unknowingly bought a flooded vehicle, a month later, the transmission blew up- full of water and mud. No report to carfax. It was a rental car and they "fixed" it in-house to dodge the hit. Lucky for him, the financing bank took the money back from the dealer when they found out.
Yeah, I'm guessing this one wasn't reported since the damage is all from a bottom-impact... I'm guessing they just hit a curb or something (its a low riding vehicle) and since no one else was involved they just didn't report it.
The tpms and steering angle sensors had codes. What kind of thing could cause stuff like that?
That's good to know that the frame concern is different for new unibody cars.
I wouldn't pursue it any further, personally. The steering angle sensor is inside the steering column, from what I just read. Stuff could be put together improperly, etc.
There is also the possibility of hidden damage. Your mechanic says it otherwise checks out fine, but the alignment could be off. Camber, caster and toe. You can't see that kind of damage with your eyes unless it's significantly off.
Thanks so much for explaining that, that really helps me understand. The dealer said that the reason the steering angle sensor is off is because the tpms sensors were off... I don't know if they're right on that or if that's just what they're saying. I think I'm going to not buy it. Although I'm just curious now, what could cause codes for those types of sensors? I think the mechanic said they could be old codes that just hadn't been taken off. Would hitting a curb cause something like that, or is it maybe something else?
TPMS sensors go bad after years. They're battery powered pressure sensors that tell you when the tires are low. They may not have re-synced them to the computer after replacing a tire or something? That still sounds odd too me. I'm not sure what would cause a steering angle sensor to go bad. That's a Toyota, so I wouldn't expect it to really ever go bad.
I would run
thanks! the mechanic said everything in the car looked alright, but just that the front bumper was not lined up properly when reattached, there is just some impact damage to lower radiator support. He said the car seemed safe to drive and not a problem. Just suggested to make sure they run a diagnostic on the codes for the steering angle sensor and the tpms sensors.
Mechanic said the car was overall alright. I'm just trying to get an idea of how bad damage to a lower radiator support is, and if that is something that I would need to have fixed or if its fine being left as is.
Maybe the damage is negligible. The problem is, they already lied about the damage, the seams are off and who knows what else. I'd take @mmj advice and SPRINT away from this one, unless you really like expensive surprises. I do not.
I guess, if it seems that that is the only damage, how bad of damage is that. The mechanic said the car is alright, just has damage to that part, and I didn't know what to make of it. Does that part need to be fixed or can the car run fine with something like that damaged? Its weird too because the car was "Blue" certified by the ford dealer... said no damage to the car.. how did the service mechanics not see that damage? Is it possible to see that sort of damage and it not be that bad of damage. I think Scotty has shown some cars people brought in that had been wrecked but it was aesthetic damage and they got a discount for it.
Who knows how severe the unreported accident was or what else is wrong with the car as a result. I'd stay away.
The mechanic looked at the rest of the car and said it was good in the pre-purchase inspection. Is that usually good enough to go off of or no?
The unreported accident just seems like they hit a curb or something with the bottom of the car.
Regardless of what anyone here says, it appears you're going to buy it anyway. Good Luck! Hope it works out for you.
Sorry, was playing devil's advocate. My main thing is, I'm guessing the damage is just the driver ran over a curb or speed bump so I can see why it wasn't a "reported accident".
I just got conflicting information was all, so I wanted to know a bit more about the reasoning behind "run" versus "the car is fine".
It sounds like, run, because damage that significant to the lower radiator support isn't usually caused by just hitting s curb, it was likely involved in a crash that wasn't reported? As opposed to, damage to the radiator support is a big issue.
Too many red flags. If you value your money and your peace of mind look elsewhere.
If you are getting this information from a dealer, you're already in trouble.