The Most Commonly Damaged Auto Body Parts in Car Accidents

Roberta Willson • August 11, 2022

Over the course of 6 decades, we have seen almost everything come into the salvage yard. Here are the most commonly damaged auto body parts that we see come into R. H. Willson.

Fender

I am sure you have heard the phrase “fender bender” when people describe a minor accident. Bumpers and fenders are often confused when describing these accidents and they are actually different parts that serve different purposes. Fenders are the structure of the wheel well that prevent tires from displacing dirt or debris at other vehicles or even people. Bumpers are there to protect you from impact and like bumpers, fenders take the biggest hit in a collision which is why they are so commonly damaged in an accident. While any body repair can be pricey to fix, a fender is typically a relatively low cost to repair.

Front Bumpers and Rear Bumper

The front bumper is more likely to be damaged than the rear as most vehicles are traveling forward when they get into an accident. Damage can also come from scratches, dings, and dents from just parking lots or parking on the city streets. Rear bumpers take a lot of the hits as well; backing up into objects, shopping carts, and even pedestrians with backpacks that scrape up against your vehicle while parked downtown. Bumpers take the brunt of the damage in an accident as their job is to ease the impact of a collision. If you happen to find yourself in need of repairing your front or rear bumpers, the good news is it also does not typically cost a ton to repair.

Hood

Hood damage happens for all kinds of reasons. Besides the obvious, car accidents causing the hood damage, there are many ways a hood can be damaged…inclement weather like hail or wind that blows objects onto the hood of your vehicle, key scratches, kids, etc. A hood is easily damaged from minor cosmetic issues and those will not cost much to repair. If you find yourself in a bad accident where your hood needs to be replaced, this can cost more.

Grille

After the front bumper, the next thing to be hit in the front is the grille. Grilles are tough but they do get damaged in accidents. When a grille is damaged, it is usually just replaced instead of repaired due to the cheap cost to replace it versus repairing it. In addition, when you repair it you are at risk of the grille being damaged and not functioning properly.

Front and Rear Doors

Doors are fairly commonly damaged in collisions but typically they are involved in more serious accidents. If the doors do not need to be replaced and can be fixed, you will be paying for repair/replacement and paint - this can get expensive depending on the damage. Now if your front or rear doors have minor damage due to small dents or dings, these can be dealt with rather inexpensively and timely.

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By Roberta Willson • January 24, 2024

Is it time for a new vehicle? Are you looking for a great way to make some money before you purchase a new or used vehicle? Did you just put on new tires or new parts into your vehicle? A salvage yard is a great option! A salvage yard might give you more money for your vehicle or parts than from a private sale or as a trade-in at a dealership. Once you have decided to bring your vehicle to a salvage yard, now what? How do you prepare yourself before you arrive and what happens when you get to the salvage yard? Let’s go through the steps to get you the cash you want from your used vehicle! Step One: Make sure you have the title to your vehicle. In order to sell your car to anyone, you need the title to your vehicle and a salvage yard is no exception. If you cannot find or have lost your title, you can request a new one from the RMV. The requirements to obtain a copy are dependent based on which state you live in.

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