Damaged floor, worth fixing? dangerous?

[tiamai_d]

Our little 3 door fiesta was in an accident today. Back end spun out on a corner and it went over bricks. Only damage is underneath which has caused the floor in the back footwell (drivers side) to rise up quite a bit.

The back seats have never been used as the car is used to take OH to work and back.

If, the car turns out to still be safe and legal to drive, would it be worth having it fixed or just leave it and never use that side of the back seats?

Opinions please.

[Hintza]

Check no damage to brake pipes and exhaust system. You might also want to check that the wheels and suspension are OK.

Assuming there is no other damage it shouldn't be a problem driving it. You might want to get you local bodyshop to bash the floor back down again how much you spend on doing that will depend on the value of the car.

[steveo3002]

if the garage confirms all the important bits are still safe , then id suggest you find a friend thats a diy person..a stout block of wood and a club hammer should make it useable again

[goldspanners]

i would also go under it with a tin of hammerite and slap it over any bits of bare metal,especially the floor,with the amount of salt put on our roads it will rot in no time.

[Pew Pew Pew Lasers!]

Depends if the chassis is still straight.

Get it looked at.

[wazza]

First off i will check if the brake pipe and petrol pipe has been damaged. Easy way to check is look under the car and see if you see anything dripping or if there is a wet patch on the ground. Check your brake fluid reservoir to see if it is still full,

most car have brake pipes running under the car and some have petrol pipe running inside the car.

Remove the back seat to check if nothing has been damaged like the wiring for the rear lights etc.

If you are not qualified then take the car to the garage and check underneath. Check for damaged pipes and also for any damage to the suspension and the chassis. If the garage says everything is okay then just get them to hammer out the dent.

Has the wheels hit anything? If so have the tyres checked and have a four wheel alignment check.

[cyclonebri1]

if the garage confirms all the important bits are still safe , then id suggest you find a friend thats a diy person..a stout block of wood and a club hammer should make it useable again


I think I'd actually thump this back reasonably flat before I got it checked out, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that you could do damage to brake/fuel lines that isn't visible at present.

It is quite possible that if it's raised the floor by the amount you have indicated it will have distorted the chassis, this being all one and the same effectively. Needs a 4 wheel alignment check methinks.;)

Ah, just seen the last post mentioned this too.

[tiamai_d]

Thanks everyone.

Seems to be running fine and no puddles underneath.

It will be going in in the next day or two.

[Hintza]

Just keep a feel for any untoward vibrations, you might have damaged a rim.

Assuming it is an older car as has been stated a block of wood and a big hammer should do the trick.

[tiamai_d]

It's a 2001 (or 2002, can't remember off hand) fiesta.

The back end keeps wanting to slide out though, so there may have been a problem there already. Though I think he was just going too fast and it's his own fault. :rolleyes:

It's booked in for next week anyway.

[Hintza]

The back end keeps wanting to slide out though, so there may have been a problem there already.

Possibly needed a shock absorber or a rear suspension bush if it was skipping out at the back.

I have an old Merc tthat was revived for another yea on the road (almost up) and there is a rear bush away and it always wants to step out at the back on corners or even under acceleration....very dangerous. Thanfully it is now off the road.

[tiamai_d]

*update*

Car has been checked and is fine. The floor will get hammered down with a chunk of wood at some point, though as the back seats are never used there is no rush.

No reason has been found for it's new habit of 'drifting'. It did it to me too, going up a hill on a tight bend and the thing just 'drifted' to the other side of the road, I was in 3rd gear (and it was struggling so I should have been in 2nd). It doesn't spin out, just sorta drifts.... But no reason has been found :confused:

Gremlins.

[hartcjhart]

try putting a big bag of sand or cement in the middle of the boot and see if that sorts it

as an after thought are the wheels and tyres exactly the same size on the rear axle,any difference however small could cause a problem

[tiamai_d]

try putting a big bag of sand or cement in the middle of the boot and see if that sorts it

as an after thought are the wheels and tyres exactly the same size on the rear axle,any difference however small could cause a problem

They look it, alloy wheels, and all the same.

Personally I think the car is just a turd.