Every owner of a low ground-clearance car can take in so many issues if they accidentally drove over a curb. How severe it becomes often outweighs the ones with higher clearance, no doubt.
Besides damage to the bottom of the car, car hitting also entails matters for other components and the suspension systems.
Here is a brief article insightful about types of damages and viable measures to deal with the problems later on as well as the maintenance guide.
Let us throw them on the light!
Accidentally Drove Over A Curb: What Damage Can Pop Up?
Just running over a curb can bring you more trouble than you might think of: the car swinging, fluid leaking, corrosion, and problems related to the suspension, transmission, exhaust system, wheel alignment, and other components.
The Car Veers While Driving
The car’s will undergo serious corruption after driving over a curb, starting with the control arm and tie rod.
It results in the vehicle veering and rattling noises while driving around turns. Moreover, a severe hit also leads to bad rotors that are unsafe to drive with the shaking steering wheel.
Swaying is more vigorous than bouncing. Curbs deteriorate the tie rods, which link the driveshaft and wheels to the steering column, triggering a loose steering wheel and poor overall handling.
Thus, your car can’t go in a straight line as it pulls to either the right or left. Once you figure out these odd signs, it’s time to check and repair.
Suspension Issues
Suspension issues show common signs: much bouncing over the rough terrain or speed bumps.
To explain, strong striking will deteriorate multiple integrals like steering knuckles, spindles, and control arms.
In the worst scenario, you can risk getting in an accident with such a car. If the case goes to you, you can’t help but repair the OEM car parts.
Transmission Problems
Regarding the possible deterioration after hitting, it can’t skip the issues for the transmission system, leading to shifting problems.
Notably, a tall and jagged curb often breaks the axles and shafts, disconnects cooling lines and cables, and even busts the oil pan.
Let’s do a thorough transmission checkup to measure the damage level and get your car to the service centers.
Exhaust Problems
The curbs’ sharp edges pierce muffles, catalytic converters, and fuel lines, which can end up with a drop in fuel amount and illuminating the dash lights of “check oil”.
Never undervalue this problem due to its danger.
Wheel Alignment Problems
Wheel alignment also gets damaged after a huge shock, leading to being out of whack and pulling the car to a single side.
Once you heed the car can’t go in a straight line, it’s a must to check if the tire wears uneven or if the sidewall and bend rims are damaged.
Poor-quality tires also cause womp womp noise during driving that you must notice and fix.
Leaking Fluid
Hitting a curb also affects the car’s last part, the undercarriage. It covers many integrals engaged to fluid lines and oil pans.
Hence, fluid leaking informs the destructive undercarriage. To this end, repairing the transmission system can help.
Weakened Underbody Protection
Its non-debatable underbody protection plates and panels get weaker under severe impacts.
Setting your eyes on these parts is recommended. Remember that even minor matters can be the foundation for an imminent catastrophe.
Corrosion
An enormous underside scrape will be off the excellent start for the corrosion later on. If not, it will also lead to the component’s corruption or operation failure.
Minor Body Damage
Minor destruction can take place on rocker panels and the front bumper. Later on, the stuff can be the root cause of the corrosion, making you blast out on your vehicle.
Other Severe Damage
The car damage might expose a lot more of your car’s undercarriage to danger.
When you see a warning from the automobile that will immediately affect how the vehicle operates, you should act on it.
In other words, it’s advised to take the vehicle to the service center or dealer as soon as possible to address any potential problems.
What Should I Do After I Went Over A Curb With My Car?
You can get on your nerves after your car’s severe strike! However, worries are never a viable measure to cope with the dilemma. Take a closer look at this section for more vital tips:
Track Down Your Car
First and foremost, inspect the tire pressure. It’s prone to burst, dented, torn, etc. Never leave it unchecked, as minor damage from bulging inner belts can be dangerous.
By the way, take a look at the wheels and rims of your car. It’s a must to ensure the entire wheels are still satisfactory to prevent the potential risks.
Be observant of odd sounds and movements of the vehicle as well.
Afterwards, check the wheel alignment, suspension, steering, and transmission parts. Ensure that all these components are risk-free and positioned correctly.
If anything gets wrong, consult the expert to fix the pressing issues as soon as possible.
DIY Fixes For Minor Damages
After detecting, you can also do some DIY methods to have them fixed if you’re well-trained.
Tires, rims, wheel alignment, and suspension are likely easier to sort out than the strut and strut mount, often requiring the mechanic to work on them.
On top of that, never skip the manufacturer’s manuals to have things done better.
Take Your Car To An Expert
If the severity goes far beyond your ability, you can have the car checked by a skilful mechanic, professional, or an auto workshop.
Of note, some minor matters can be visible yet hide more potential dangers. Only a thorough inspection can clear the issues.
After all, it would help if you were more alert when facing the curb in the future. The more careful you’re, the fewer matters pop up.
How To Prevent Scraping Your Car?
Entailing tips and hints to tackle the car after you drive over a curb are some resolutions for hindering scraping the car. It’s worth taking note of, hands down!
Drive Over Obstacles Slowly
The slower the speed is, the safer you can get while facing obstacles. It’s the easiest way to minimize the scraping car rate.
A narrow driveway is never an easy task for a novice. Be careful!
Prevent Viable Distractions
To best keep safe, clear anything causing your distraction, even minor.
Get started by switching your phone to silent mode, resisting the urge to control the stereo when driving, and clearing the front panel for better vision.
Under no circumstances should you sacrifice your safety for worthless things.
Dodge Sharp Objects On The Go
A loss of driving control can derive from sharp objects dodging.
Eventually, the car veers off on the go, and the bumpy surface is the enemy of the car’s perfection. Strive to do your best to avoid all sharp stuff on the run.
Park Your Car Like A Pro
Avoiding a collision with the curb boils down to your parking technique. Based on this, you should practice parking in various settings, including parallel parking lots.
Invest In A Set Of Curb Ramps
It’s reasonable to get a set of ramps for the curb instead of squandering money on tacking incidents.
The image demonstrates the driveway’s immediate proximity to the street. The possibility of scraping will be negligible with the aid of a qualified set.
Low-priced, user-friendly, and long-lasting curb ramps are now widely available on the market.
Wrapping Up
“Accidentally drove over a curb” is not an uncommon incident that a driver often encounters, even a master. It’s undoubtedly that the consequences will stem from human errors and objective reasons.
Yet no matter what the root causes are, it’s vital to keep calm and tackle the issues wisely. Hopefully, the information in this post will be handy for your journey.
Share it with your beloved ones to maintain their safety! Good luck!