2004 XC90 Body Frame (Hit by Tow Hitch) Question

[cn90]

Hi everyone,

- Looking at 2004 XC90 2.5T with 100K for my son to use in college.

- Car looks fine, requiring some work but overall not bad.

- When I opened the hood I saw the "Front Bar" indentation, pushed back about 3/4 inch or so.
My theory is that the XC90 hit a Tow Hitch (such as XC90 going 5 mph forward and hit another car with Tow Hitch).

- Car drives straight, no issues.

- Anyway, with this minor push back of the Front Bar from a minor accident, do you guys see any issues. I personally do not think it is an issue but just curious what the crowd here would say.

- Here is a drawing that I tried my best to draw...

XC90.jpg (68.76 KiB) Viewed 1170 times

[oragex]

Doesn't seem big deal to me. If this happened a while ago, look at the front tires for even wear across the width and for traces of 'cupping' (threads with torn rubber). But I don't think with such a small dent.

While there, google a bit about awd issues with this car - haldex, angle gear

[Rattnalle]

It takes much more than a 5 mph hit to bend the front collision bar or whatever it's called in english. That's a really thick piece of steel designed to spread forces from offset frontal crashes. Not something that bends from rolling into the car in front. I'm guessing the car has had the entire front trim and probably some other stuff around it replaced as well. Any receipts?

Personally I'd consider a car with such a large dent there compromised when it comes to safety. Life's too fragile to take such risks just to save a few dollars.

[ReedTX]

The front bumper reinforcement is affixed to both of the front frame rails. It's pretty hard to bend the reinforcement bar without causing indirect damage to the frame rails. It is possible they only took minor damage at the points where they mount to the reinforcement and are not affecting the suspension alignment, but it is also quite possible that the frame rail bent further back and will be manifested during any attempts to align the vehicle.

Standard industry time for a "setup and measure" is 2 labor hours- usually around $100 depending on what part of the country you are in. Check with a local body or frame shop and see if they will be willing to measure it for you, and if the owner will agree to letting you have it measured before purchasing.

If it is out of spec, they can likely pull it and correct it. In that case, be prepared to pay a few hours of labor to remove the front bumper assembly, quite a few dollars to replace the damaged reinforcement, and a few more hours to pull the frame rails.