About 3 weeks ago I was involved in an accident, and the front of the truck was damaged. The bumper took the most damage and it was pushed down. They replaced the bumper, plastic upper bumper, valence, hood, one headlight, my Roush grill, trans cooler, AC condenser, and realigned the fenders. Well I get the truck back a couple days ago and decide to take a look under the front because I hear a rattle noise. Turns out the brackets on the front of the frame were bent down during the accident, so they bent them up but not straight and you can see the cracks where they didnt weld or repair anything. Also the brackets are bent outward, and the inside bolts are even tightened down...the main bolts holding the bumper on! I also found several other bolts not tight, Im curious how the front end is even holding together. Also the plastic upper bumper fitment is like crap, I believe its an aftermarket piece. Also the hood where they painted, you can see noticeable streaks in the color, between light and dark silver. Its hard to explain, but in certain light its easy to see.

Basically my question is on the frame repair, should they weld the brackets where they split from the frame? I would think so but Im not a collision repair expert here. As you can tell I am not at all pleased with the repairs made, and this was supposed to be a reputable shop.

 

I don't know what brackets exactly you're speaking of, but when I got hit, they had to replace and weld the bumper horns (the brackets where the bumper is connected to the frame) in place, there wasn't any straightening to do. They hacked the old one off and welded a new one in it's place.

 

The brackets that connect the frame to the bumper, it sounds as though they removed and installed new on your truck. All they did was push mine back, they made no weld repairs or anything. When the bumper was bent downward during the accident, the brackets were also bent down and they split from the frame. All the repair shop did was bent them back, you can still see where they are cracked.

 

Those are structural components, they really should have been hacked off and replaced.

 

I certainly would not accept that kind of work. The frame should be repaired by cutting the bent section off and welding new horns on. All the bolts should be tight. Take it back and make them fix it right or contact your insurance and tell them you are taking it elsewhere as it is a safety issue.

 

You should have a copy of the estimate. Check to see if your problem is with the insurance company or the body shop. The body shop may have been paid for replacement and not done or the insurance company may have neglected to pay for all of the damage. Then take it up with whichever one didn't do their job. Insurance is to put you back to where you were prior to the accident.