Local mechanics explain damages your car can sustain from getting into icy accidents
The snow is done but the work has just begun. The blizzard of 2018 left roads impassable, sidewalks covered, and backyards buried. And with temperatures dropping, the trouble will continue. Local mechanics talked about damages cars can sustain when getting into icy accidents
"Lots of bent rims, lots of bent control arms, some fender damages," said President of Peninsula Total Car Care David Bierman.
Those were just some of the many problems Bierman sees when cars come in to get fixed after getting into accidents during snowstorms. And he usually knows why they get into them.
"A lot of unprepared drivers and a lot of cars on the road that are on the road that shouldn't be on the road and a lot of people going into the ditch because of it," said Bierman.
Some of the snow is already melting, but as temperatures drop throughout the night it'll re-freeze creating icy road conditions which can seriously damage your car.
"When you have these conditions where it's so slippery outside, its easy to start spinning the tires and you can over rev your engine and if you over rev the engine you have a chance of damaging the engine or the transmission," said Bierman.
And if you drift into a snow bank that can cause serious damage as well.
"What happens is as you back off of the bank it will rip the plastic off of a car like the front end damage on this one already that one's underneath damage," said mechanic John Glynn.
"If you have the top crust, the snow starts to get hard, your radiators in the front and other sensitive stuff and some body control stuff can get damaged from the snow getting jammed in it," said Bierman.
And the cost to repair those types of damages aren't cheap.
"To replace an engine can be upwards of anywhere from the mid threes to all the way up to seven or eight thousand dollars on the average car now," said Bierman.
If you find yourself in a situation where your car begins to slide and you start to lose control Bierman wants drivers to remember this:
"So if you apply gentle pressure to the brakes if it starts to skid the ABS will pulse the front brakes for you and that will help you. The important part is do not oversteer and try to find a clear path to drive the vehicle into," said Bierman.
Bierman also added that if you absolutely have to drive out in these conditions,make sure your vehicle is prepared, defrost your windows, have a full tank of gas. And most importantly slow down and take your time.
