Engine Repair in Rowlett, TX

Do I need engine repair after a collision?

A front-end hit does not stop at the bumper. The radiator, the condenser, the transmission and oil coolers, the fans and the oil pan all live in the first two feet of the car. A collision hard enough to fold a bumper is usually hard enough to crack or shift one of them, and a cracked cooler does not always leak on day one. That is the repair people come back with three weeks later.

What we check after a front-end collision

• Radiator and condenser for cracks, splits and fin damage

• Transmission and oil cooler lines for kinks and contact damage

• Fan, fan shroud and fan clutch for contact and cracking

• Belt routing and pulley alignment

• Oil pan and sump for impact damage

• Engine and transmission mounts, in case the engine has shifted

• Coolant and oil for cross-contamination

Why we scan before and after

A modern engine reports its own problems, but only if something is listening. We pull codes before the repair so we know what the collision actually broke, and again after it, so nothing is handed back with a warning light waiting to come on in a week.

Damage that shows up later

Cooling damage is slow. A hairline crack in a radiator end tank or a pinched cooler line can run for weeks before the temperature gauge moves, and by then the damage is no longer a cooling repair. Checking it during the collision repair is far cheaper than finding it afterwards.

Collision damage and mechanical failure are not the same claim

This matters at claim time. Damage caused by the impact is part of the collision claim. A part that was already worn or already failing before the accident is not, and an adjuster will separate the two. We document what the impact did and what it did not do, so the collision portion of your claim is supported by the vehicle rather than by an argument.

It also protects you the other way. If the accident did break something, it should be on the claim rather than paid for out of your pocket three weeks later.

What happens when you bring the car in

We look at the front of the vehicle with the cover off, scan the vehicle for stored and active codes, pressure-check the cooling system where the damage warrants it, and give you a written estimate. If we find damage that is not visible from the outside, you will see it before the repair is authorised, not on the invoice afterwards.