Car Frame Straightening Cost


Written by:  Howmuchisit.org Staff

Frame damage, in the collision shop world, is a vague term as it can mean repairing literally any part of the car that is not considered the exterior sheet metal.

In some cases, this damage can be quite serious, while other jobs can be minimal, costing you a lot less than you think as the frame will only require a few hammer swings.

As frame damage is quite common, it occurs in more than 50 percent of the accidents nationwide.

The reported frame straightening costs online

The costs of straightening a vehicle’s frame will greatly depend on the car you’re driving, how bad the frame is bent, the complexity, your geographical location and the mechanic/dealership you choose to perform the repair.  With hundreds of people sharing the costs online, we were able to determine the average costs greatly ranged anywhere from as little as $150 to more than $5,000+.  

As most cars today are considered “unibody,” meaning the frame is all one piece, and do not have “frames,” if there were damage, then it is possible to straighten with special equipment, but if the damage is too extreme, do not be surprised if some professionals refuse to work on it.

To budget, the average collision shop will charge anywhere from $50 to $85 per hour, with the average frame straightening job taking eight to 13+ hours to complete, meaning most jobs will cost anywhere from $450 to $1,200+.  As all jobs are so unique, it can be very hard to give an exact estimate.

Talking to a body shop, one professional noted the costs will depend on how many parts he has to remove.  If you bought the car in 100% assembled, but he had to start removing parts, for example, then he will charge $50 an hour to do.  After, he will spend about 90 minutes clamping and chaining the car, which would cost another $150, followed by a computerized test that could cost yet another $75.  In the end, he said it was hard to offer a great estimate, but the costs will add up fast, with most jobs easily taking longer than two days to complete; however, if he saw any gaps, he would often reject the job as the unibody is often too hard to save and will be considered a total loss.

One member on this Ford-Trucks.com forum thread was interested in purchasing a 1968 F100 that had bent frame near the steering, and the professional he talked to noted it would cost about $500 to repair it.  According to the response, they noted the job, based on the pictures provided, would take about seven hours to complete and the quote seemed to be fair.

A member on this Reddit/r/cars thread noted he was rear-ended while going about 30 miles per hour, which caused unibody frame damage.  The total repair bill from his local collision shop, when everything was said and done, was north of $12,000; however, this quote, while unconfirmed, would have included more repairs than just the frame straightening.

How the repair process works

For any type of frame repair, the vehicle is driven onto a platform and bolted to rigid clamps to hold it in place so it is no longer able to move back and forth.  This platform can hold virtually any vehicle and will consist of two to three upright posts which can be rotated 360 degrees and moved along the perimeter in order to access all of the vehicle’s frames, according to Gerber Collision.  Most up-to-date systems used today will use either a sonic sender or line-of-sight laser to assess the frame and assess how much damage has occurred.  With this information, a professional will be able to determine just how long the entire process will take.

Next, after the vehicle is clamped down, the chains are strategically placed on the car’s frame, all based on the body shop’s diagnostic computers, which determine where the straightening is required to bring it back to OEM standards.

Once these chains are connected, the hydraulic equipment increases the tension of the chain to pull each section of the frame back into place.

To confirm, the electronic system will verify the adjustments to ensure the new frame is according to the manufacturer’s standards.


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