The problem with floor pulls

June 5, 2018
There I was reviewing estimates at a shop and found “floor pull” written on two estimates where the damage was assessed by the same insurance adjuster.

There I was reviewing estimates at a shop and found “floor pull” written on two estimates where the damage was assessed by the same insurance adjuster. As the shop manager and I were discussing the issue with floor pulls the insurance adjuster walked up to the vehicle we were reviewing.   

Those of you who know me can visualize what happened next. The shop manager and I told the insurance adjuster we were discussing the need to set the vehicle up on the frame machine and measure it before any pulls were performed. The adjuster said, “Nah, just hook up to it to see if you can line it up.” I, playing the devil’s advocate asked the adjuster what he thought pulling the vehicle without it being properly secured would do to the rest of the vehicle. He didn’t really have an answer but eluded the question by saying, “If pulled properly nothing else on the vehicle should be affected.” I went on to tell him what I will tell you in this article.

The problem with floor pulls is you do not know exactly what is moving during the pull. Unibody structures are made from a variety of metals which have different reactions to pulling forces. You also do not know what was actually damaged during the collision and you would only be pulling visible damage. Along with the primary damage, there is also secondary damage that occurs during a collision. Primary damage is the point of impact, and secondary damage is the vehicle’s reaction to that impact. Fixing only the primary damage without considering the secondary damage can lead to disaster.   

I was at another shop recently where a vehicle was brought in for a post-accident inspection because the vehicle owner felt that something was not right. He had wind noise at both of the front doors, the right rear door was hard to open and the shop that repaired the vehicle could not figure out what was wrong.

In the accident the vehicle slid off the road into a ditch and had damage to the left front. After reviewing the photos of the vehicle damage, the inspector asked if the vehicle was measured during the original repairs. The damage appraisal from the original repairs only indicated a floor pull was performed to correct damage on the left front. The inspector then had the vehicle measured and found that not only was the left front rail measurement out of specification, but the left front corner of the torque box was also out of specification as was the right rear rail end.   

After reviewing the measurements with the customer and the insurance company the vehicle was determined to be a total loss. If this vehicle had been measured properly during the original damage assessment not only would the damage at the front of the vehicle been identified correctly, but the secondary damage would also have been found.  

The first step in determining what was damaged during the collision requires some analysis. The vehicle will tell you where it is hurt — you just need to look. Walk around the vehicle and look for dents caused by compression as well as differences in panel gaps. Next, anchor the vehicle to your frame machine and then measure specific points. A vehicle’s structure is separated into three parts, the center section (torque box), the front section and the rear section. The first measurement you should take is of the center section or torque box, this is a four-point measurement that will tell you if the center section shifted during the collision. Next, measure the end of the frame rails on the opposite end of the vehicle damage.  While this might seem odd, this is a critical measurement because it helps identify any secondary damage. Finally, measure the end of the frame rails on the end of the vehicle with the primary damage. Together these measurements will tell you what is damaged, what part of the vehicle structure moved during the collision and what type of correction you will need to take to restore the vehicle to pre-accident condition.   

In the end, the adjuster allowed time to set up and measure the vehicle, and additional damage was found. I hope you can use this article to help others understand that while floor pulls might have once had a place in collision repair, they don’t work on today’s vehicles. Just as scanning is necessary in collision damage assessment, so is structure measurement.

Sponsored Recommendations

Best Body Shop and the 360-Degree-Concept

Spanesi ‘360-Degree-Concept’ Enables Kansas Body Shop to Complete High-Quality Repairs

ADAS Applications: What They Are & What They Do

Learn how ADAS utilizes sensors such as radar, sonar, lidar and cameras to perceive the world around the vehicle, and either provide critical information to the driver or take...

Banking on Bigger Profits with a Heavy-Duty Truck Paint Booth

The addition of a heavy-duty paint booth for oversized trucks & vehicles can open the door to new or expanded service opportunities.

Boosting Your Shop's Bottom Line with an Extended Height Paint Booths

Discover how the investment in an extended-height paint booth is a game-changer for most collision shops with this Free Guide.