I need assistance from some body men. Frame guys if you will. Is it possible for the roof of a 1996 Merury Cougar to buckle or crease from a rearend accident that has caused frame damage but no damage to the quarter panels? Bumper looks fine but frame is off on Mash and Sway.
I’m guessing the roof is a lot weaker than the floor, so it gave way. Did the car that rear ended you dive under the bumper a bit? That would add to the force on your roof. Is it a unit body, or is there a frame?
I was thinking it may have been a huge cat chased by an even bigger dog but @taxases advice seems more plausible.
I agree with @texases. The roof is probably a lot weaker than the rest of the car body and it gave way. A good friend of mine was rear ended while driving his Vega GT. Both door pillars were shoved forward and he had to break out the windows to exit the car. The doors would not open and the same with his driver and passenger windows. The car was totalled since the Vega didn’t have much of a frame to begin with.
Why did you start an entirely new discussion on this topic? Isn’t this the same car and damage- http://community.cartalk.com/discussion/2294063/why-is-bumper-styrofoam-still-in-tact-after-rear-end-accident-at-30mph#latest
Here’s a case of roof buckling after the driver ran over a median.
You need to stop asking us if the crease could have been caused by your accident (yes) and get a lawyer to deal with the insurance company.
If this were caused from a rear impact then the roof would be buckled at the center pillars, not near the windshield.
There could be small irregularities of equal size in the roof at the pillars from the factory but impact hard enough to buckle a roof will be at the pillars and will be noticeable dents.
If there are dents near the windshield it is not related. Most likely from a limb, hail or horseplay.
These things happen! Years ago I got rear ended and the engine fan (rear drive V8 car) trashed the radiator! The guy`s insurance paid for the rear end fix as well as a new radiator and fan. The shock probably made the whole powertrain move.
Yes. The impact sends a shock wave through out the car. In some cases there is “space” to allow some movement before a bend sents into a permanent crease. The roof buckling simply means this was a pretty big rear end hit, as also evidenced by the frame damage.
The roof and windshield frame are part of the structural integrity of the car. The impact pushed the back of the car in and upward and if you had a slow motion movie of the impact you’d see substantial curving of the entire car.
Your priorities seem to be misplaced in my opinion. You’re fretting over roof wrinkles when the emphasis should be on the neck injury and retaining a lawyer.
The adjusters are not your friends. They work for the insurance company and their job is to get your name on release forms while getting their employer off as cheaply as possible.