CAA Damage Analysis and Estimating 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A front-corner impact has pushed a vehicle's front frame rails to the left of centerline. What type of frame damage is this?
- Sag
- Sway (Correct answer)
- Twist
- Mash
Correct answer: Sway
Sway is side-to-side damage that moves the front, center, or rear section away from the vehicle centerline.
Question 2: Which frame condition describes a center section that sits lower than the manufacturer's specifications, often after a direct front or rear hit?
- Diamond
- Twist
- Sag (Correct answer)
- Sway
Correct answer: Sag
Sag is a vertical misalignment where part of the frame sits lower than specification.
Question 3: On a body-over-frame vehicle, one side rail has been pushed rearward relative to the other so the frame forms a parallelogram. This is called:
- Mash
- Diamond (Correct answer)
- Sway
- Kickup
Correct answer: Diamond
Diamond damage occurs when one rail moves forward or rearward relative to the other, creating a parallelogram shape.
Question 4: After a rollover, one corner of the frame sits higher than the opposite corner. Which damage condition is present?
- Twist (Correct answer)
- Sag
- Mash
- Diamond
Correct answer: Twist
Twist exists when one corner of the vehicle is higher and the diagonally opposite corner is lower than specification.
Question 5: A frame rail that has been shortened by a direct head-on collision, with wrinkles in the rail, has which type of damage?
- Sway
- Sag
- Twist
- Mash (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Mash
Mash is a reduction in length caused by a direct front or rear collision that buckles the rail.
Question 6: In unibody damage analysis, what does the 'cone concept' describe?
- How paint gloss fades from the center of a panel
- How impact energy spreads outward and deeper through the structure from the point of impact (Correct answer)
- How tires wear after misalignment
- How glass cracks radiate from a stone chip
Correct answer: How impact energy spreads outward and deeper through the structure from the point of impact
The cone concept explains that collision force radiates through the unibody in a widening pattern, so damage may exist far from the point of impact.
Question 7: When measuring a vehicle for structural damage, the imaginary horizontal plane used to take height dimensions is the:
- Centerline
- Zero plane
- Datum line (Correct answer)
- Wheelbase line
Correct answer: Datum line
The datum line is a horizontal reference plane from which all vertical (height) measurements are taken.
CAA Damage Analysis and Estimating 2
A front-corner impact has pushed a vehicle's front frame rails to the left of centerline.
What type of frame damage is this?