Damage Analysis and Inspection Flashcards
7 cards from real CAADE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Damage Analysis and Inspection flashcards as text
When inspecting a vehicle for hidden structural damage after a frontal collision, which area requires the most careful measurement?
Answer: Strut tower-to-strut tower width
Strut tower-to-strut tower width is a primary datum measurement used to detect crush or lateral misalignment in the engine compartment after a frontal impact.
A vehicle exhibits paint cracking in a starburst pattern on a body panel. This most likely indicates:
Answer: Improper panel straightening without removing the paint
Starburst or spider-web paint cracking typically results from metal being worked or straightened without stripping the paint layer first.
Which tool is specifically used to measure and compare diagonal distances across a vehicle's body structure?
Answer: Trammel bar
A trammel bar measures diagonal distances across the vehicle frame or body to detect diamond or twist damage.
During a damage inspection, 'cow-catcher' deformation refers to damage occurring at the:
Answer: Front lower rail tips folding outward
Cow-catcher describes a condition where the front frame rail tips fold outward and upward, resembling the shape of a train's cow-catcher.
An appraiser finds that a vehicle's headlamp-to-fender gap is wider on the driver side than the passenger side. This finding most directly suggests:
Answer: Driver-side front-end misalignment or structural shift
Uneven headlamp-to-fender gaps indicate that the front-end structure has shifted, commonly from a prior collision on that side.
Which type of damage is characterized by a vehicle's frame being higher on one corner relative to the others?
Answer: Twist damage
Twist damage occurs when one corner of the vehicle structure is displaced vertically relative to the others, causing a torsional distortion.
When inspecting a unibody vehicle after a side impact, the inspector should pay particular attention to:
Answer: Rocker panel crush and floor pan buckling
The rocker panel is a primary structural member in a unibody, and side impacts frequently cause rocker crush and floor pan deformation that affects structural integrity.