Shop Talk: Snow Bank versus Vehicle

SNOW BANK VS VEHICLE

Winter driving is tough enough without minor mishap sending you looking for a dependable body shop.  Winter’s extreme cold combined with the compact nature of something as innocent-looking as a snowbank pose serious threats to all plastic auto parts.

Winter’s frigid temperatures leave plastic brittle. It cracks easily, without much pressure. Which plastic parts are most likely to crack or break during a run in with a snow bank?

• Front end air dams
• Plastic bumpers and plastic bumper covers
• Under-engine shields
• Wheel well liners
• Rearview mirror housings
• Headline lenses and trim
• Grill panels
• Fog lamps
• Fog lamp bezels

A typical freeze/thaw cycle makes the snowbanks hard . Combine that with a slick surface and sliding while parking is a real threat. It’s the same with the snow banks piling up at the end of your driveway. In addition, those fluffy-looking snow drifts often mask even more threats – landscaping rocks, fire hydrants, etc.

You can’t always avoid sliding into a situation but you can get defensive. There is a lot written about defensive Driving, but none of it applies to Fluffy looking snow banks. It’s only snow right? Wrong, plowing through that snow pile the plow left at the end of the driveway is like plowing through boulders of ice and can cause a lot of damage to the front bumper, Bumper air dams, grilles, fog lamps and engine under shields.

Every vehicle and every snowbank is different.

Cars ride low to the ground and it takes less to damage rocker panels, wheel wells and bumpers. SUVs and trucks have road clearance but they aren’t immune to ice and snow. A snowbank may be clean and soft-looking or ugly gray and foreboding. Either can hide a solid object underneath. Even snow jammed into the radiator can cause overheating and even more problems.

The bottom line?

As you pull into that parking spot, cruise a parking lot or bust your way into your driveway remember: Hitting a snowbank can be like hitting a stone wall. Ice is hard!

Call our Body Shop or Service Center if you need help with repairs or maintenance.

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