Body Panel Creaking Sound

[kublikhan]

My '01 Corolla was recently in a fender bender. I had damage to the bumper-fender area on the passenger side. Several parts were replaced during repairs including the fender, bumper, headlight, etc. After repairs, I started noticing a creaking sound coming from the front-passenger area of the vehicle, the general area that was damaged and repaired. To me, it seems sort of like a body-flex noise that occurs when there is slight shifts in the vehicle. It is most noticable when accelerating from stop. It also occurs when driving down the road, pressumable from normal vehicle vibrations when driving.

I took it back to the body shop but they were unable to find the cause of the noise and were unwilling to look further into it. They said the fender was bolted on tight, there was no visible damage, and they think it is a maintaince issue, possible in the axel, struts or shocks. They argued that the sound was not caused by the collision-repairs and was just a coincidence. I find this highly unlikely, sometimes I would hear it just opening the passenger door. They suggested I take it to my regular mechanic if I wanted to look into the issue further. It seems like he is just trying to get rid of me. I noticed in the paperwork I got back from the shop that they used non-oem parts during repairs. I am not sure if this is the cause of the issue or not.

The noise is very distracting to me but I am unsure how to proceed with fixing it. Any advice?

[fishexpo101]

Noise could be from a number of areas on the car - depending on the severity of the damage to the front end.

Could be anything from suspension related noises, to a poorly fitted panel/fender liner. Since it was only noticed after the body repair, that would highly point at a body fitment issue as the primary cause.

Sounds like bodyshop guy is trying to brush you off - take it back, elevate it to upper management/owner as necessary. If insurance paid for the repair, get the insurance company involved. I

I've had several cases of poor body repairs that resulting in excessive amounts of noise and rattling, where there was none before. Can be tough to pinpoint, takes lots of time. Sounds like the shop doesn't want to be bothered with work that they will not be reimbursed for. Bottom line - don't take no for an answer - if they can't find it, take it to a dealership - have them look at the car top to bottom. If they find anything, forward that toward the shop and see what they say. Depending on the other circumstances, be prepared for a fight. Up to you to decide if it worth moving forward.

[kublikhan]

I took your advice and took the car back to the body shop. This time I was able to reproduce the same noise just by pushing on the panel, eliminating any axel or shocks issue. The mechanic loosened the panel, moved a hose that was running behind the panel, retightened it, and now the noise is gone. A simple 5 minute repair job and the problem is gone. Thanks for the advice, this issue was driving me crazy!

[WTFseabass]

once your car is hit, it will never be the same again....

use some at-205 re-seal on all rubber pieces on your car..

[gold94corolla]

Most of these issues can be fixed easily, or by a quick visit to the mechanic who knows what he is doing