Small dents in the hood from hail stones or a minor door dent may be a mere cosmetic concern, but larger dents and auto body damage can have a major impact on the way you drive and conserve fuel. Take a look at a few risks of ignoring auto body damage.

A Loss of Aerodynamics = A Loss of Gas Money

Most automobiles are built in shapes that are designed to "cut" through the wind as effortlessly as possible by reducing the aerodynamic drag or resistance. As you drive, wind becomes an obstacle that constantly counters your forward motion to some degree.

If the vehicle is damaged in certain ways, your vehicle may have to work harder to move at the same speed since its shape is no longer aerodynamic. The engine has to work harder, heat up faster, go through wear and tear at a higher rate, and consume more fuel to keep moving at the same rate. It may be a minor loss of fuel, but if a few cents more at the pump is a concern, a few cents lost from inefficient driving should be a problem as well.

Dangerous Dragging From Side To Side

Some of your vehicle's damage may actually cause the vehicle to move in lateral directions as you pick up speed. When the air hits certain dents, the vehicle may be dragged or guided in unintended directions, leading to a constant need for correction through either drag or lift. Drag and lift are not limited to moving up or down; the different aspects of interfering forces are responsible for causing numerous changes to the way your vehicle moves.

Such issues may seem easily solved, but you need to consider long drives when that task will become difficult and monotonous. Your vehicle may begin to drift without you knowing it, which may startle other drivers and lead to a traffic incident. Even worse, heavy winds from storms may have a much bigger influence on the way you drive. If these dents are small enough, you can fix them yourself. You can actually use a toilet plunger to "pull" the dent out; or, you can use a hair dryer/dry ice to rapidly shift the temperature on your car's panels. The rapid shift in temperature will ideally encourage the car's body to reform to its original shape.

Instead of leaving the problem alone until it becomes worse, take care of it early and save money. Early action can save your tires from wearing out faster due to constant correction. You'll conserve fuel and even make your driving experience a lot safer.

Contact an auto body repair professional to begin working on your dents, missing panels and other auto body problems.