What to expect from chassis alignment

[MaFi0s0]

I have only had my car for not even a month and I got rear ended. There is 8-10,000 in damages to my car and although driving at 160km/h the car feels okay and smooth, one of the things it will need is a chassis alignment. (its RWD by the way)

The workshop I am taking it to has Autorobot, and they have a good rep but I havent heard anything convincing that has made me confident.
I am expecting straight panels that are consistent and symmetrical, and a mm perfect chassis alignment.

Will the symmetry of the panels reflect the quality of the chassis alignment?
What are the odds I do get an alignment up to my expectations?
How fussy should I be with my panels, is it that hard to get them right?

[Hungrycat7]

The symmetry of the panels will should reflect the quality of work done. I think you stand a pretty good chance of getting the quality you expect. The body shop should know what is expected of them and they do not want to see you come back until your next accident. It is possible that you leave and the car is not correct but it shouldn't happen. It is a little difficult getting EVERYTHING to line up perfect but it is their job and hopefully they are good at it. You are paying for a service and you should not be satisfied until it comes out the way you want it. Just be sure to voice your concerns to the body shop before work gets underway. Tell them what you expect and things you are looking out for. Make sure they know you want the vehicle to be perfect and you won't settle for anything less!

[MaFi0s0]

Is it true if the chassis rail is bent than its unsafe to repair without replacing the chassis or giving the car a half cut?

[SydwayZ]

Your body panels being straight doesnt necessarily tell you that your chassis is straight. There are many ways to line up body panels on a chassis that isnt properly straight. Also it isnt always necessary to pull a chassis 100% straight. You pull it into line until your panels and suspension components fit well. A mm here or there on the chassis wont make much of a difference, although one always tries to straighten a chassis as close to spec as possible. Adjustments can be and usually are made to parts fitting onto the chassis after straightening. This is done by slotting, reaming and bending of mounting points.

[SydwayZ]

There is no part of the chassis that cant be repaired...btw, here at Excel Panel & Paint we are now building custom body kits for the bmw 2002 in case you're interested.

[MaFi0s0]

Is there a way to check the alignment of the chassis with lasers?

[SydwayZ]

Yes theres is. A 'CAROLINA' uses lasers. Laser pickups ard placed on various parts of the chassis. The measuring system then registers whether the chassis is properly aligned via the positioning of the pickups and supply the relevent info as to the alignment of the chassis and where it may need to be pulled and by how much. Very accurate.

[MaFi0s0]

I cant find it on there website, I went to Car-O-Liner and I can only see tram guages under there measuring equipment.

[SydwayZ]

Do a search for 'combilaser' using your favourite search engine.