Uneven floor below drivers seat; a dent from below

CIVIC00SI

MEMBER
HONDA CIVIC

If the floor is deformed below the driver's seat, how badly could it affect the stability of the chassis? Could it dislocate and damage parts nearby? How much could the repair cost?

The floor is uneven below and behind a driver's seat. The unevenness can be best described as a "mound" of about 1-2 inch high at the peak. The mound is tallest behind the driver's seat, where the back passenger rests feet; the left back passenger will feel the tallest part (1-2 in.) On both feet when seated. Driver can feel a slight unevenness when left foot is rested on the floor with the knee bent. Stepping on it doesn't cause noise or movement. It's a solid, longitudinally wide mound.

Inspected from underneath, there appears to be a wide dent in the chassis that pushes the floor upward. There's no visible mechanical part located within the dent. The driver's door opens and closes just fine. There's no deformation visible on the door; the entire left side of the body looks normal. The CARFAX shows no record of collision.

I'm thinking about buying the car, except I want to know the implication of this floor deformation on performance and longevity of the car. Please share your thoughts on this issue. How serious is the problem? Should I avoid it and why? Thank you!

stapri

2000 Honda Civic Si
Engine: B16A

5 Replies

BOOTDOG

MECHANIC
665 POSTS

As long as nothing is bent and everything looks fine except the dent in the floor, I don't see a problem with purchasing the vehicle. The previous owner could have hit something in the road causing to make the dent in the floor yet not harming anything else. Maybe you can talk the owner down on the price a little.

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Sunday, February 11th, 2007 AT 5:24 AM

CIVIC00SI

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Thanks for your advice, bootdog. The car drove fine and the driver's seat was still adjustable. I was just worried how strongly could chassis hold up over time despite the noticeable deformation.

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Sunday, February 11th, 2007 AT 5:44 AM

BRUCE HUNT

MECHANIC
3,753 POSTS

I just have two comments.

First, is how this occurred? Short of having something come straight up from underneath the vehicle, which is very unlikely, was there any other damage that was repaired in this occurance?

Second point is have you considered pulling the seat out and using a rubber mallet to take the hump out of the floor?

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Monday, February 12th, 2007 AT 9:43 AM

CIVIC00SI

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Thanks for a reply, Bruce. I wasn't there to see the incident, so I really don't know how it happened. If it happened on the road, it's very unlikely that anything that big to get underneath without first hitting the body. However, the body shows no obvious damage. It's possible that the body was damaged and was repaired; I have no record of that.

Hammering down can be an option. However, is the floor malleable with a rubber mallet? I had guessed that the chassis is built to resist much stronger forces applied to it on the road. If I ask a mechanic to fix the floor, would he/she be hammering with a mallet?

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Monday, February 12th, 2007 AT 11:06 AM

BRUCE HUNT

MECHANIC
3,753 POSTS

Someone might want to cut out the spot. I would have no problem using a hammer to take down the high spot, starting along the outside in a circular fashion and then moving into the center. Take it down slowly. There aren't a lot of other options that a body repair would have.