Hi
If anyone's interested, this is on the Stilo Workshop Manual.
IMPACT DAMAGE AND REPAIRS
Special attention has been paid to the structure of the vehicle during impact tests at low speed to limiting the deformation of the passenger compartment, safety and repair costs.
The vehicle has a special feature behind the front bumpers, a robust crossmember made from a high-resistance material which can absorb all the energy from a typical impact at low speed which prevents damaging the most expensive components located inside the engine compartment. The crossmember is bolted onto both the front side members, to facilitate removing and refitting operations, and to a modular structure known as the front-end which is composed of the following modules:
- Air Duct
- Carrier on which the headlamps and other electrical components are fitted
- Air Conditioning Module
The Front-End can be replaced in one piece (if the accident has involved the entire front of the vehicle) or the various modules can be replaced separately (typical situation where parts not affected are removed). In both cases the time involved, and subsequently the labour costs, are considerably reduced compared with conventional fittings.
The vehicle also has a collapsible system for fastening the front light light clusters to the front end which retracts after an impact so they are not damaged. To repair the vehicle, simply tighten the new fastening tabs on the light casing.
The rear of the vehicle has similar features to the front:
- there is also a rigid high-resistance material crossmember that houses high-efficiency energy-absorbers by the rear side members.
- in this case, however, the energy-absorbing elements are the only components that need replacing in the case of shunts at low speed.
The particular layout and strength of the centre section of the crossmember also ensures limited damage in the case of typical impacts whilst reversing into trees or lamp-posts.
Phew!
Stilo 1.6 Dynamic, 5dr, 2002, Crystal Green
