Should I buy a new bike rack if my current one has been bent? I recently bought a bike rack from a well-trusted store to fit onto my schwinn circuit bike. Just today, however, I had accidentally bent the bike rack. It wasn't horribly disfigured but it was lopsided to the right to the point that its left stand was pushing up against the rear wheel. I took it to a local shop and the person there, who did manage to reposition the rack to its normal place, recommended I buy a new one, saying it is practically dead.  Therefore, I headed to the bike shop where I actually bought the rack and explained the situation. Upon their own inspection, however, they told me everything seemed okay and that as long as no part of the accessory was actually broken and only bent, then it wouldn't be necessary to buy a new one. I myself don't see any faults with bike rack, although I am somewhat of a novice when it comes to the biking scene and have no knowledge of repairing bikes. Should I keep the bike rack and save the money or should I buy a new one?
Without entering too much in material science, when a metal is permanently deformed it is because it has worked out of its elastic region and has gone into its plastic region. 

This highly reduce the ability of that part to absorb energy, which is highly desirable in all the impacts.

Though somebody may have straightened it back, it can always happen that as soon as hit a bump or have a sudden load on your rack, it will bend again, with obvious consequences on your stability.