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10-13-2009, 06:25 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lincoln, NE | | | Hit an gosh darned muffler on the interstate last night!
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So I was driving home on I-80 from Omaha to Lincoln back form the Kings of Leon concert last night. I was behind a semi and he went over it just fine, I hit it with my '08 VW. The thing got stuck under the car and we dragged it about 1/4 mile before we got to a shoulder we could pull off to. As I'm pulling off, the think just flies right out.
So I drove to the next exit, everything visually looks fine. Made it to work this AM and decided to take it in into my local dealer just to make sure nothing got messed up.
Well, it did. It first broke the skid plate (no big deal, just plastics) and then sheered off a chunk of steel of a bracket that mounts that control arm to the frame. Good thing at least it didn't break the whole thing otherwise we could have lost a front wheel at 70 MPH! After dragging it for a while it shot out the back, making a puncture hole through the heat shield AND the muffler about the size of the D battery.
Things that it hit that did not damage. Transmission (just a scuff on the case), rear control arm, and rear tire.
Looking back it could have been worse. That hole in the muffler could have easily been the tire or the front control arm could have dropped completely. At that speed, that's almost a guaranteed flip. Also the tranny didn't get damaged. Nothing near oil pan or gas tank so that could have cause some serious damage as well.
All in all I'm glad the wife and I drove home just fine and $2191 later this should be fixed. Kinda disappointed that my insurance is considering it a collision and not a comprehensive claim (since my comprehensive deductible is cheaper and won't raise my rate). |
10-13-2009, 06:29 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Blackshear, Georgia | | Kings Of Leon? 
Seriously though, the insurance thing is screwed up.
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10-13-2009, 06:29 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Madison, NJ | | | First of all, I-80 has nearly killed me a few times this week.
Glad to hear you're okay. Shame about the car and insurance.
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10-13-2009, 06:32 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Virginia Beach, VA | | Ouch.  Well, I'm glad to hear that the damage was not serious and the car was able to be fixed.
How do you even lose a muffler on the road? |
10-13-2009, 06:35 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Madison, NJ | | Quote:
Originally Posted by FreaqyFrequency Ouch. Well, I'm glad to hear that the damage was not serious and the car was able to be fixed.
How do you even lose a muffler on the road? | I dropped one on my El Camino after hitting a speed bump. The expansion joint was pretty much rusted through and the snap broke. Luckily it was on a local road so I was able to pull over and throw it in the back.
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10-13-2009, 07:32 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lincoln, NE | | Quote:
Originally Posted by FreaqyFrequency Ouch. Well, I'm glad to hear that the damage was not serious and the car was able to be fixed.
How do you even lose a muffler on the road? | In the 55 miles of interstate between Omaha and Lincoln, there is about 60% of construction zone at any given time. At least it's been that way the last 9 years I've been here. Lots of changes in level and pavement type. |
10-13-2009, 07:40 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lincoln, NE | | Quote:
Originally Posted by CBgaragebassist Kings Of Leon? | Free tickets. |
10-13-2009, 08:16 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: boston, ma | | Quote:
Originally Posted by anyonefortennis Free tickets. | Correction, $2191 tickets.
I lost my exhaust system on the highway once, luckily for everyone else it stayed attached, just hanging from the car, dragging my catalytic converter on the ground at 75 mph. Let me tell you, the sound of an 89 honda accord with the front half of the exhaust dragging behind it at about 3500-4000 rpm is monsterous. |
10-13-2009, 08:17 PM
|  | www.HeavyMetalOpera.com
Unofficialy endorsing EBMM, Avatar Speakers | | Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Seattle (ish), WA | | | FWIW, losing a tire at 70MPH in itself usually does not equate to a vehicle rolling. Most of the times it's overreacting from that scenario that causes rolling (i.e. hitting brakes, swerving etc.). |
10-13-2009, 08:19 PM
|  | no really, smokemeth&hailsatan | | Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pueblo, CO | | | I lost the muffler from my car and honestly couldn't tell the difference. |
10-13-2009, 08:48 PM
|  | William Murderface's Bass Tech | | Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Fort Worth, TX | | | Glad to hear it wasn't a lot worse
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10-13-2009, 10:49 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Finland (Northern Europe) | | | Hi.
happy to hear that all the damage was material.
If You two had been on a bike though...
Stuff like that is everywhere and the best way to avoid hitting any is to keep Your distance so you have time to react.
Most likely the muffler broke off from a car and the owner was too lazy to collect it, but junk haulers are sometimes responsible for dropping all sorts of weird items on the road as well.
Firewood is quite common thing to find in the middle of the road over here, people don't care to cover their trailers.
Regards
Sam |
10-13-2009, 11:12 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Georgia | | | A muffler destroyed a control arm??? OK, no VWs for me. I'll keep driving the Dodge Ram.
On a different note, I'm glad that things were much better than they could have been.
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10-13-2009, 11:30 PM
|  | layin' it down like pavement | | Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: North Kingstown, Rhode Island | | Sorry to hear about your problem with the stray muffler.
It could have been much worse. And at least you do have coverage. I was on my way home from a gig one early Sunday AM driving in the middle lane of a 3 lane Interstate highway in Massachusetts that didn't have any lights on this particular stretch, when looming up out of the dark into my headlights, at 75 MPH, was a brown, rusted-out muffler and top stack pipe from a diesel tractor over to my right in the first lane. If I had been in that lane, I would never had seen it until it was way too late and that thing was huge. My car would have probably gone airborne over that thing. That was like 5 years ago and i can still see that thing like it was last night. And darn good thing I was sober. You really have to pay attention late at night on the road and I try to stay as far away as possible from 18 wheelers.  )-(
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10-13-2009, 11:36 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Santa Cruz CA | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Salamon FWIW, losing a tire at 70MPH in itself usually does not equate to a vehicle rolling. Most of the times it's overreacting from that scenario that causes rolling (i.e. hitting brakes, swerving etc.). | yeah, if its a sketchy driving area (as in, santa cruz this time of year [hwy 17 has trees and deer and all kinds of crap when it rains hard]), i ALWAYS keep my very bright fog lights on, and sometimes the brights.
like ray said, you need to know how to keep your cool in a situation like that. no matter what your back end is doing, keep your front tires pointed straight ahead. that is counter-intuitive if youve never had your brakes lock up, or if youve never hydroplaned, but it will save your car and yourself damage.
i almost tagged a deer on hwy 17 two weeks ago (was in the middle of the road dead, and there were two cars pulled over on the right, so im guessing they thrashed it), and i slammed on the breaks, swerved a little, threw out the back end a bit and kept going.
lose control of your car in a controllable environment. any new car you get you should know how it reacts when you lose traction or go into a bad situation. i promise thatll help.
that said, sucks to hear about the car man. hope it all turns out well. try arguing with your insurance carrier and say you will be shopping for new insurance immediately. thatll help sometimes. |
10-14-2009, 08:03 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lincoln, NE | | Quote:
Originally Posted by coreyfyfe Correction, $2191 tickets. | Touche. Quote: |
A muffler destroyed a control arm??? OK, no VWs for me. I'll keep driving the Dodge Ram.
| The CA is fine, is just the bracket that attaches the CA to the frame. The part is called "lower control arm mount". I can only assume it was muffler, hard to tell since I barely saw it and didn't have it in me to go back a pick up the part. Quote: |
FWIW, losing a tire at 70MPH in itself usually does not equate to a vehicle rolling. Most of the times it's overreacting from that scenario that causes rolling (i.e. hitting brakes, swerving etc.).
| Correct, it's all about your ability to keep your cool in the situation. |
10-14-2009, 10:14 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lincoln, NE | | | Got some clarification on the whole collision vs comprehensive claim from my insurance for those interested.
Something on the road that you run over = avoidable = collision.
Something that flies out of the back of someones car/truck = unavoidable = comprehensive.
The "rule" is along the lines of "if you run it over, you could have avoided it." |
10-15-2009, 04:48 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: West Covina (LA), SoCal | | | Bad things happen to those who go to Kings of Leon shows...
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