[kari]

truck tire wins!

I drove right over a tractor trailer truck tire (one of the cast off shred, but one with amazingly large proportions) a couple of weeks ago - I tried to avoid it, but it kind of flew out from under the jeep cherokee in front of me and I was in rush hour traffic and couldn't move to avoid it. anyway, while I was pleased at how the car just went up and over, and also how nothing fell off (always check rear view mirror after collision with road debris), there was a lot of damage that I wanted to fill you all in on. I got to work and checked underneath and the rubber spoiler in front of the right tire was dangling but the car still SEEMED ok - I called insurance and the body shop had to:

* remove and refinish the bumper
* replace the brackets for the bumper
* replace the outside temperature gauge (it was cracked)
* replace the aluminum shields under the car (my brother suggested I get the old ones from the shop, apparently aluminum is going for $0.65/lb these days...)
* replace the rubber spoilers in front of and behind the tire
* replace the cross member that is below the radiator
* remove and check the a/c compressor because it was disloged by the “road debris”
* align the hood
* fiddle with the headlights, and
* align the tires.

Sad! but on the other hand, my little car handled the big tire like a champ and didn't spin out or flip over. and my insurance company split the cost with me.

Outside of the price tag, the worst part of the experience was having to drive an automatic transmission chevy cobalt. After going from a position of extreme control (what with the MT and the instantaneous mpg gauge), it was a VERY difficult shift to drive a car just like everyone else.

 

[minako]

There's an outside temperature gauge on the 06 models?

Oh man I'm jealous.

Otherwise, I'm sorry to hear what happened... but I'm glad you weren't injured...!

 

[Billy]

.........No, the '06 has no more "gauges" than any other Insight. I believe what she's referring to is the ambient temperature sensor clipped to a small bracket in the front grill/bumper cover. This sensor gives data to the ECM.

 

[kari]

yep - that's what I mean. the body shop owner referred to it as an "outside" gauge so I had an opportunity to rattle on at great length about how there's no reading inside and it's to make the autostop happen etc. etc. she was very interested. I wanted to ask if she'd taken her out for a spin (I think so, based on the mpg when I got it back) but the owner was running out of the office.

 

[ethicalpaul]

Did the exact same thing with my Beetle. There was no apparent damage, so I didn't take it in. It happened in the winter, and I didn't find out until spring that indeed, the AC condensor had been pierced. Insurance picked up the tab, I felt lucky.

It was very scary to see that "gator skin" (as the insurance agent called it) come out from under the pickup truck behind me, just like you described. I just tried to have a firm grip on the steering and hit it squarely.

 

[psuinsight]

Wow, I just missed a "gator hide" last weekend on the PA turnpike. I saw the tread come off the truck tire and had barely enough time to avoid it. Just luck really. When the thing came spinning off I could not really predict which way it would go.
My 06 MT is breathing a sigh of relief.