Author |
Message |
Gregg Holden
Trader WA Soarer UZZ31 Supercharged
Posts: 819 Reg: 08-2005
| Result: Chunk of metal 2 Soarer 0 So I'm cruising on the freeway this morning following a Tradie when out of nowhere a chunk of thick sheet metal (about a foot square) either flys off the back of the Tradie's ute or is flicked up from his rear wheels.... *Smack* hits the front bar at 100km/ph....that's not going to be good I think as I look for the offending piece of shrapnel in my rear view mirror...however it didn't reappear.... Ok, so is the damn thing wedged in my front bar or worse in the radiator or somewhere in my undercarriage....? I slow down off an offramp...Get to about 40km's when I hear scraping noises and suddenly the damn thing dislodges, hits the road again and flicks up in the air over the bonnet and smacks into the windscreen! It then (luckily) falls somewhat flat onto my carbon fibre bonnet as I slow to a complete stop.... What's the damage...well a nice three inch tear in my front bar (repainted only a couple of months ago after I hit a Roo!!).... other than that one faint small scratch on the bonnet and no damage to the windscreen... Considering the square piece of metal which had mangled sharp edges was almost a 1/4 inch thick I am very suprised the thing didn't go straight through the windscreen.... I guess it could have been worse - if it had hit the windscreen at 100km I may not be writing this now.... Oh well back to the paint shop again... |
Daniel Clarke
Goo Roo NSW TT 2.5L 6 cylinder
Posts: 2520 Reg: 03-2006
| Damn Gregg... Not good buddy... But like you said.. 100km/h + Flying metal Sheet = Try driving without a Head! |
Luke Nieuwhof
Goo Roo WA Soarer TT
Posts: 2412 Reg: 07-2005
| Bad luck Gregg, but I guess sort of good luck too. |
Daniel Czechowski
Goo Roo Western Australia Soarer GT-T (sold ) & IS300 Sports Luxury
Posts: 3133 Reg: 07-2005
| Damn!!! I always try to stay clear of dodgy looking utes and trucks. Hell, I've done something simialar myself with a trailer, didn't secure an old wooden door I was taking to the tip a few years ago, after a short time of driving, the wind literally picked the door up 2 metres in the air, flew for about 3 seconds, and landed in between these two cars shattering the crap out of itself. Thankfully no one got hit but yeah, kind of made me more aware of myself as well as other people's loads. Sad news, although it could have been much much worse, so look at it positively. Good luck with your repairs Gregg! |
Callum Finch
Goo Roo WA Soarer TT & Corolla
Posts: 3567 Reg: 09-2005
| Doh! And Shannons only cover windshields if they completely crack from one side to another! |
Gregg Holden
Trader WA Soarer UZZ31 Supercharged
Posts: 820 Reg: 08-2005
| Daniel Czech.. your reply reminded me of what could have been a much worse situation about a year or so ago...I was again on the freeway and a guy lost a metal pole off the back of his truck (A good six foot in length).... I had just changed lanes to watch it bounce past my car at head height...now that would have been a real headache! Because of that I usually don't follow cars/utes/trucks with loads but that thought escaped me this morning... |
Miles Baker
DieHard Vic 66 Mustang GT Convertible, 55 Chevy Bel Air, 69 Firebird 455, 73 Corvette 4sp T-Tops
Posts: 942 Reg: 08-2005
| Callum, you sure about that? Last Shannons windscreen replacement I heard of, they approved over the phone. |
Will Schultz
Tinkerer new south wales tt
Posts: 49 Reg: 05-2007
| I was driving with the old man and watched a guy up ahead lose his whole trailer.Crossed 2 lanes narrowly missing us and 2 other cars. Damn frightening! Like others have said though,your lucky your head still attached to your shoulders! Bugger about the car |
Peter Burrett
DieHard ACT 2.5 VVTi ST, '04 IS200, '94 3 ltr Soarer
Posts: 579 Reg: 07-2005
| ...well, if you don't have a crack right across the screen a 5lb hammer could fix that pretty quickly |
Peter Burrett
DieHard ACT 2.5 VVTi ST, '04 IS200, '94 3 ltr Soarer
Posts: 580 Reg: 07-2005
| I remember back in the early '90s, when I had a part interest in an automotive engineering shop on the Parramatta Road at Croydon, we were doing our usual Saturday morning schmooze, about 6 of us in the workshop, and the front opened up completely.....there was a tremendous bang, and we all looked round - a spare wheel had come off a trailer citybound, hurtled across the carriageway (we were on the P'matta side)_, straight through the open doors and embedded itself in a pile of junk at the back of the shop. I reckon it could have seriously injured anyone it hit..... but then, we'd just finished saying morning prayers....not |
Jose-Antonio Castillo
Goo Roo NSW Soarer VVTi
Posts: 1299 Reg: 07-2005
| I nearly hit a damn trolley that came flying off the back of a ute this afternoon too (and the rest of his crap was unsecured too) in the middle of Homebush Bay Dr. |
Ben Kelly
TryHard Lidcombe v8
Posts: 255 Reg: 08-2005
| far out ive had similar but not as bad as these tales of potential horror. Good post Gregg sounds like its a good idea of potential unsecured loads and such. |
Brian Timms
DieHard New South Wales TT Soarer Goodness.
Posts: 720 Reg: 12-2006
| I had a couch roll off a ute at me once, I managed to swerve and take the arm off the couch, but for the next 2 kms I was honking, flashing lights, etc and this guy, and the stupid prick even looked in the mirror (to where the couch should have been), saw me flashing and honking at him, and gave me the finger!! I flew up beside him, downed the window and screamed "Ya fkn couch moron!!" and he slammed the brakes on realising he had no couch on the back. The dick, he had 2 kms to reverse, or 15 kms to get to the next freeway offramp and turn around. You try to tell him "hey mate, you lost something" and get the responce of the middle finger. Some people are just plain dumb!! B. |
Mike Beck
Goo Roo New Zealand Celsior UCF11 V8
Posts: 1593 Reg: 11-2005
| Thats really shocking news there Gregg. Glad that your okay as that could have been potentially more dangers as you said. Hope the car gets fixed and soaring again soon! Guess I will have to watch who I follow on the Motorway and keep a good distance. Far too many irresponsible people around these days with trailers and so on. |
Gregg Holden
Trader WA Soarer UZZ31 Supercharged
Posts: 821 Reg: 08-2005
| Thanks for all the thoughtful comments.... Here's a pic of the little menace and the damage it caused. That cut which sliced completely through the front bar would have been nasty if it had gone through the windscreen.... Must be a first though to be hit by the same object twice before coming to a complete stop!
|
Callum Finch
Goo Roo WA Soarer TT & Corolla
Posts: 3569 Reg: 09-2005
|
Miles Baker wrote on Wednesday, October 31, 2007 - 05:25 pm:Callum, you sure about that? Last Shannons windscreen replacement I heard of, they approved over the phone.
That's promising! Im only going by a reply to an email i received... "with the windscreen replacement, it is one excess free claim per year.it does apply to all windows on the car, but the window needs to be cracked the whole way through. " *shrug* I hope you are right! ;) |
Miles Baker
DieHard Vic 66 Mustang GT Convertible, 55 Chevy Bel Air, 69 Firebird 455, 73 Corvette 4sp T-Tops
Posts: 947 Reg: 08-2005
| Oh they mean it can't be a chip, must be a crack that goes all the way through the glass - outside to inside. But yes, over the phone. I would guess this policy would be because of the side windows. It's not overly difficult to get a chip in a side window but it is damn near impossible to break one unless it isn't safety glass. |
Callum Finch
Goo Roo WA Soarer TT & Corolla
Posts: 3573 Reg: 09-2005
| I like the hammer idea. |
Daniel Czechowski
Goo Roo Western Australia Soarer GT-T (sold ) & IS300 Sports Luxury
Posts: 3137 Reg: 07-2005
| Callum, I'll be happy to swing the hammer for you, if you ever have the need mate |
Braden Murdoch
DieHard NSW Cressida 1JZ TT
Posts: 738 Reg: 04-2006
| I was following a car towing a trailer that was loaded sky high with foam mattresses, one of them fell off and I had no time to avoid it (was driving my old MX6, single lane road), so I just ran over it. No damage (stock height) but gave me a fright! |