NoProblem

How do you check for frame damage? Can dealership do it? How much $?

michaelgvh

Slamming on the brakes in the middle of a relatively busy street is GUARANTEED damage and running over something that you can't identify has a chance at damage. I got unlucky this time. 99 out of 100 items in the road are not a big deal. This item was no bigger than a toaster and was difficult to see.

As I mentioned, I came around the corner in an intersection with a light and the thing in the road was probably less than 50 feet ahead. It was dark and raining too, which made it more difficult to see how significant of an item it was.

While I agree that I was traveling too fast to stop for that item due to the imperfect conditions, I was certainly not speeding. Expecting everyone to drive at a speed that allows for every eventuality is a joke.

Safe distance behind someone on the highway is about 80 feet. Do any of us give 80 feet of leeway at all times on the highway? (Assumes 70 mph, average reaction time, and that your car can stop just as fast as the person in front of you.) Now you have to pray that the person behind you was more than 80 feet behind. If they are not, you have to give even more distance to allow for both of you stopping in time. Then you leave 120 feet of distance and everyone cuts in front of you, leaving you only 40 feet so you have to slow further.

I think it doesn't work that way in the real world.

4Driver4

frame machine. Mount and measure.

Esquire6

Sorry for your loss. Good luck.

April

Wow! Honesty in today's day and age. Sorry to hear about your car, but glad it's not your dime.

michaelgvh

($5k for a 'minor' incident and I only paid $10k for the car. These things must get called 'total loss' pretty quickly.)

Then they will pad it a little in case the company wants to haggle on labor rates or anything.
If they pad it and they don't haggle, I may have some extra cash to look for an RS6 front bumper or something.
I'll know more tomorrow.

Cargasm2.7

It is a rare these days, too bad the guy will likely be punished for his honesty.

Esquire6

Yup. No good deed goes unpunished.

Jim Clark

Travelling to Long Island from Boston a bunch of years ago. Going over the Throgs Neck Bridge. Left the toll booth and was going at a normal rate of speed in my Mercedes 380SE following a similar year (possibly a couple years older) American made large sedan (not sure of make or model). The sedan in front of me suddenly goes into a full blown 4 wheel lockup (NOTHING in front of them to cause this, not many deer on top of the Throgs Neck Bridge). I'm a "reasonable" distance behind them but knew there was no way to stop before hitting them. I knew there was a Boar's Head meat truck to my right (remember like it was yesterday) and I didn't have enough time to check my left except for a real quick look at 90*. Got off the brakes and slammed it left to avoid the car in front. The 380SE wasn't the best handling car but it did it's job that day. Narrowly missed the other car and got around on the left.

Scared the livin' ****e out of me. Slowed and moved back to the right lane in anticipation of my exit. Wife said the womoan in the right seat of a car behind us in the left lane passed us with a thumbs up as if to say "nice move".

As I was getting off at our exit, I caught a glimpse of the old bitch in the sedan that had nearly caused the collision, passing us on the left, casually smoking a butt without a care in the world. There is NO doubt in my mind to this day that she intentionally tried to cause the accident.

Moral of this long story. You can be a careful and dillegent driver but sometimes you encounter a situation that's unavoidable. I was lucky and found a way out.

Jim

Egil A64.2s - S6

In one way at least you lucked out - sorry about all the trouble though.