Post by cbburtraw on Feb 24, 2009 18:04:43 GMT -6
exiting the freeway saturday night, the off ramp was one of those 25 mph max and it was really snowy. didnt realize until last minute that the ramp was such a tight one and the lane for slowing down was also very short. totally my fault for not paying attention, but i wasnt driving like a madman so let that be known lol
anyways i slowed down as best as i could and tried to make the turn, realized i couldnt make it so i did my best to avoid the sign. instead of hitting it head on i instead hit it sideways. then i proceded down into the ditch, and there was a nice hefty dip and i hit pretty hard, then finally stopped.
after getting out and throwing a fit and pullint out my hair, i proceded to getting the car out, which wasnt fun. i was stuck in that dip and had little traction. i had little money for a tow truck, i tried rocking a bit but only dug in deeper. then i found out that reverse+ turning the wheel all the way one way slides the car. i found a sweet spot in the ground and gunned it and plowed onto the on ramp (which was on the otherside of me from the off ramp and had a much less steep hill)
damage assesment: driver side rear door is wrecked from hitting hte sign, but amazingly the lock, handle, and window all still work, although the window is a bit slower. i plan on getting a new one from the junk yard, no biggie. theres a small ding inside the rear door (second pic) which i can easily bump out by removing the guard behind the rear wheel i think, or i might just leave it alone.
the things that i am more worried about are: the front end (full inspection and alignment is to be done soon) also the rear suspension. i definitely notice a difference in driving and steering. also the engine shook violently once i stopped after wiping out, so i shut it off. started fine a few minutes later when i proceded to rock it out, probably just the oil getting thrown up and exhaust full of snow and mud. the traction control stopped working (trax off light stayed on even when i pushed the button) for a while when trying to get out, probably overheated so hopefully no permanent damage there, also my fans came on despite the engine temp being below 200, so im thinking my tranny got hot too.
i got a low coolant indicator yesterday, so i topped it off and am keeping an eye out for leaks on that too.
all in all, it wasnt a great thing to happen, but so far it seems very fixable, nobody got hurt, and i could have hit that sign in a different spot making it harder to fix. i still made it out to the show (a favorite local band's last show) and i had a blast so overall im not too upset.
anyways i slowed down as best as i could and tried to make the turn, realized i couldnt make it so i did my best to avoid the sign. instead of hitting it head on i instead hit it sideways. then i proceded down into the ditch, and there was a nice hefty dip and i hit pretty hard, then finally stopped.
after getting out and throwing a fit and pullint out my hair, i proceded to getting the car out, which wasnt fun. i was stuck in that dip and had little traction. i had little money for a tow truck, i tried rocking a bit but only dug in deeper. then i found out that reverse+ turning the wheel all the way one way slides the car. i found a sweet spot in the ground and gunned it and plowed onto the on ramp (which was on the otherside of me from the off ramp and had a much less steep hill)
damage assesment: driver side rear door is wrecked from hitting hte sign, but amazingly the lock, handle, and window all still work, although the window is a bit slower. i plan on getting a new one from the junk yard, no biggie. theres a small ding inside the rear door (second pic) which i can easily bump out by removing the guard behind the rear wheel i think, or i might just leave it alone.
the things that i am more worried about are: the front end (full inspection and alignment is to be done soon) also the rear suspension. i definitely notice a difference in driving and steering. also the engine shook violently once i stopped after wiping out, so i shut it off. started fine a few minutes later when i proceded to rock it out, probably just the oil getting thrown up and exhaust full of snow and mud. the traction control stopped working (trax off light stayed on even when i pushed the button) for a while when trying to get out, probably overheated so hopefully no permanent damage there, also my fans came on despite the engine temp being below 200, so im thinking my tranny got hot too.
i got a low coolant indicator yesterday, so i topped it off and am keeping an eye out for leaks on that too.
all in all, it wasnt a great thing to happen, but so far it seems very fixable, nobody got hurt, and i could have hit that sign in a different spot making it harder to fix. i still made it out to the show (a favorite local band's last show) and i had a blast so overall im not too upset.
but with tires like that, you should drive like a grandma!
