Belle got hurt!!!

[Bogie]

Other vehicle attempts to turn right from left lane while I am in the right lane (we're both going same direction). I avoided body-to-body contact but had to run Belle up the curb on right hand side, under braking conditions. Front right rim chipped from a compression strike (curb through tire to rim). I can't believe the front right tire didn't blow, as the sidewall was compressed between the rim and curb. Right rear rim/tire also took a compression hit, but not as severe as the front. Rim may be salvageable...don't know.

I figure both tires have lost their rating, and will need one...possibly two...new rim(s).

Now here is the kicker. I haven't put it on a lift or crawled under (I'll leave that to an appraiser), but from knee level I can see no visible body damage. I guess it has a lot to do with the geometry of the strike. I figure I hit it at an angle that missed the front fender. The front impact tossed the car enough so the side cleared the curb vertically long enough for the rear tire to strike keeping the side off the curb. Again, won't know for sure without a good look underneath.

The driver who caused the accident, unbelievably, stayed at the scene. I expected him to just drive away as we never touched, and I was in no condition to run after him. As I pulled in to the parking lot, he pulled in with me and we exchanged information. He recognized his error and was very apologetic. You don't find nice folks like this very often after an accident. It's possible I'll get this all fixed without paying my deductible. If I were sure it was only the rims/tires, I would get it fixed without any insurance involvement. But not knowing the true extent, I went by the book this time.

Now I need some advice. I am getting the car appraised at a collision repair center (I've dealt with the center before, and they are pretty good). I'm more worried about body/frame problems than tires/rims, so want someone with body work expertise to have a look. If it's determined that the only problem is tires, wheels (and maybe alignment), I'm thinking there might be a better place to go than a collision center to get whole again. Either the dealer, or a tire/rim specialist. Any suggestions?

[Celt03]

Originally Posted by Bogie

Other vehicle attempts to turn right from left lane while I am in the right lane (we're both going same direction). I avoided body-to-body contact but had to run Belle up the curb on right hand side, under braking conditions. Front right rim chipped from a compression strike (curb through tire to rim). I can't believe the front right tire didn't blow, as the sidewall was compressed between the rim and curb. Right rear rim/tire also took a compression hit, but not as severe as the front. Rim may be salvageable...don't know.

I figure both tires have lost their rating, and will need one...possibly two...new rim(s).

Now here is the kicker. I haven't put it on a lift or crawled under (I'll leave that to an appraiser), but from knee level I can see no visible body damage. I guess it has a lot to do with the geometry of the strike. I figure I hit it at an angle that missed the front fender. The front impact tossed the car enough so the side cleared the curb vertically long enough for the rear tire to strike keeping the side off the curb. Again, won't know for sure without a good look underneath.

The driver who caused the accident, unbelievably, stayed at the scene. I expected him to just drive away as we never touched, and I was in no condition to run after him. As I pulled in to the parking lot, he pulled in with me and we exchanged information. He recognized his error and was very apologetic. You don't find nice folks like this very often after an accident. It's possible I'll get this all fixed without paying my deductible. If I were sure it was only the rims/tires, I would get it fixed without any insurance involvement. But not knowing the true extent, I went by the book this time.

Now I need some advice. I am getting the car appraised at a collision repair center (I've dealt with the center before, and they are pretty good). I'm more worried about body/frame problems than tires/rims, so want someone with body work expertise to have a look. If it's determined that the only problem is tires, wheels (and maybe alignment), I'm thinking there might be a better place to go than a collision center to get whole again. Either the dealer, or a tire/rim specialist. Any suggestions?

okay - putting back on the insurance claims hat . . .
Talk to people in your area and get more than one damage appraisal. (I'd get 3 or 4)
Then compare them. They may list different damages - if so, make copies and take the car back to your preferred repair shop and have them reassess the damage.
Sometimes different people will notice something that another did not see.

[Elff]

WOW,
That's one stand up person.
You don't see many people like that anymore.

Good to hear your ok.

Have a suspension alignment shop take a look.
Depending on how fast you were going and how the impact got transitioned into the suspension, there are multiple parts that might have bent, or received some damage. The simplest way to tell is if the car no longer drives straight when you release the steering wheel. If the car is out of alignment and now drifts, that most likely means something did bend. The most likely damage potential would be the links that control the toe in and steering and/or the ends for those and maybe even a balljoint.
Our A-Arms are pretty stout. I doubt you could damage them.

On a lift and with a computer guided alignment, anything damaged should be obvious.

[Darkwing]

Glad you're OK Bogie. Your SA paid off big time, the damage could have been much worse had the vehicles come in contact.

[cerberus]

Sorry to hear this, man. If you have to get alignment done, check that it's very close to spec and not just within tolerance. The alignment may show "in the green" as the tolerances go, but it'll drive like hell when pressed if it's not that close. Your dealer may not have aligned any Skys yet and may think it's good to just color match the spec like any other car. I'll chase down the alignment specs later if someone hasn't already come up with them. The specs came right up in the computer at my dealer, but they weren't aware of just how sensitive the car is, or how wide the tolerance was. Whether it made a difference or not, I made sure I was at 29psi all around before try numbers 2 & 3 just in case, as they "somehow" managed to get set to peg-leg values before try #1. Good luck and keep us posted.

[GetAboutRL]

"Bogie" it sounds like you kept your cool both while behind the wheel and while exchanging information. Glad the fella that caused this mishap was also a gentleman and not some gang want-to-be earning his mark.

[SkyhighNY]

I'm so sorry to hear your Belle got hurt, your posts show how much you love her! Glad to hear that you are okay and she didn't get hurt any worse than she did.

[SKY 07]

Poor Belle. I am glad you are ok.
I am happy that you have an angel looking over you and Belle. Keep us posted. Big hugs to the both of you. T.

[Bogie]

Thanks for all the well wishes. This car is a great car even in a mishap. Excellent response and handling even through the curb. Sooo close...but it was either curb or car. His front right...my front left...ended about a foot separated by the time we both came to stop.

I let it sit at work for an hour to see if the tires lost any pressure, and all was OK. So I drove her home...in the right lane...with the DIC on front psi. Held steady. Strange having 18 wheelers and loaded dump trucks passing me...and I was doing 60 in a 55


Elff, I checked for pull at 60 and it was smooth as silk, straight as an arrow.

cerberus, I remember reading about the alignment problems, so I'll remember to keep it to spec and not just tolerance.

I know I'm getting old as I come to realize I'm not upset about the damage but more about the time and pain to get everything settled. I also missed half a day of work and I've got some short suspenses that can't wait.

Oh well. Life is still good.

[reedred]

Oh no!

Good job avoiding the hit, though!

[jazzyjet]

Sorry this happened to Belle, glad you avoided body contact, how great that the guy stopped and the best luck with getting it straightened away.

[Bogie]

Two days now.....I'm having withdrawals.

I wonder if that counts for pain and suffering.

[SKY888]

Originally Posted by Bogie

Two days now.....I'm having withdrawals.

I wonder if that counts for pain and suffering.

hang in there bro!

[TulsaSky]

I feel your pain, it has been raining here since Monday evening, so my Skybaby is resting safe and dry in the garage and I am depressed. I should go out tonight and check the air in the tires and look for water spots are second garage is not water tight, I miss her and I miss driving in the Sunshine

TulsaSky

[SR819]

Sorry about your baby.

[ChgoBlues]

Bogie,

Glad it wasn't worse for you and Belle.

Definitely get the insurance involved because there can always be hidden damage on a curb hit. Sometimes the wheel bearing may take the brunt of it and get noisy later on.

For me personally, I would trust a Saturn facility to know how to align the vehicle before a NTB, Firestone, or tire place. Part of this comes from working at a retailer and seeing cars come to us after an alignment attempt at one of those places by generally "apprentice" level tech. That is however, you trust and have a good relationship with your facility. Otherwise, I'd ask friends and people you know of a reputable shop that can do an alignment. I know most people don't think of it as often as they used to. If that doesn't work, check with your insurance company for a list of shops they know can do alignments as a last resort.

The facility I worked at usually would do the alignments for the local body shops since we had an alignment rack and more up to date specs. Some shops don't have them these days since they are expensive to start with and are not as profitable as say a quick lube rack.

[Bogie]

The other driver has gone from acknowledging fault at the scene to basically saying it was all my fault.

Now I pay my deductible. But that isn't why I'm upset. I would gladly pay the entire cost of the repair (currently estimated at $1200) if I could have continued to hold this person's character up as a shinning example of owning up to one's mistakes and taking responsibility for one's actions. Yes, it would be worth more than a $1000 to actually find such a person.

Do you know the feeling you get when you meet someone new...someone who drives a nice car....dressed for success...acts like a professional... articulate. You hit it off good. Then shortly afterwards you get stabbed in the back. That's how I feel. I met someone who looked and acted trustworthy...a professional...a manager. I put my trust in this person to honor his word. But when the chips were down, he sold his honor and integrity....for a few hundred bucks.

I wish he had just driven away. I can more easily reconcile an amoral faceless driver than I can someone who shows the air of honor, but in the end offers lies and deceit.

[Elff]

Originally Posted by Bogie

Do you know the feeling you get when you meet someone new...someone who drives a nice car....dressed for success...acts like a professional... articulate. You hit it off good. Then shortly afterwards you get stabbed in the back.

Dont we have an entire thread about this

[IKenn]

Sorry that happened to you ouch
glad your ok from physical damage
not to mention emotional/stress damage
I know you asked for advice about this But I think you've got it covered
Unless you've haven't tried a local Speed Tech Proformance shop yet ? IMO