Coming home from the herf last night... driving down 91 east, transitioning to the 15 south.

2 lanes, i'm in the left with a big rig on the right in front of me. This is where the cursing begins...

The rig thows the outside tread portion of one of his tires directly in front of my car. I have NOWHERE to go but over it.

I hear this big "WHUMP!" and it's over. Car seems to be running fine. No funny noises. No idiot lights coming on. Whew, i'm okay.

Get to my city and turn off the freeway. Waiting at the light I hear a 'ticking' noise that increases as I accelerate.

The piece of tire screwed up my front bumper and tore the plastic that protects the underside of the engine compartment, pulling the fan housing into the pulleys.

Original estimate - $109 for that piece of plastic, plus labor of course. However, when they get the car up on the lift, you KNOW there is going to be more damage.

I f***ing HATE 18 wheelers.

Sorry to hear that. The eighteen wheelers aren't the problem. They just need to outlaw retreads. One of my wife's friends was almost taken out by a retread that smashed her windshield in Chicago. Total damage was over $2,000 and that was back in '85.

How was the herf? Drag that you traveling partners backed out. Have a good one.

Hey Shawn

Do you know Deem/SoCalSmoker?

You have comprehensive?

I had one of those damn things come off of an 18 wheeler on San Diego Freeway and hit the hood of my Acura and windshield...broke windshield and damaged the hood (bonnet) as well, total damage $497 parts and labor!

Grrrrrrr, I hate retreaded tires as well!

Charlie

shawn....quit driving for the rest of the week....this has not been a good week behind the wheel. Find a place, fire up a stick and relax!!

I recently had a 300 pound rock come bouncing down the freeway at me at a closing speed of approx 100 mph (my speed plus the rock's). The were doing highway construction and had removed this huge round rock from the site. There was a big truck up ahead, going the same direction as me, and this big rock fell off the truck at 70 mph and came bouncing down the freeway. I was driving the next car.

I look up and this thing is bouncing right down the middle of my lane. Four lanes, all full, nowhere to go. It seemed to be bouncing about four feet high. To my good fortune it hit the ground right in front of my bumper (instead of coming in the car).

They said my bell housing was shattered like a jigsaw puzzle, transmission completely destroyed, three out of four motor mounts broken, and a whole list of lesser parts like the air dam, plastic and metal parts, etc. Total bill over $3,000.00 not counting replacing the fruit of the looms.

The rock hit under my front bumer and bounced up, lifting my car completely off the ground. We knew that because we landed crooked (the car turned a bit in the air) and lurched all over when it it hit the highway. The dump truck never knew he lost the rock, never stopped.

My 82 year old mother was with me in the car. Nobody hurt. Car a mess. And nope, no cussing. Just two thankful people, and a prayer of thanks for protection.

Tuck

Shawn,

You need to stay off the road for a few days or weeks!

I feel that way sometimes when wierdness that is driving in Southern California gets a little intense!

Charlie

Did you get the trucks number? I'm sure you had other things on your mind, but if you get them to pull over "when it happens" their company will usually cover it.

Like the other said.... stay off the road for the rest of the weekend :o)

Nope, the truck was too far ahead, and had no tag or sign showing from the back. We were immediately out of commission on the freeway, and a little shook up. Thankfully my insurance took care of it all, even the towing bill. I didn't get to keep the rock though.

The biggest problem was I was stranded. They couldn't transport my wheelchair. Had to wait for a friend with a van with a ramp. But it all worked out ok, no one hurt.

Sorry for jacking the thread

Tuck

I am covered by my insurance. The car is already at the dealer and the adjuster will be there to assess the damage Monday. The front bumper is also toast. I am estimating the total cost is going to be close to $2,000 after all is said and done.

Plastic piece - $109 + tax

Front bumper (plastic part) - $550 + tax

Labor - $80 an hour

Deductible - $500

I'm going to be out the deductible, plus about $16 a day on the rental. My policy only covers up to $25 a day.

**** happens.

..... the blue streak sworn by MACS after it happened....

priceless

Oh, I rented a Toyota Camry and went to TJ and smoked 2 H. Upmann Super Coronas from october of 1999 with a few Tecate beers and an espresso to end the day with a friend visiting the area from St Louis.

All is right in the world again. The cigars were so damn good, halfway through the first one I went and got the second and put it in Hot Standby.

Sean (my friend that doesn't know how to spell his name) bought the last box they had. They were discontinued in 2002 and he got the box for about $100 less than you'll find them for. ECA (Jose Marti' H. Upmann factory) CCNU (99/10)

Oh 8track, if I was focused enough to track that truck down, I would have called and cursed another blue streak. However, at that point in time, everything seemed to be fine, so I just kept going.

MACS,It coulda been worse. The tread coulda gone thru your windshield.

BTW,I had a bedliner come from one side of the freeway(I-8),it looked like a flying carpet and land right in front of me. Man,what a racket that made when I hit it. I too was fine,as was the car,cept for some front end damage. X

Tuck,

Not sure how a 300lb. rock comes out of dump unless both the operator who loaded it was on smack and put it on top of an already loaded truck AND the driver was a complete idiot who agreed to drive with it on top. Possible? Sure, anything's possible. But I've been around a LOT of trucks and a lot of accidents when I was younger and worked for towing company. Seems to me... 300lb. rock = totalled car, not just $3000 in damages. 300lb. rock going 100 mph = you not being able to post on this board because you're six feet under.....are you sure it was 300 lbs? Didn't anyone else in the four lanes of traffic get the name of the truck?

Yep. Re-treads can peel. Guess what? So can brand new tires...have had both happen to me.

If you guys want re-treads outlawed, you are welcome to petition your representatives to do so. If enacted, the following will happen:

Several companies will go out of business due the BIG cost difference.

Several people will be out of jobs as the trucking companies go under.

Because of the increased cost of tires for companies that remain, they will increase their rates.

Because of the increased rates, their customers will pass the cost on.....most likely to you.

Whether it's road construction that cities/states pay for with your increased taxes, or the grocery store that charges more for items because the cost has increased to ship food to them.

Look for higher gas prices, too, as the gas stations have to pay extra for the gas to be delivered. Then the cycle begins again...as trucks have to pay more for fuel, and then increase their rates....

Everything is connected. It's short sighted to see it as just a small thing.

You hate 18-wheelers? I hate people who drive stupid around trucks and cost me money/time to repair a truck that was in an accident caused by the car. Just the other day, I had a driver who was making a right-hand turn - had his turn signal on - swerved slightly into the left hand lane just before his turn (duh, trucks turn wide) - the driver of the car behind him saw him start to go into the left hand lane, and even though he had his right-hand turn signal on, decided it was a good time to pass him on the right. I'm glad no one was hurt. But, at the same time...the car driver was angry at MY driver. Of course! It's always the truck's fault.

There is just an unknown variable of damage/danger out there in any vehicle on the road caused by any other vehicle or inanimate object. That's the chance we take whenever we drive.

OK....I feel better now.....Ranting off.....LOL

That being said...yeah, damage does suck, Mac.

I had an icicle come through my windshield a few years ago. Yes, it came THROUGH my windshield. That sucked too.

I was flying down the freeway one night behind an 18-wheeler when he threw something oily and splattered my windshield. Luckily traffic was light.

GDColson - As to the 300 lb. rock . . . .

Do I need to scan and post the insurance and police reports to help you. It was the trooper who estimated the weight of the rock, and the insurance rep agreed. I didn't weigh it, I just assumed their educated estimate was close to correct.

The rock rolled off the back of a truck. I don't know what you call the type of the truck because I didn't study truckology in college. It didn't "bounce out", it rolled off the back, evidently because it wasn't secured properly. Possibly because they thought it was heavy enough to stay put. I wouldn't know. I was a little busy at the time, and more concerned about my elderly mother.

As to the damage and our injuries - I'm no expert here either. I just know what I saw and felt. The rock didn't hit the front of my van, it hit right in front of it, and bounced up under it, and lifted us off the ground. The damage was believable enough for Shelter Insurance to approve the claim and pay all but my deductible.

As to our injuries, there were none. The passenger compartment was not violated, and we were belted in.

As to the other drivers on the busy interstate getting the truck's info - I can't tell you. If anybody did, nobody came back. It was rush hour traffic and the lanes were almost full.

I'm not sure what would make you question my honesty, or make you think you are expert enough to do so. I do know I'm not pleased with it. I take exception to people questioning my honesty, or flat out calling me a liar.

Would you feel better if I offered a box of Opus X if I was untruthful, with you doing the same if I wasn't? Assuming you would accept the insurance report to be sufficient proof.

An apology will be accepted.

Tuck

And, your expertness, if you'll notice, I didn't say it was a "dump truck". I said "truck". It was sort of a flat bed looking thing, with several big rocks on it. Read the post before accusing someone of making up a story. Tuck