[kunigit]

So I was driving along an access road along a highway, and a truck towing an RV exited the highway and then proceeded into my lane. The side of this road has a pretty standard height curb, with level dirt on the other side. I ended up straddling this curb and I heard one short scrape but nothing much else.

I looked under the car, and I don't see any damage to the undercarriage apart from some plants stuck in a few places. The panels seem fine, front air dam seems normal, and there are no serious scratches anywhere on the exposed metal structure. Is there anything that potentially could have been damaged without showing?

The car ran fine the rest of the way, but I was on EV and haven't yet checked the ICE. If there's really no damage, then GM built a sturdy car.

Anyone know how hard it is to retrofit a semi truck horn in a Volt? Also, I'm kicking myself for not immediately reinstalling my dash cam after buying the Volt a few weeks ago.

 

[jbakerjonathan]

If you are handy enough and have a jack, jack up the front of the car and look closely at all areas around the engine and transmission. If not, and you are sufficiently concerned, go to a tire place or the dealer and pay them to hoist the car so that you can (they can) do the inspection.

 

[llninja]

For the first year of volt ownership, it seemed like I was invisible and carrying a powerful electromagnet. Lots of near misses of people running red lights, or acting like I was wearing an invisibility cloak. Also lots of flying debris and damage compelling me to make bod shop trips.it has definitely settled down, except I did get run off the road last month on a country road where the oncoming car was in the middle of the road. It cost me about $1K in wheel and bearing repairs. I should also get a dash cam, but can't seem to find one not made in China.

 

[Barry]

If you are handy enough and have a jack, jack up the front of the car and look closely at all areas around the engine and transmission. If not, and you are sufficiently concerned, go to a tire place or the dealer and pay them to hoist the car so that you can (they can) do the inspection.

If you are going to jack up the car, remember to place jack stands under it before you begin inspecting the bottom of it.

 

[Dutch]

I think that for me it would be worth the peace of mind to take the car to a dealer and have them lift and inspect.

To the OP... no matter what else, keep a sharp eye on your coolant levels for a while to make sure you don't have a small leak anyplace.

 

[llninja]

I think that for me it would be worth the peace of mind to take the car to a dealer and have them lift and inspect.

To the OP... no matter what else, keep a sharp eye on your coolant levels for a while to make sure you don't have a small leak anyplace.

And turn the infotainment system off and listen for any strange noises

 

[kunigit]

Good suggestions.

So far I haven't heard any strange noises. Tire pressures are normal, and no strange puddles after parking the car overnight. I've run the ICE on a few trips and noticed no issues so far. I think I dodged an RV-sized bullet this time. Definitely reinstalling my dashcam asap.

 

[JRRF]

It cost me about $1K in wheel and bearing repairs.

I was once run into a curb by someone who couldn't keep in their lane, and also did about 1500 in wheel and tire damage. I got them to stop, but later they denied any culpability. When I talked to my insurance company they said I should have let them hit me. Then they could establish fault. crazy)

 

[llninja]

I was once run into a curb by someone who couldn't keep in their lane, and also did about 1500 in wheel and tire damage. I got them to stop, but later they denied any culpability. When I talked to my insurance company they said I should have let them hit me. Then they could establish fault. crazy)

Only an insurance company would suggest purposely having an accident - it keeps them in business and keeps attorneys busy. This time, it was a car coming towards me. About 6 months ago, I was also run off the road with a big 30 foot truck barreling towards me. I had to stop that time, catch my breath, and was so pissed that I didn't think to turn around, follow the guy, take pics of his plate, and report him to the police. I was just glad to be alive. I no longer drive down that country road any more, I take the interstate instead as there is more pavement.

Part of me wished my car got totaled, as I'd be shopping for a used ELR, but I'm still going to avoid getting in an accident if at all possible. Reminds me of a neighbor of mine in the 80's who was bragging how he let someone hit him and the other person handed him $50 to avoid the accident claim. All I could think was the $50 wouldn't cover any body shop work or the loss in value of the car. He was just happy to have $50 to spend on something - believe me they were living way beyond their means buying everything and everything they wanted, then held huge annual garage sales that brought in thousands of dollars, so they could buy more. They didn't understand that they spent well over $10K for the stuff they sold for $2-3k for the year.