Friday night I was driving on I-30 east of Dallas and encountered some piece of road junk.

I could not avoid the object due to the traffic and the fact that I did not see it in time.

Anyway - it blistered my front passenger side tire and blew out my passenger side rear tire. No structural damage to the wheels.

It also managed to collect 4 more cars after me doing everything from tire blowouts to minor body damage.

I thought i was lucky until I was having my tires replaced and the tire shop called me to tell me the object ripped a hole in my underbody (center body panel is what the vody shop called it).

The gash is about 1.5 feet long maybe 1/2 inch wide in a couple of spots where it went through the sheet metal and exposed the insulation.

I'm curently getting estimates.

Anyone know if it is safe to just repair the hole?

I got differing opinions - but most shops agreed that completely removing the center body panel and replacing would be unusual for a car that is not being totaled.

I'm worried that just patching or wleding the gash will not maintain the structural integrity of the car - one guy says he thinks it is the only option - the other guy said it would be fine.

Anyone got experience with this?

 

ouch dude..sounds like a crater just opened up and swallowed ur car....

I'd sue the city/town in which it happened...go back to the scene and shoot pix of this crater and make them ****** pay for your damage..

thats some bull tho...

 

 

Believe it or not, I once ran over a mattress while driving on I-94 Westbound on the way home from Chicago one late evening. It was dark and out of nowhere I see a mattress directly in the path in front of me. Apparently it must have fallen out of someone's truckbed.

There was nothing I could do to avoid "running over" the damned thing. There was a car next to me and swerving at highway speeds is never recommended.

It was the only time my Maxima has ever caught air. Heh.