There's Not Enough Profanity...

[Stealth TDI]

... To describe how I felt when I struck an object on the freeway, heard the thing really whack a bunch of stuff under the car, and then got home to find this:

The object looked like a frisbee. It must've been made from concrete. I could not avoid it. I got the car home to SE VA and managed to jack the car up and prevent draining the tank. I then assessed further damage:

First place it hit after running it over...

Then it bounced and hit this part... right next to a grommet...

Another look at the grommet...

The rupture after jacking the car and cleaning it up...

Another look which shows how close this came to taking out a brake line...

Here's the last place it hit before exiting out the back end. I'm not even sure what this is supposed to look like. I'll need to take photos of a healthy sample...

A new replacement tank is about $500. I managed to find a good used tank in a salvage yard nearby for $100. It's clean and is being installed now for $130 (includes disposal of old fuel and tank). I'm considering the use of JB Stik to repair the damage under the car. Does that seem like a bad idea to anyone?

In the end, I'm thankful the object didn't take out the brakes, REALLY blow out the fuel tank, or break something more critical like a tierod or something. It appears the StealthTDI will live to rule the roads a bit longer... and should still make it to this weekend's autocross event.

Take Care,

Scott

 

[Jon Linn]

wow...the damage could have been a lot worse!

 

[egibbys]

wow...the damage could have been a lot worse!

I'm suprised with how much there is to begin with. Crazy!

 

[phatcyclist]

The parts that are ripped and you can see the yellow through them, what is that exactly? Floorboards?

 

[Stealth TDI]

Car blood! Actually, it appears the floor pan is actually sandwiched material with "channels" built in. The yellow might be an adhesive of some sort. The object sliced into a channel right where there was a rubber plug. I'm not sure what these points are for. Perhaps they are where the robots held the body during manufacture?

Anyway, I think I can just cover these gashes with pancakes of JB Stik and call it a day.

 

[owr084]

Anyway, I think I can just cover these gashes with pancakes of QBQuik and call it a day.

What's QBQuik? Google turned up nothing relevant...

 

[darkscout]

Car blood! Actually, it appears the floor pan is actually sandwiched material with "channels" built in. The yellow might be an adhesive of some sort. The object sliced into a channel right where there was a rubber plug. I'm not sure what these points are for. Perhaps they are where the robots held the body during manufacture?

Anyway, I think I can just cover these gashes with pancakes of QBQuik and call it a day.

Our Mk3s have a ton of these plugs. I lost one and my rear floor gets wet during rain. Also 3-4 in the rear wheel wells too.

 

[tdidieselbobny]

Good thhing you were able to make it to your destination-your lucky it didn't hit your wheels first-damage would've been more severe.At least you found a tank quickly and cheaply.Stupid plugs-a couple of mine were rotted out-my first fix was riveting some aluminum flashing,then caulking it.Crude,yes-effective-for the winter till rivets popped through aluminum.I redid it a few weeks ago using the shortest self tapping sheet metal screws w/ washers-I didn't feel or see any poke up through the carpet,but one of them made their way through floor track of passenger seat near the back....I think fiberglass would work if you had the time.

 

[Sprocket]

Do you have full coverage insurance? Might be work checking into depending on your deductible. I think that this would fall under comprehensive instead of collision too.

 

[Lug_Nut]

Do you have full coverage insurance? Might be work checking into depending on your deductible. I think that this would fall under comprehensive instead of collision too.

Enough damage to total the car I'd suspect. The repair work is far more than simple panel R&R. Insurance companies won't do 'partial' restoration, like just paying for the tank. They'd do it all (or more likely declare a total loss) or they do none. Either way, filing a claim for damage will make the value less should the top side of the car be damaged in some way. The company will reduce any future claim unless the present damage has been repaired.
Stealth, Keep the insurance co. out of this and fix it your self, or file a claim then buy it back as a track car when they total it.

 

[ninedee_golf_tdi]

What's QBQuik? Google turned up nothing relevant...

I suspect he meant to type: JBQuick, not QBQuick

 

[Stealth TDI]

Hello,

"QBQuik" was a goof on my part. What I meant to type was "JB Stik." It cures quite quickly. I do have full coverage on the car. My deductible is zero, even. However, my premiums will surely increase if my claim exceeds a certain amount. Not sure it's worth the claim given the location and expense of MY repair.

I also didn't involve the insurance company because I need my daily driver fixed RIGHT NOW. I don't have the time to initialize a claim, wait for an adjuster to come out and give an estimate, negotiate with a repair shop, and then drop off the car for however long it takes. Then there's the rental car. The car was drivable and leak-free within 24 hours. Now I just need to patch the holes.

I found new damage. I'll take photos tomorrow in the daylight. Apparently, the bent part in the rear (the last photo) pushed out the bumper valance just a tad. I considered calling the insurance company when I found this. But I'll visit a body shop first, just to see what they think the cost will be. I'll play that by ear. Perhaps I can remove the bumper skin and bump the body part back in with a mallet. LugNut's post makes me think it's best to leave the insurance company out of it altogether.

More tomorrow...

Scott

 

[compu_85]

The yellow stuff is the seam sealer / wax used to help prevent rust.

-Jason

 

[G60ING]

I bet you can fix it all in 2 hours on a Sunday morning. Jack the car up and yank the bumper off. It will take about the same amount of time to let a body shop look at it.

 

[Stealth TDI]

Hey,

I bet you can fix it all in 2 hours on a Sunday morning. Jack the car up and yank the bumper off. It will take about the same amount of time to let a body shop look at it.

My thoughts exactly. Still, I took the car to a body shop to see what they'd say. I was glad to hear they didn't think it was worth dropping off since anyone could do the repair at home. They basically said they'd use a couple of hammers to knock the metal back in line. They didn't even mention sealing the body. So my plan to seal it up with JBStik is likely better than what they would do. I'll head to a junkyard to see what the rear bracket is SUPPOSED to look like, take some photos, and then work on my car to put things right.

I have new photos. But I cannot post them just yet. I'll get them up over the weekend.

Later,

Scott

 

[Stealth TDI]

Here are the new photos:

Bowed rear bumper valance...

A comparison of my rear end compared to a relatively healthy car...

Now I know what I need to do to make it sort of right... or at least to straigthen out the bumper skin.

 

[G60ING]

just bend it back

 

[Stealth TDI]

That's the plan. I suspect the remaining piece holding it all together will break. So expect to need to "repair" it with JB Stik. I didn't get to work on the car over the weekend. So I'll take another shot this coming weekend.

 

[G60ING]

just cut it off