Hi Guys,

I was in a great mood this morning driving to work, and was running nice and early...Until, I slammed into some serious road debris.

It seemed like a big clay plant pot cracked into pieces all over the road, I was able to go around the first few pieces in the road. There were another piece (the biggest), that I was unable to swerve around, due to cars on both lanes next to me. I ended up slamming into a huge chunk of the clay pot (at least I think it was), and I believe I hit it with my tire and then heard the loudest clank/bang I've ever heard with my car. I cringed and cursed very loud. I was extremely upset and pissed off.

I drove another 10 minutes to my office, and didn't see any visual damage. The car drove fine the rest of the drive, but I'm very concerned.

What type of damage could have been done? I park in a garage at work, so I will inspect if any fluids are leaking/dripping from the impact.

It happened very fast, but I believe I was doing about 35-45 mph and the debris hit under the car around the front to the middle (hard to tell) of the passenger side of the car. What could it have hit on this side?

Anyone ever do something like this? Should I bring the car to the dealership and get it inspected? Could I have damaged my tire at all? What type of under carriage damage could I have done?

It's very frustrating, as it was most likely a landscaper who didn't use the proper precautions to secure all of their junk.

Thanks in advance!

 

No way to really know if anything was damaged without getting the car on a lift. If it was a clay pot it most likely shattered when you hit it causing that loud noise. You most likely didn't do any damage to the car, maybe dinged your y-pipe or mid pipe on the exhaust. I'd take it in and just ask for a quick visual inspection. or if you have a jack at home lift it up and crawl under and see if you can spot anything amiss.

I had a close call this morning as well, there was a massive dead porcupine in the middle of the road coming around a blind corner, luckily I was going slow enough that I was able to swerve into the next lane to miss it.

 

Second that...take the car to the dealer.

 

there is a plastic engine shield under the car to prevent dirt and debris getting up there.. if the piece shattered while under the car it, depending on if it hit in the center or the sides, probly hit something metal behind the shield. Oil pan is down there.. as long as you aren't leaking oil, should be ok.