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My husband just called me informing me that he hit a curb on his way to work this morning. It was snowy and apparently icy and he obviously doesn't know how to drive in the snowy conditions (we just moved to Chicago and he grew up in FL).
He had his car towed to a repair garage and they are quoting him $1,300 to fix it!!!???? He said his wheel was out of alignment and some other things. I don't buy it. Either he's not telling me the truth about hitting the curb at 5 miles per hour or the garage is taking advantage of him.
Any opinions out there about this???? I'm angry at him AND the repair place!!!
I grew up in Michigan and learned how to drive in the snow, as a teenager hitting curbs and never had damage like that happen to my car!
Could easily be that much. He may have damaged the front suspension. He could have bent the rim on that side. If he hit it at the wrong angle, the tire/rim could have been forced into the quarter panel, and damaged it too. He could have damaged the front spoiler if the car has one.
Always get a second opinion, but yeah...hitting a curb could cause that much damage if you got it at the right angle and speed. You didn't say what kind of car it was, either. A BMW or Lexus or something is going to cost more to repair than a Toyota Corolla or a KIA.
He has a Hyundai Santa Fe. Thanks for your words. That makes me feel a little better! I need to take him to high school parking lot and teach him the basics of driving in the snow! Poor Florida boy doesn't know what he's up against
I lightly bumped a curb once in a snow storm at about 5 or 10 MPH and must have hit it just right (or wrong depending on your point of view) and caused WAY over $1300 in damage. This was in 1980 so I can guess that $1300 today is not bad at all really. I bent some suspension components and had to replace the entire right side front suspension as well as the wheel and tire.
Take the poor guy out to an empty parking lot and don't give him too much grief, I am willing to bet that was a HARD call to make for him this morning. I know it would have been for me to make to my wife. I also grew up in Michigan and have spent some quality time in empty parking lots with a number of car,s and new to snow drivers.
Look at it this way, it gives you ammo for poking fun at him later on. Also, if the airbag went off that would have cost you another several hundred to fix. Ick!
5 mph? Yup, it can happen and it doesn't take much for the register to add up into serious bucks.
But I have an insider tip for ya, don't hound him about this. It's bad enough that he did this much damage to his vehicle. It's bad enough that he wasn't familiar with snowy road conditions. It's bad enough that he didn't know how to trouble shoot the damage to his own car by himself. It's also bad enough that you almost blew a gasket assuming that A) he was going faster than he said; or B) he might not know the difference between an accurate damage assessment and a dishonest mechanic.
If it were me, I would be thankful it wasn't a more serious incident that left him hospitalized or dead.
If it were me, I would be all over him with, "but you're OK, right?"
Don't be angry at him. He just put another notch on his belt from the school of hard knocks.
Don't be angy at the mechanic. Be sure and think of the garage the next time you bake cookies. Take a big batch to them. Why? They will take especially good care of your car every time you bring it in and will be more apt to work with you on paying a big bill should another one come along.
Trust me, I know these things. I learned from an old pro - my mother.
It could easily be that much and more. We could be talking any or all of the following: bent rim, bent hub, bent axle, bent tie rod, bent steering rack... 5mph isn't that much but remember, that was 4,000 pounds worth of mass being exerted at the wrong angle on those parts.
Yeah that amound sounds feasible. You should call your insurance company (if you have collision coverage) and have them write an estimate and not just go by what the shop is telling you.
If you don't want your insurance involved you can always close the claim and keep the estimate as they should do that as a courtesy.
The smaller, lighter, fuel efficient cars don't tolerate abuse well... especially the imports.
I'm sure nothing would have happened if he was driving a Suburban...
Yeah, I am sure the 2000lbs more that a Suburban weighs would have helped it to be more damage resistant. LOL
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Also, if the airbag went off that would have cost you another several hundred to fix. Ick!
