Today it happened to me. Brakes started acting up and overheating, so I called for a tow to Midas for warranty brake work. Tow truck came, put a chain on the front and dragged the car up the lift. The chain broke, and the car rolled back down the ramp and halfway through the yard until my shed stopped it.

Not much damage luckily. The bumper was pushed in about 1/4 of an inch, with the plastic bumper trim folded in a little bit. When the car was pulled away the bumper came back out and the plastic settled back into place but the paint is cracked. Also noticed that the left tail-light housing is pushed in a little bit.

I talked to the owner of the tow company and asked what he wanted to do about it. He asked how much I thought it would fix, I said maybe $500 for a new tail-light housing and paint on the plastic, and he wrote a check for $500 right then.

It could have been a lot worse. It just missed the telephone/power pole by six inches or so. It probably would have hit the shed a lot harder if the driver and I hadn't both grabbed the car to try and stop it. The driver was almost borderline heroic, jumping to grab the car at the soonest safe moment.

Anyhoo... that's my day for ya.

On the upside I did find a set of factory aluminum wheels for my 85 at a nearby yard and they are in good condition.

OUCH! I think he may have gotten off cheap for $500.

Nah it's really superficial. Last week I talked to a body shop about four other minor problem areas that need straightening out (trunk lid is a hair off kilter, front bumper surround plastic is pulled in away from molding, etc) and the total estimate including paint was only $1200. For this I'll only need a couple of small parts from the junkyard, a slight pull on the trunk, and some touch-up paint. It's half a day at most. It would have been cheaper for him to pay to do the work, but he seemed like he wanted to avoid the insurance hit.

YIKES! Sorry to hear that, although like you said it could have been alot worse.

Nice to know there are good people still in the world :halo:

Me? I would have claimed whiplash due to the instant twinge of pain I would have felt from watching the car wiz past me off the truck, and of course the temporary heart failure / heart break of the incident. Can't forget about the recurring nightmares and of course anxiety everytime I see a tow truck from now on. Or the tears I would shed for strange reasons when I see a yellow sign with a muffler on it. Then, the usual and customary fee involved with traitional pain and suffering, lost time from work, etc etc etc. All told, $500.00 for the car damages, $100k (minus lawyer fees) for the punitive.

But that's just me. :lildevil:

Good luck with the repairs, seriously. Need anything off e-bay? :)

Your second mistake is going to Midas!:cookoo: Sure the pads are under warranty, but you have to pay for labor and resurfacing the rotors, by the time your done it still ends up costing you around 300! I used to manage a Midas till I got a real job at the dealership.:thumbsup:

Yeah haha what would that same work cost at the dealership lol... actually I would consider it if there was a Cadillac or even GM dealership less than 40 minutes away, but when you need brakes you need local. Frankly the old man mechanic at the local Midas does really good work and that guy is the only one in these parts that I haven't had to pay twice to get something done right. I bring them parts and he puts them on right, which is more than I've gotten from anywhere else down here. I'll be in a world of hurt if I'm still living here when he retires.

i would have probably Sh*t my pants, and lookin at the size of my SDV, id be more afraid for the shed than the car :P

The bumpers on these cars are awesome. When I first got my car the bumper was pushed in about 4 inches (almost all the way) on the right side. I took a 2x4, shoved it up in there and simply pried the bumper back out. The plastic took a couple days to take shape, but now it looks like nothing ever happened.

yea our fornt bumpers are supported by collapsable shock absorbers, i have no clue about the rear but if sumone decieds to tap u in the parking lot (happened to me) yer pretty much good

not only are the bumpers on my 1993 SDV amazing, so are the push guards. once i was pulling into a tight parking space (i live in miami, so there are many of those here), and i kinda hit a ford fusion in the spot to the left of mine when i was pulling in. All i have to say is that i didnt realize i was hitting the car until i saw IT moving, i felt nothing in my car. I had a similar experience once pulling straight in and the car directly across was encroaching into my space. I may have not felt a thing, but the camry certainly gave off a jolt. With those metal front AND rear bumpers, i feel extra safe.