Someone hit me... in the towball...

AWD Chaser · 02-07-2006, 09:55 AM

Gday guys.... Coming back from the hospital today (blood tests), I was waiting at the traffic lights when I felt this big bump. I looked at the brake pedal and the gear stick and all seemed fine.

I looked in my rear view mirror and thought "That Rav 4 looks a bit close"... and then I realised I had been hit...

I jumped out the car and had a look at the back of my car... The idiot still hadn't backed up... But his metal nudge bar had hit me on the towball - THANKGOD!

I looked at the driver behind me and it was some old coot! I said to him "Ya wanna back it up a bit buddy?" And he just shrugged his shoulders.

So I get back in the car and the lights turn green, which is when I realised the car had also stalled. Started the car and continued on my way.

Now because this shunt was enough to stall my car, I want to get under and have a look for any flaking paint and craked welds around the towbar etc, but what else should I look for?

RG · 02-07-2006, 10:05 AM

I wouldn't be worried about it. My car got rear ended a few years ago by an XE ute that was doing about 60 kay when it hit. My tow bar ended up cracking his engine block and it's still fine. It was pulled off when the car was repaired and put back on and i've never had a problem with it, and i've pulled some heavy loads with it.

Andy XR8 · 02-07-2006, 01:23 PM

if you ask me i would have taken the guys details or at least wrote his rego down somewhere

mik · 02-07-2006, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FORD_AU3_XR8

if you ask me i would have taken the guys details or at least wrote his rego down somewhere

i`m with you FORD-AU3-XR8 a sudden shock can do things the whole engine driveline can move in the mounts and down the track things can happen, wouldnt hurt too sling your local garage to put it up on the hoist and have a carefull look over everything, a similar thing happened to a mate years ago no apparent damage he drove off without taking details a few k`s down the road the auto lost drive, cant remember what caused it but it cost him too fix the problem,

LUXO_8 · 02-07-2006, 08:25 PM

get your towbar fully checked out before you tow with it again...
ive seen towbars crack along welds after a hit and trailers go flying off.... not great..

HLC · 02-07-2006, 09:00 PM

i had some idiots hit my towbar on my ED. it survived. but when i hit a tree it didnt.

should be right. if anything, id check the bolts which hold the tongue on?

EFFalcon · 02-07-2006, 10:11 PM

also seen tow bars bend the boot floor beyond repair.

autickfordfairmont · 03-07-2006, 01:51 PM

This is the exact reason why i am after a towbar for mine, just to protect the rear a little against light rear impacts such as this one.

AWD Chaser · 03-07-2006, 02:15 PM

My dad's taxi fleet is getting towbars fitted to all the cabs for the same reason... and paki drivers - lol.

Even though I could have got a new rear bar out of this, which means I wouldn't have my scratched up one, it was well worth avoiding all the hassle....

Dazza XLT · 03-07-2006, 02:19 PM

Unrelated....
I was in a VX Commo Wagon, drove over a grid, and due to the poxy grid, we dropped off and the towbar mount hooked on the grid.... Made a fair impression on the grid, and bent the rear floor to buggery! Was a mighty big job to repair!

Dazza XLT · 03-07-2006, 02:32 PM

This would fix them-

**Mechan1k** · 03-07-2006, 04:29 PM

On a car cruise I was run up the rear by a new BMW 325Ci ... my towbar/ball put a lover hole in his front bumper .. and it cracked my chrome towball cover (wasn't happy about that :P)

The driver of the BMW was annoyed at me for braking so hard ... which i wasn't ... I was already statioery ... his fault ... he was whinging that it was gonna cost him heaps to fix ... blah blah blah.

I asked him if he wanted to go through insurance ... cos i knwe I could have got a few scratches fixed up on my rear bar as well ... he decided against it ... probably would have cost him $3,000 just for his bumper and paint ... LOL.

Had my towar checked out ... not a thing wrong with it.

But my advice .. get the rear floorpan checked out along with your towbar mounts ... just to be safe.

Smoke Pursuit · 03-07-2006, 04:36 PM

Towbars are great for low impact hits, higher ones however they are no good as they do more damage and good to under the *** off the car and the chassis rails.

I thought about getting one fitted to my Territory but nah.

**Mechan1k** · 03-07-2006, 05:01 PM

I have a towbar on both my vehicles .. and they do get used for their intended purposes as well. But sometimes i don't tow ... but coudn't be stuffed taking the hitch off the back everytime i don't tow ... it's annoying.

But i do agree ... I have seen on aother Falon where a rear end shunt ... a decent one ... ripped the bottom out of the floorpan ... would have been a costly fix too.

janek · 04-07-2006, 11:38 AM

same here, some turkey hit my *** end less than a week after i just paid 2500 to get all of my previous damage fixed. spreing, i copped a broken chrome cover and a scratched bumper, now is brand new and looks awesome

autickfordfairmont · 05-07-2006, 11:07 AM

Yeah, i only want one for light impacts, just to stop other damage, & hasstle, and for in car parks where other people touch park, just saves pumps & Scratches, however any decent hit that will bed the floor pan, would do major damage without it there anyways, so i cant see the proplem. Plus would come in handy for the occasional towing aswell.