Losing parts on the freeway.... April 06, 2010, 03:24:05 AM The other day I was driving back on I-75 and somewhere between 60-90mph I guess, unbeknownst to me, my PS taillight decided it would better be served as someones hood ornament. I didn't even find out until i got off the freeway and saw the back of my car after i got out... Now of course, this is my own fault for taking the cover off so many times and breaking the clips that hold it on, and then failing to *properly secure* it, but I'll be ed if that still doesn't just PISS ME OFF!!!!!!!!!:punchballs: Luckily, I still had my old set of broken covers so I had one to put over it... but the worst thing is, I did this to myself before! When I switched my mirrors to some newer ones, I had to take the trim off of my old one and replace it on the new one on my PS because it was only half there. So, I put it on, but what does this idiot do? Well, I certainly didn't glue it back on like I like I should have!!!! And once again, I get on the freeway and about 1/2mile past the on ramp, "ka-think", it flies off, hits the window, and hits the pavement at 75mph. You think I would have learned a lesson! The other day I see a bumper sticker "Honk if parts fall off". Thought seriously about buying it.....:hick: How many of you can say you've done nearly the same thing? Please don't tell me I'm the only ttard in existence:D Quote Selected
Losing parts on the freeway.... Reply #1 – April 06, 2010, 06:35:34 AM I have had it happen twice but I chalked it up to owning GM products as oppossed to me doing something. The first one was when I was a kid back in the 80's, I drove a 62 Caddy and as I went to pass a car I signaled, the cornering lamp came on and as I went by the car the light fell right off the car and shattered in the road. The second time was on a brand new Chevy truck I had. I was leaving work and went over a speed bump at about 2mph and the spare tire cable snapped and dropped the tire right there. Luckily that wasnt on I-95 as it would have made a large mess. Quote Selected
Losing parts on the freeway.... Reply #2 – April 06, 2010, 08:11:26 AM My only really stupid moment was more about trusting a new shop to do an alignment on my car. Never having used them i should have been more cautious. Here is the story:I was driving the car down a local highway near my home at 50-60mph and i hear a funny noise coming from the front end.....i stop 3 or 4 times to see if there is anything visible to notice thats making the noise....nothing. I figure the alignment shop didnt adjust something and just go back the next day and have them re-adjust the front end. I continue home, and the noise persists, and then a moment later i see my drivers side front wheel go flying off the car and now im driving on 3 wheels. I was all of 19 and really not super experienced in driving, but thank goodness there were no other cars and i was able to skid to a safe stop stop in the right lane without incident. I felt like a complete moron. I kept telling myself it was the shop's fault, but i still felt responsible somehow. I ended up locating the missing wheel and tire a 1/4 mile away down a side street, undamaged, and all my lug nuts were right there in the road, which i also retrieved. All in all i would say i was very lucky. The next day i went back to the shop to demand my money back, and i almost killed the tech who forgot to tighten my lugs. Luckily my driving stories have been less eventful as of late........ :-) Quote Selected
Losing parts on the freeway.... Reply #3 – April 06, 2010, 08:26:02 AM I have a set if you need them, PM if interested :D Quote Selected
Losing parts on the freeway.... Reply #4 – April 06, 2010, 08:44:41 AM I had kind of a stupid moment GOING AFTER something that was lost on the freeway, But it was worth it lol.our little city has freeway off and on ramps all over, One day i was walking over (pedestrian bridge) and looking down and something bright orange and blue caught me eye, Squinting~I made out what looked like a power drill.I made my way down, around and up the side of the offramp (lol) and encountered a Makita Cordless Drill! with some scuffs and a chip or 2, but roared to life when i pressed the trigger. :hick: Quote Selected
Losing parts on the freeway.... Reply #5 – April 06, 2010, 01:18:34 PM thats actually kinda funny about your wheel falling off.. I guess cause I did something similar lol... When I was replacing my struts I had jacked the whole front end up of course, and I loosened both wheels cause I planned on doing both, but it took a little longer to do the DS than I had planned, so I had to abandon for the day. When I got in the car and started driving the wherever it was I was going, I heard (and felt) this horrible vibration from the front of the car. It seemed to be worse when I turned my wheels to the left, but I didn't know what it was! Did I put something back together wrong on the strut? did I leave something out? Did I break something in my suspension? I pulled over and frantically searched the DS wheel to figure out what I did, and I couldn't figure it out. So, I drove it (slowly) to where I was going, and just before I got out of the car, it donned on me! YOU FORGOT TO TIGHTEN THE PS LUGS YOU MORON!!!!!!!!!!:hick::hick::hick::hick::hick: Quote Selected
Losing parts on the freeway.... Reply #6 – April 06, 2010, 05:06:10 PM Went carisle last year, noticed one of my cats was missing out of my taillight. Found it the next day. At home. Noticed, I ran it over a few times. That's the reason for spare part's. Quote Selected
Losing parts on the freeway.... Reply #7 – April 07, 2010, 02:14:23 AM I almost lost the hood off a car once on the highway, luckily the hinges held it securely wrapped over the windsheild till I stopped...Scott Quote Selected
Losing parts on the freeway.... Reply #8 – April 07, 2010, 08:08:34 AM Only thing I ever lost was work related..... someone forgot to tie down a 20' aluminum scaffold (not me), and I lost it on the NYS Thruway at about 60mph. all I hear is a loud se across the roof, and split second later, I look in the mirror and see it about 30 feet in the air behind me, spinning like a toothpick.... the rest of the guys were following me in another truck.....and all I see is smoke pouring out of all 4 wheels from them slamming on the brakes....By the time I pull over and look back, it's sitting in the middle of the thruway the long way across, about a couple feet from where they stopped.. fortunately no one was even on the road behind me, which is very, very odd for noon rush hour traffic in the middle of the city. the other guys were out of the truck before it even stopped moving picking it up and putting it on their truck before the next wave of cars reached them, which was coming fast at 65mph.Now, I never ever leave park without personally checking what's on top of the truck...... lesson learned. never trust the idiots you work with.... lol Quote Selected
Losing parts on the freeway.... Reply #9 – April 08, 2010, 09:41:16 PM The worst thing that has ever happen to me was me needin a breaker for me garage. Seeing i only had 15 mins to get there i jumped in my truck floored it. looked in my mirror and seen my dog keeping up with me. saw i was doing 60mph hit the brakes my dog slig up beside my door. my kids tied her to the ball on my truck. went to the vet instead that day. her paws were a little scuffed but wasnt really hurt. now i always walk around what ever i drive just to be safe. i also lost the spare tire off my truck too but thats anouther story Quote Selected
Losing parts on the freeway.... Reply #10 – April 08, 2010, 10:47:35 PM I had a tire blow out and lost the entire tire without noticing when I was 16. When I bought the car, it had been sitting outside for quite some time. I was a pretty new driver. I remember it raining alittle bit, and there being alittle standing water. I was going about 65-70 in the fast lane. Then I watch a big semi passing me as I am going up the hill. I look down at my speedo, still reading 65 or so. So I hit the gas and it shoots right up to 85 instantly. Thinking I blew my rear end or something, I check mirror to get to the off ramp, and watched a large chunk, if not the whole tire shoot off behind me. Car didn't make any weird noises or handle funny at all till I hit the brakes. When I hit the brakes, the bare rim locked right up. The car had the idle up and down problem that most of us probably know and love. put the mini spare on, got off the freeway and took surface streets home looking for a tire shop to put a tire back on. At idle, the engine would rev up and down and over power the rear brakes, even when they were all the way to the ground.So I was sitting at a light cruising down state street chirping my inch wide tire every second or so, and when I let off of the brake, it would spin the tire till 15 mph or so, then I could give it alittle bit of gas to spin the tire up to 40 or so. When the transmission shifted, I instantly lost traction and started slowing down. When I got home, I put the mini spare on the front, so I could at least drive the car again. Waited till I got my check and bought a "new" tire. The tire shop I went to, was more like a shed. I called the place, and it was the only one I could find a used tire for a 14" rim for less then $50. And old old guy that could barely walk greeted me, and swapped the tire. I remember wanting to help the guy, he couldn't even pick the tire up to put it on the balancer. The shop was about 2 blocks from my house. I drove the car home and parked it.2 weeks later, I went to my friends house about 30 minute drive away, and kept getting a weird vibration at certain speeds. Picked up my buddy, and he said it felt like a badly balanced tire. So we got out to check it, two of the lugs were tight, the other two I couldn't tighten or loosen. The guy that changed my tire either only tightened two lug nuts, or accidently tightened the same two twice. After spending maybe 20 hours with a small corded drill and multiple $20 bits, I asked on here what someone would do, a chisel and hammer came up. best $3 I ever spent. Got the lug I didn't even start drilling out in about 30 seconds. I felt pretty stupid.Long story short, anytime I have to get my car worked on, I check the lug nuts when they pull the car out, and before I pay.Another time, I was out doing doughnuts in a school parking lots, probably about two months later. Stopped to get gas about 8 hours later, and my tail light was gone. I re traced every where I went, more or less out of curiousity, found my tail light in perfect condition, sitting just on the outside of the last doughnut I did. Quote Selected
Losing parts on the freeway.... Reply #11 – April 09, 2010, 12:57:04 PM I lost a wheel cover on my old Buick Century when I was in college. I hit a pot hole durring the winter and saw the driver's side front wheel cover come off and roll away from the car in the side mirror. It was instanly crushed by a semi :hick:. A trip to the yard later in the day and I had 4 wheel covers again. Quote Selected
Losing parts on the freeway.... Reply #12 – April 09, 2010, 01:59:16 PM Quote from: daddybair7;317518The worst thing that has ever happen to me was me needin a breaker for me garage. Seeing i only had 15 mins to get there i jumped in my truck floored it. looked in my mirror and seen my dog keeping up with me. saw i was doing 60mph hit the brakes my dog slig up beside my door. my kids tied her to the ball on my truck. went to the vet instead that day. her paws were a little scuffed but wasnt really hurt. now i always walk around what ever i drive just to be safe. i also lost the spare tire off my truck too but thats anouther storyReminds me of National Lampoons Vacation ("dog killer!")... Quote Selected
Losing parts on the freeway.... Reply #13 – April 09, 2010, 03:24:54 PM I casually glanced to the left to see my wheel cover in the other lane keeping pace with my Mark IV. :hick:It eventually drifted over to the shoulder so I could get it. No damage.I was always fighting every wheel cover I tried on that car. That Lincoln insisted on driving with its nuts exposed. Quote Selected
Losing parts on the freeway.... Reply #14 – April 09, 2010, 09:41:27 PM Happens to me all of the time. It's called P.O.S. meets potholes, via MN Winters. Quote Selected
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