Driving home tonight when a car coming the other way with an old bed mattress on the roof lost its load, only for the mattress to fly off and hit my car. It took off the drivers door mirror and the aerial.
This was a bit of a blow after only having the car a couple of weeks. Not sure what it is going to cost to replace them both?

Looking on the bright side, if you are going to be hit by anything at 30mph, a bed mattress is about as soft as it gets. I just hope I do not lose any sleep over it?

 

Tony,

Sorry to learn of your freak accident, but on the bright side no one was injured and the damage appears to be not too bad. Inspect the body carefully to make sure there isn't any paint or body damage and be sure to file a police report - a hit and run- in case you decide to file a claim with your insurance. I think I'd be a bit more upset than you appear to be.

Now you have good reason to leave your photo upside down, as a symbol of your distress.

Stuart

 

Be thankful it went over, not under!


http://jalopnik.com/5106002/jeep-run...-to-drivetrain

 

Hi Stuart,

Sorry, I did not make clear, the other driver did stop and we exchanged details etc. so hopefully I can claim on his insurance.
Amcdonal 86. I have heard it can cause a lot of damage going under, so in some respects I have come off light, I have slept on it since and I am sure I will bounce back. It was double sprung after all.

 

I had a scary experience years ago in my XJ-S on the M3. Trundling along in the outside lane at 70-ish, following White Van Man in his Transit, when he ran over something lying on the road. It flipped up in front of me like a wall, a full sheet of what looked like plywood. I had no time to brake or swerve, so hit it squarely - and it just vanished with hardly a thump!

I looked in the mirror, amazed, and there was an enormous cloud of brownish dust. Once I arrived at my destination, I found small pieces of fibreboard in the grill - that soft board used for pinboards and the like. The impact had simply 'evaporated' it.

 

You slept on the mattress after it hit you? You're too enmeshed in this abusive relationship. Give that thing it's walking papers.

 

Ngarara,
Did it do for any damage to your car?.

Muddy dog,
We have now officially separated on a mutual understanding after it promised never to hit me again.


The cost of the repairs have come to £975 for a mirror and aerial. Not sure what that is in dollars.

Tony

 

I just saw this happen on the roads here. It was a Toyota Corolla who got the mattress. Hope he survived.

 

I'm always leery of mattresses on the top or in the beds of vehicles. Years ago, while travee. ling on our beltway in my E -Type, I saw this chance of black stuff flying toward me. I sped up, fortunately, it hit me just beyond the roof line. Had I not sped up, it would have taken out my wind screen. To this day, I still have a minor dent there. It's been 20-30 years hence.
Happy trails....

 

Not a scratch - just needed clean undies...

 

It would seem flying mattresses are not an uncommon accurance, Maybe we will have to insure our mattresses in the future if this continues. Are your mattresses left hand drive in the states?

 

Tony, so now that you're no longer in distress, when are you going to flip your signature photo so it is no longer upside down?

Stuart

 

Thanks for that Stuart,

I copied your photo of my car and used it as my advertar. That should stop the oil running out.

Thanks again

Tony

 

I am finally getting my insurance claim sorted out and I expect his insurance company to try and get me to go to one of their approved repairers, which may not be a jaguar garage. I do not have a great problem with this providing they use genuine parts, not repro's. Does anybody know what the part numbers are for a complete drivers (LHD) door mirror and the radio aerial. (2007 XK),

I have looked on the Internet but cannot find any OEM part numbers. I presume they are OEM ?

 

Have a PDR service look the car over

 

Your local Jag dealer should be able to tell you those, if you give them the VIN - and did you really mean LHD? Is your XK a left-hooker?

 

I always steer clear of cars carrying a roof-mounted mattress. One time on CA-Hwy 5 I saw this SUV with several mattresses tied down precariously on the roof, while going like 75mph. Immediately I got a bad feeling about this and slowed down to give a wide space from the truck. Lo and behold, a few minutes later, 1/2 mile in front of me, I could see all the mattresses flying off the truck, narrowly missing the other cars on the freeway.

I also stay far away from semi-trailers and trucks carrying steel rods and pipes due to my phobia of impalement.


Cheers,
Wolfy

 

You are right, I was thinking of driving on the left, not a left hand drive car. I'ts an age thing.

Tony

 

Thanks for you reply. Not sure what a PDR is but i am assuming it some kind of independent inspection?