Advice needed - should I pay $150 to inspect the undercarriage?

[Futuretech]

Hi all - I was driving on the motorway from Sydney to Canberra and a big wrench fell from the truck in the next lane and hit the undercarriage of my car (I heard a very loud metallic bang). Dashcam footage here 2023-07-15_10-12-10-front.mp4 (front) and 2023-07-15_10-12-10-back.mp4 (back). I didn't signal the driver to stop at the time because I didn't know what happened until I had a chance to review the footage when I stopped at the next service station.

I raised a request via app to have the car elevated to inspect whether there was any damage to the undercarriage but the estimate comes to about $150. Do you guys think I should suck it up and pay this (and spend a couple of hours visiting the service centre) in the hopes that it'll reveal any damage that I can then recoup the repair of which through insurance (hopefully no excess as I've got the entire thing on camera with the license plate visible). I tried to report this online with NSW police just so I have a record however they responded to say that I will have to go to a police station to report this so I might go in for a visit this afternoon.

Any advice is appreciated - thanks!

 

[Tam]

Hi all - I was driving on the motorway from Sydney to Canberra and a big wrench fell from the truck in the next lane and hit the undercarriage of my car (I heard a very loud metallic bang). Dashcam footage here 2023-07-15_10-12-10-front.mp4 (front) and 2023-07-15_10-12-10-back.mp4 (back). I didn't signal the driver to stop at the time because I didn't know what happened until I had a chance to review the footage when I stopped at the next service station.

I raised a request via app to have the car elevated to inspect whether there was any damage to the undercarriage but the estimate comes to about $150. Do you guys think I should suck it up and pay this (and spend a couple of hours visiting the service centre) in the hopes that it'll reveal any damage that I can then recoup the repair of which through insurance (hopefully no excess as I've got the entire thing on camera with the license plate visible). I tried to report this online with NSW police just so I have a record however they responded to say that I will have to go to a police station to report this so I might go in for a visit this afternoon.

Any advice is appreciated - thanks!

Most likely you are fine but I would be on the safe side and pay for the inspection for the peace of mind.

 

[Blue heaven]

Hi all - I was driving on the motorway from Sydney to Canberra and a big wrench fell from the truck in the next lane and hit the undercarriage of my car (I heard a very loud metallic bang). Dashcam footage here 2023-07-15_10-12-10-front.mp4 (front) and 2023-07-15_10-12-10-back.mp4 (back). I didn't signal the driver to stop at the time because I didn't know what happened until I had a chance to review the footage when I stopped at the next service station.

I raised a request via app to have the car elevated to inspect whether there was any damage to the undercarriage but the estimate comes to about $150. Do you guys think I should suck it up and pay this (and spend a couple of hours visiting the service centre) in the hopes that it'll reveal any damage that I can then recoup the repair of which through insurance (hopefully no excess as I've got the entire thing on camera with the license plate visible). I tried to report this online with NSW police just so I have a record however they responded to say that I will have to go to a police station to report this so I might go in for a visit this afternoon.

Any advice is appreciated - thanks!

YES. You have a $60,000+ vehicle.

 

[Icey]

You can go anywhere with a 2/4 post lift and take a look yourself. Give the local mechanic a slab and throw it up on the lift take a few pics and drop it again.

 

[paulp]

You should get it inspected. Battery damage can be a very bad thing. The undertray is strong though. Concerning footage. If that had have bounced differently your windscreen could have taken the hit. The pointy end also makes an inspection more justifiable. You may also be able to search the rego plate and contact the truck owner as ask if they want to direct reimburse you or would they prefer a police report. Would save you a lot of time and zero action from the police.

 

[Futuretech]

You may also be able to search the rego plate and contact the truck owner

Thanks for the advice - any idea how this could be done? I tried googling and this NHVR Registration Checker app | NHVR but couldn't find any indication as to which company the truck belongs to. No visible marking on the body of the truck in the footage either.

 

[paulp]

Thanks for the advice - any idea how this could be done? I tried googling and this NHVR Registration Checker app | NHVR but couldn't find any indication as to which company the truck belongs to. No visible marking on the body of the truck in the footage either.

Its usually your states rego provider, so whatever that department is called in nsw. Most people search the rego of 2nd hand cars to check the owner is the owner. Of course nsw may not permit this.

Check a vehicle registration

You can check a vehicle's registration details online. A free registration check includes:the registration expiry datewhether the registration is suspended or…

www.service.nsw.gov.au

Order a vehicle history report

If you're considering buying a used car there are 2 types of vehicle checks you can make online – a free registration check and a vehicle history check. The…

www.service.nsw.gov.au

 

[Futuretech]

Its usually your states rego provider, so whatever that department is called in nsw. Most people search the rego of 2nd hand cars to check the owner is the owner. Of course nsw may not permit this.

Check a vehicle registration

You can check a vehicle's registration details online. A free registration check includes:the registration expiry datewhether the registration is suspended or…

www.service.nsw.gov.au

Order a vehicle history report

If you're considering buying a used car there are 2 types of vehicle checks you can make online – a free registration check and a vehicle history check. The…

www.service.nsw.gov.au

Thanks mate will look into that

 

[Futuretech]

Thanks all for the comments , will go ahead with the appointment to check it out.

 

[Vostok]

Hi all - I was driving on the motorway from Sydney to Canberra and a big wrench fell from the truck in the next lane and hit the undercarriage of my car

Cripes. Whoever loaded that truck and/or didn’t check it before the truck set off should be charged with negligence or something. That could have easily killed someone.

 

[SL666]

So - if you were in canberra i'd tell you to swing past one night..

but if you can find a local workshop thats comfortable with putting it on a hoist for you - or alternatively find a nice high gutter it a quiet spot you can put one side of the wheels on and look under it with a torch - most of the underneath is flat plastic undertray and it's pretty soft (the possum i was looking for claws left a mark...)

 

[cafz]

Old mate doesn't seem to have a front plate on the truck either, so the only one visible is the trailer's plate.

 

[Quickst]

Do you guys think I should suck it up and pay this

I would think the battery pack protection is robust but they do warn not to lift the car with the jack on the battery pack.
You should be able to jack it up on one side and look for yourself
Or maybe schedule a tyre rotation at the same time -kill 2 birds with one stone

 

[[Zombie]]

What is the alternative?

 

[Futuretech]

Old mate doesn't seem to have a front plate on the truck either, so the only one visible is the trailer's plate.

There is one - in the left repeater camera footage. I didn't upload it