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Flying plywood

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by seeh2o, Mar 17, 2006.

  1. seeh2o

    seeh2o Prius OG

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    I was driving to work on the Hollywood freeway and a truck in front of me kicked up a 24" x 24" x 1" piece of plywood (I initially thought it was thick cardboard when I first saw it) that came flying straight at my car. I couldn't swerve to dodge it as I had a car on one side of me and a cube truck on the other side. The plywood hit my left front quarter panel, then went up and hit the driver's side rear view mirror, skittered along the side of my car and then on to the vehicle behind me.

    While I was driving I noticed that the force of the impact had caused my mirror to fold in. When I got to work I saw that a perfect one inch chunk matching the size of the plywood was missing from the bottom edge of the colored part of my mirror and the black part of the housing was cracked. The body of the car was scuffed, I think I can buff out the scuffs.

    I was sooooo upset at the driving and plywood gods, but then I realized if the wood had not hit my mirror it would have shot right into the window and hit me in the head. Perspective kicked in, I am grateful to not have been hurt or killed. Mea culpa to the driving gods!

    On a pragmatic note, can the piece of the exterior mirror which houses the actual mirror, not the arm coming from the car, be replaced by the likes of me without special tools or requiring a trip to a body shop? I am sure the dealership will tell me that only they or a body shop should replace it, but I am fairly handy and am wondering if anyone here has any experience with this?
     
  2. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    The very same thing happened to me last summer, only it was a chunk of wood from a logging truck, not a piece of plywood. Luckily, I saw it coming and managed to swerve just enough that it hit the mirror and not my face. The coloured piece of the mirror housing can be replaced easily enough, though it's easier to see how to do it once you have the replacement part in hand. If you squeeze the plastic housing with both hands, it will bend enough for the little holding pins to release. It's a 5 minute job, 4 of which is getting the old part off. The body shop wanted about $150, but I did it myself for about $30. If you can live with the crack in the black part, (make sure there's no serious damage inside once you get the housing off) that will be much easier and cheaper than replacing the entire housing, mirror and all.
     
  3. Tempus

    Tempus Senior Member

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  4. seeh2o

    seeh2o Prius OG

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    Thanks so much, your post is very encouraging! Where did you order the housing, from the dealership? Do they come prepainted?
     
  5. seeh2o

    seeh2o Prius OG

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    LOL, I read about that this morning! It's a wonder no people were killed and only one was killed.
     
  6. Oxo

    Oxo New Member

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    There's a limit to the distance plywood will fly. So were you too close to the vehicle in front?
    In my experience most people drive far too close. Years ago I was in a car behind a truck when the truck's gearbox exploded, scattering large steel bits and pieces all over the highway. We were far enough back to avoid the biggest pieces but since then I always imagine remote possibilities happening when I'm behind another vehicle.
     
  7. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Yes, and yes. Be sure to order the correct year and colour, and specify if it's left or right. I was greatly relieved to find I could order just that housing part, and not the whole mirror assembly. Even the parts manager didn't think I could until he looked it up.
     
  8. IsrAmeriPrius

    IsrAmeriPrius Progressive Member

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    Oxo,

    Have you ever driven on any Southern California freeway during the rush hour?
     
  9. moonbeam

    moonbeam New Member

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  10. Rancid13

    Rancid13 Cool Chick with a Black Prius

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    Aw, man, I'm sorry to hear that!

    One morning during my commute from El Segundo to Huntington Beach while in my former car, a Saturn, I was driving merrily along in the left lane when a car just ahead of me in the carpool lane ran over something I call 'random freeway shrapnel' because I'm not quite sure what it was. Anyways, this shrapnel then becomes airborne and headed directly at the driver's side of my car, scraping every panel from the frontmost to the rearmost about 8" below the windows. Looked like an angry cat had taken a sharp claw to the side of my car, etching a deep scratch down the length of it. Sounded like it too, when it happened I cringed then nearly wept upon arriving at my destination and seeing the damage. Buffing did nothing, the scratch was too deep. :(
     
  11. hockeybrat

    hockeybrat Member

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    NOOO! Oh Jen, that sucks!

    Those SoCal freeways sound like they are more dangerous than when I lived there!

    Luckily nobody was hurt from flying debris. Seeh20, sorry about your car, that sucks. :(
     
  12. seeh2o

    seeh2o Prius OG

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    Ugh, I know your pain...!

    Many thanks to Hyo Silver - I made some calls, I found a white plastic housing at Longo Toyota for about $35.00. It paid to call around as Toyota of Hollywood wanted $53.00 for the exact same part!

    Also I got in touch with a guy named Steve who salvages cars in Indiana, particularly 2nd gen Prius, he said the black part of the housing is about $175.00 new from Toyota. I may get one from him at some point in the future for much less than that. Here's his website if anyone needs salvaged parts: Auto be yours.

    Beware, his website is painful to see, quite a few smashed up Prius (or is it Priuses?) on view.
     
  13. kkister1492

    kkister1492 New Member

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    A few years ago I was driving our minivan on the freeway when I noticed cars in front of me swerving to avoid something in the lanes. I saw a piece of plywood ahead and swerved to the left to go around it. At the same time, a semi drove over another sheet just ahead and caused it to become airborn - right at my car! Fortunately, since I had moved a bit left, it hit on the passenger side right on the corner. It hit the headlight and came up over the front of the car. Oddly enough, it seemed to be deflected just enough by the antenna that it slid up and over my car. We were pretty freaked out but the only real damage was to the headlight. Didn't notice where it went from there - too busy giving thanks that we weren't killed!
     
  14. San_Carlos_Jeff

    San_Carlos_Jeff Active Member

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    On California (and lot of other states) freeways during commute time there's no choice but to drive close. If you leave what is considered a safe distance it just gets filled up with other cars and you aggravate everyone behind you.
     
  15. hdrygas

    hdrygas New Member

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    I was going to add that bit and I am glad that someone else has. It is not just blindness. This person is lucky to be alive. She ended up with major facial and bone surgery just to look acceptable. I don't remember how many hours of surgery she has but it is staggering. Road debris are not a joke.
     
  16. subarutoo

    subarutoo New Member

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    Yeah, road furniture sucks. My 2 week old Prius was clobbered by a flying tire tread, causing $1800 damage to bumper, foglight, grill and even passenger door. Both of our Subarus required windshields and hood repaints after freeway debris damage, and my old 66 Mustang was clobbered by a full 4 x 8 plywood signboard. Hit driver side headlight, but I thought it was coming for me. Its a wonder there is mostly sheetmetal (plastic?) damage and not flesh and bone damage from all the freeway junk. I've seen lawn chairs, ladders, office furniture, bumpers, wheels, a pick axe, trash cans, :angry: and even a mountain bike (no rider) laying on the LA freeways.
     
  17. Oxo

    Oxo New Member

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    No, but I am sometimes on the M25 (London) at rush hour, which may be similar.
     
  18. koa

    koa Active Member

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