[DrVjy]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Just out of curiosity : Did you stop the car and try to move that stone away so someone else doesnt come hitting it?

No, at that time, I was too shocked to do that and was recovering for some 10 min. Maybe I feel I should try stopping and moving out the stone in a future situation, and also publish photos of such things so some monitoring takes place.

[raihan]

Few days back I drove over an elevated manhole cover (which seemed passable) in my getz. I heard a loud thud & the car stopped, I was able to rev high & dislodge the car. luckily no damage, but lesson learnt don't try to drive over objects when you can avoid it.

[srishiva]

I drove over a big granite boulder which made some sound after it came under the rear part of the car. Nothing at the front and upto the middle part. Since I was turning over it, it might have stuck somewhere on the rear suspension area.

[noidea]

In Kolkata on some roads the manholes are elevated above the road surface sometimes as much as 5 - 6 inches. I recent drove over one of them in my Innova and scraped my bottom really badly. I have not had it checked but I will have it checked tomorrow because I had no idea that one can damage one's car so badly this way.

[sagarpadaki]

Sorry to see your car in such state.

Our i20 also suffered underbody damage when we drove on some really bad village roads near mantralaya last month.The front cross member had taken a heavy hit ,the left lower arm got bent and there was a huge dent in the fuel tank.But thankfully nothing crippiling as this.Atleast you were on a highway near the city.We were in the middle of nowhere and anything like this had happened,i shudder to even think about it.By Gods grace we could drive back 450 kms to bangalore without any trouble.

Damages-

Front cross member-10,500
Left lower arm-1200
Diesel tank-6000
Labour-2000

claimed insurance and had to pay some 3500 from pocket.

Do let us know about the expenditure

[RGK]

Sorry to hear. As said by many, your quick action saved your engine.
These kind of sudden stones can also be seen in ghat roads placed by truck drivers (while taking rest) to avoid the vehicle descending which is a bad practice.
They rarely remove after the vehicle is taken.

If possible, try to do a weld (arc welding) of the fuel tank which could save a quite amount of money.

[Roshan_v_k]

Really sorry buddy to hear this. Last week I was on the way to Calicut, I did run in the same issue, luckily, I only damaged the right hand side rack and the famous Hyundai's "KAT KAT" noise started and now getting the rack system replaced, and also the tire alignment without any say.

[Kaustav]

First of all I would like to say that I am really sorry to hear about this mishap. Getting into an accident, damaging the vehicle and they paying up for it due to one's own fault is still understandable. However, its a real pain when we see our cars damaged due to idiots who have no concerns for others safety and property.

Well, I own a Punto which comes with a thick underbody plate that protects the engine. I have faced similar situations during my drives on the highways & inside the city. Well, its quite possible that the stone that you hit was a huge one and hence the damage. However, I have hit medium sized stones which did hit the engine guard, but could not do any damage. Everytime this happened, I just visited the TASS workshop and got the car lifted to see few scratches and minor dents on the engine guard. Thus, having an engine guard in cars plying on Indian roads is a very good idea that has been implemented by the European manufacturers. "faustus77" an engine guard would definitely make your car heavier, however, it would also save your car from such accidents. Its a helmet for the car's engine.

[guyfrmblr]

I called up the H.A.S.S this noon and got a reply that the parts are yet to come (the SA had mentioned that it may take 3-4 working days for the parts to arrive). He said that he may be able to return the car next week. I'll update the cost incurred and other details once I get the car.

I'll inquire about the engine guard which most of them have mentioned here with the SA. It'll be very useful for Indian roads.

[Invader]

It happens only in India!

India is a developing country and the most important spec and vehicle type while choosing a vehicle is the Ground Clearance (>190), SUV.

I learn't it the hard why and it pains me when my new Fiat Punto scrapes most speed breakers, pot-holes, front bumper scrapes when you ramp-down. The other day, heavy rains in Bangalore coupled with poor visibility i ran over a poorly marked divider in Jayanagar (bangalore). Thankfully nothing has happened except for the engine guard got slight bend and adequately bruised. Love Fiats that way!

I loose my confidence driving in Bangalore; try my best to take rickshaw when i travel short distance within the city.

Eagerly looking forward for a compact affordable SUVs - Thar Hard Top, Jinmys, upcoming Mahindra nano-SUVs

[avisidhu]

Just came back after getting my vehicle inspected for underbody damage, and see this post on the portal.

Sorry to hear about your fate mate. Hope your insurance comes through without any hassles.

I met a similar fate on the highway. Hit a badly damaged road at around 60-70 kmph, and the entire underbody got scratched from front to behind. Thankfully nothing broke, just a misaligned tyre.

So are there any after market underbody guards that we can get fixed? agree it will impact the GC, but I'll be more than glad at all this stuff hitting some metal protection than the fuel tank etc.

[raj.barcode]

Sorry to hear this happened to your car, but what puzzles me is that bumper is still intact without any scratches, and also sump in I20 is little inside as compared to my optra, in which sump tank is lowest part of the car. in i20 bumper is lower than oil sump tank

Please get your car checked if there some other issues too(w.r.t to ground clearance), as i have checked and rechecked the level of the sump tank with respect to bumper level, also your bumper doesn't have a lipping strip that is found in my car

[guyfrmblr]

Got a call from SA this evening and told me that the repair work has been completed. He said the insurance guys will re-inspect the repair work done tomorrow or day after and I can collect the car after that. I'll update the exact cost breakup and other details once I receive the car.

Originally Posted by raj.barcode

Please get your car checked if there some other issues too(w.r.t to ground clearance), as i have checked and rechecked the level of the sump tank with respect to bumper level, also your bumper doesn't have a lipping strip that is found in my car

I'll get it checked. I think they have stopped providing the lipping strip in BS IV models as i haven't seen it in any of the new models.

[ku69rd]

Sorry to read your mishap on what should have been a lovely ride, good presence of mind to ensure that you stopped your car within time. Would you want to share the details of the impact?

[guyfrmblr]

Got my i20 back this evening. The process of repairing and claiming insurance was butter smooth. It was a hassle free experience.

The guys from Advaith Hyundai, Bannerghatta road were true to their words and didn't give any false promises and dates. I need to specially thank Prakash (Bodyshop manager) and Vinod (SA) of Advaith who were very co-operative during the entire process.

Let me brief the flow of events:
October 29th, Saturday : My i20 was hit by a stone and damaged the underbody at 12 45 pm, NH-48, around 60 kms from Bangalore. Called H.A.S.S and the bodyshop manager quickly arranged for a tow vehicle which reached the spot at 2 45 pm. Towed the car to Advaith and was asked to fill the form for claiming insurance (TATA AIG) and was told that insurance guys may come to inspect the car on Monday, Oct 31st.

October 31st , Monday : Got a call from TATA AIG at around 11 am and confirmed the vehicle number and was told that the inspection will be done at noon. Got a call from Advaith in the evening and informed me that the inspection has been carried out and have asked them to order the parts which may take 4 working days to arrive. (November 1st was a Government holiday). The approximate repair cost was Rs 45000.

4 days later: November 5th, Saturday : I called SA and was told that the parts have arrived and they will be starting the work on November 8th (7th was a Government holiday).

November 8th, Tuesday : Got a call from SA at 7 pm and told me that the work has been completed and the insurance guys may come on Wednesday for re-inspecting after which they'll be sending a letter to Advaith to release my car. I was told that this process may take 1 day.

Today : Got a call from SA at 11 am and told me that all the processes have been completed and I can collect my car. Went to service centre at around 5 45 pm. They took me to the service area, showed me the underbody and explained the parts which have been replaced. The car was absolutely clean (both interior and exterior). Paid the bill and drove home the car with a smile.

Cost Breakup:

Total repair bill : Rs 40,997
Insurance : Rs 36,197
I paid : Rs 4,818

Details of the bill:

1. Engine Oil : Rs 1,274.78
2. Brake Fluid : Rs 149.10
3. Diesel : Rs 468.00 (10 litres)
4. Mirror and Holder Assy-O/S RH : 381.46
5. Crossmember Compl(Assy) : Rs 8987.17
6. Cylinder Assy - Wheel RH : Rs 798.23
7. Torsion Axle Complete : Rs 8266.03
8. Arm Complete FR LWR RH : Rs 1133.33
9. Tank Assy - FUEL : Rs 5130.41
10. PNL- Undercover LH : Rs 165.34
11. PAN Assy - Engine Oil : Rs 6044.10
12. Gasket - Liquid Engine : Rs 874.58

Labour And Services

1. Other charges : Rs 1410.00
2.Cylinder Assy - Wheel (LH) : Rs 203.00
3. Arm Assy - Lower (both sides) : Rs 203.00
4. Tank Assy - Fuel : Rs 348.00
5. Pan Assy - Oil Upper and/or Gasket : Rs 203.00

Plus VAT and Service Tax : Rs 4957.94

After the repair, I drove for around 40 kms and confirmed that everything is fine. I'm totally satisfied with the way Advaith and TATA AIG handled the entire process.

Lessons learnt from this experience:
1. Whenever driving behind a vehicle (especially trucks) on a highway, maintain atleast 3 bus gaps so that if any unexpected object appears on the road, some evasive action can be taken. (but people try to squeeze in these gaps )
2. Don't judge the stone or any other object on the roads by its size. In my case, it hasn't even touched the bumper (but has touched all other parts below). Whatever may be the stone size, please avoid driving over it.
3. Stop the vehicle as soon as any object hits the underbody and check for the leakage of any fluids. Driving with fluids leaking may cause the seizure of engine. If I'd driven with the fluids leaking, the engine would have seized and would have costed me a bomb.
4. Always carry the contact numbers of SA so that they'll tell you the correct steps to follow when such incidents occur. One of my friend met with a similar incident some days back. He called SA and was informed not to crank the engine at any cost since the fluids were leaking. Else my friend had planned to start the car and drive it for few more kilometers until he finds a town which would have definitely seized his engine.

I would like to thank all BHPians who gave wonderful advice and wishes in this thread.

My black beauty, back in action: