I was driving down the highway and started to smell a burning smell. i took the Z home and lifted the car, and a black trash bag had gotten wrapped around my rear axle and paritally sucked into the differential, damaging the seal. I pulled as much of it out as i could, but it had apparently already made the damage, as I was leaking fluid already. my question is...how long till I have to repair this? and its going to be expensive isnt it? i assume they will have to drop the rear right axle and dissassemble the differential. Would this be a prime time to upgrade to a 3.9 or what?

 

according to my computer shop key. .it's about an hours worth of labor. .and i'd take it to a dependable local mechanic. .it's a very easy job. .remove the rear axle pop out the side seal and replace it with another one ..there is no need to drop diffs or nething. .what happ was the bag got sucked past the seal and from spinning it just ruined the seal. . i've had this happen to a few customer's already one bad case was that the bag got stuck at the trans rear seal at the drive shaft. .leaked tranny fluid all over. .if you have a fax i'd be happy to fax you over the removal and installation procedures. .

 

Man, having a PLASTIC BAG damage your car is sooooo retarded. Sucks

 

then again you should watch what you run over..

 

I've always had a fear of this when I see plastic bags on the road, but I never thought I'd read an actual story about it. At least it looks like an easy fix.

 

Dude your lucky it was empty! During the first few mnths of owning a Z I was driving into work one morning on the highway, and every lane was packed and of course I was in the high speed lane doing about 80 with the traffic and just as I crest a hill the guy infront of me jumps quickly into the other lane, and with a car next to me and behind me im powerless but to slow to about 70 as I hit head on full force A FULL MOTHERFCKING TRASHBAG!!!!! I swear I have never cussed so much in my life. Like run on swears of the worst kind untill I ran out of breath....The damage;
Apparently there must have been fantastic wonderful cans of substance in the bags cuz guess what? Now I got a couple decent dents and creases where it hit, also the brilliant, really great and awesome person who just so happens to have their trash wind up on the road must have just so happened to throw away bbq sauce that day.....hmmm never knew it was so hard to clean off. Oh nice! looking under the car I see frenchfries stuck to some parts, a paper cup, what looks like mustard and tissues etc stuck to my car. sweet. what an awesome ****ing person. Good job. good fking job!!! uggh imm still mad and this was like a year ago, still have the lil dents on my bumpr and scraps. I love it fdfdjfhgjdnedjfdij

 

awww man. .few years ago with my 87 bmw 325 is. .with a front lip i had this ******!!! infront of me dip out the way last second for me to slam into a damn TRUCK tire!!! I feel YOU PAIN!!!

 

Sucsk man, hopefully it's a quick and relatively painless fix. I am always trying to dodge anything foreign laying on the road, but if I do end up going over a bag or papers or anything I always look in my rear view and hope to see it flying up or something. Otherwise, pull over right away and make sure I don't have something stuck up there.

 

I had a similar problem, just not as serious. I was driving my hatchi roku on my way to the freeway and I thought it was a plastic bag on the road while driving at night. I saw it at the last second and thought nothing major of it so I just drove over it. As I was driving on the freeway it was spinning on my axle the whole time until it locked up. It made a big clank noise and the car was vibrating. I pulled over, and to my surprise it was a small blanket or towel. I pulled it out and the car ran fine after, no leaks. It's been two months and the car runs fine.

GL with the fix. Unfortunate what a plastic bag will do

 

Sometimes you just can't help it... I've had a pick up truck drop plastic containers (like oil drum sized) off the back in the wind after not tying them down... all sorts.

One thing I've learnt is that American roads in general, and Texas ones in particular are awful. Awful concrete here that chips and flies up, tons of rubbish and idiot people that have crap in the back loose or people hanging on like we are in a third world country...

The way that people tailgate means that you can't see more than one car ahead (and no one else can either). I always drive with at least 2 car spaces in front if I can (as that is how we are taught in the UK) but here in Houston 1 car space or more means room for more cars and people will just move into it.

Very frustrating..

 

+11tybillion

 

EUROPEAN ROADS ARE AMAZING!!! let me tell you even through the damn winding turns of the mountains smooth as silk!! i just can understand how america's supposed to be top dog of the world and our roads suck. . .except now adays USA's going down hilL!!!

 

dang, i have always worried about this happening to me, since I drive my Z about 80-90 miles a day. Sorry to hear.

 

Thats Atlanta roads for ya

 

Don't get me wrong, i think that some european roads suck too - but they are normally back or country roads.

The main highways are generally in good repair, or have road works on them repairing them.

I read in Wired this month that America has basically given up on repairing it's freeway/highway system - and only budgets for 6 miles of any one highway a year.

Sounds about right to me having driven a few of them

 

OMG that would **** me off!! Great story though, I seriously about laughed my *** clean off. I would have reacted exactly the same. Not laughing at your misfortune, I just cant stop laughing thinking about a trash bag getting exploaded at 70mph lol.

PS: I hit a car battery going 75, fell out of a truck and it was either straddle it or take it on a wheel n ****ing die. Dented the exhaust, put red streak under the car (back when I had my prelude), that was about it. the sound was gut wrenching as it tore across the bottom of the car.

 

I always dodge plastic bags in the middle of the road...people pass me and look at me like Im a total idiot....If only I could forward them this thread

 

other night on nj parkway i was whipping it in the fast lane of 5 all together. .and as im doing about 80 off an exit i went right into fast lane and wanted to beat all the congested traffic where i was i see out the corner of my eye in full slow motion a big *** rock flying toward my baby. .i had just enough room near the edge to dodge it and still not hit the divider but i saw the guy behind me took the full blow to the windshield. ...at the next rest stop i pulled in for gas and sure enough the guys window was broke and he kept telling me ho wluck i was cause he saw me dodge but didnt react like i did. . .sorry man!!!!

 

I've been hit by a big open end wrench before on the highway... dude in a 300m poking along in the slow lane didn't see it.... ran over it... and it rocketed straight at me (not a chance in the world i could avoid it).... WHAMMMMM..... I proceed to yell every cuss word I know...... luckily it hit the bumper and not my hood.... it left a perfect indentation on my bumper (only way I knew what it was)....

some things just arent avoidable.... i avoid plastic bags like the plague though.... after hearing this story... I think I'll keep doing it.

 

you mean Hachi Roku right?